Green Thumb Series:Summer Rolls into Fall....

As the growing season here in Texas comes to an end, I realize that I have not posted any updates on my
gardening ventures lately. Now that I am done with the vegetable bed for the year, its time I have a few pictures in my blog !

The most successfully grown plant this season was the bottle gourd...aka sorekaayi (in Kannada), dudhi bhopLa (Marathi), lauki (Hindi)..
A mere three plants provided me with at least 20 gourds, which I happily shared with friends ! ...I am sure that if the plants had been given the support they deserved, they would have produced even more...In any event, even without the support, they did perform extremely well...taking over almost my entire vegetable patch very aggressively ...they even strangled my precious tomato plants (sob ...sob...) ..


The patch was also graced by a lone okra plant that also did well..turned into a very healthy and very tall plant ( growing to almost 6 feet)..producing several okras, although only a couple at a time..I have plans to plant many more next spring, since these plants don't require too much care, do not take up a lot of space ( this is aimed as a special dig at the bottle gourd plant).


I had very high hopes from another plant that had I had lovingly tended from seed...Its called the Mangalore cucumber ( at home we also called it as the mogekai ) ...its available in most Indian groceries as the dosekayi. The plant did well initially and also gave one big squash..but later withered away dramatically...probably did not get enough water ( blush.. blush ) in the hot weather ...I have preserved some seeds and hope to do better by it next spring !

Basil and bell peppers also deserve some mention because they did reasonably well under the circumstances.

This was my first attempt at tending a vegetable garden and I know that it is not a venture to be taken lightly...It does need a lot of work and patience.....I am too much of an amateur to pretend that I know all about it ...but I will say this...whatever the efforts, the rewards are amazing ! To be able to step into your backyard and come back into the kitchen with the makings of a healthy delicious meal is such an exhilarating feeling..I am already planning my spring bed !!!
What did you grow in your garden this year ?

Until the next post, may the grass always be greener on your side of the fence !