Heavy Rain Strong Wind

Two days ago, after 4 days without rain, an abnormally windy storm hit my area 4 am in the morning. I couldnt do anything to protect my plants since my soul had been completely sucked by Diablo III that day...

In the morning, I saw this:

Looks like the screen protector was pushed down by the heavy rain...

No casualties it seems... The screen wasnt damaged...

As for the plants:

Most plants were bent over by the rain and strong winds...

Okra with a 90 degrees bent... The flower buds were undamaged

Kangkong and mint were flatten down by the rain... They were standing straight before...

Whole growbed shot...

The okra flower buds take so long to bloom. Im wondering if this is normal...
The older leaves of the mint plant are dying. It looks like the large okra leaves are blocking out most of the sunlight thus slowing the mints growth rate.
I really need to build a greenhouse to cover my entire system soon. The surface of my growbed is covered with tiny fruits from the tree above... and now the tropical storm...

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Transplanting How to Transplant in Five Simple Steps

In case you have seedlings with you and you want to start from seedling and not from the seeds, the following steps will help you.

1.       First make a hole in the ground where you want to transplant the plant. It should be as deep as the height of the container and double of its diameter.

2.       Before transplanting it is almost mandatory to give water to the plant as unless its roots grow it will not be possible for the plant to get water from the soil.

3.       Keep a hold on the stem of the plant and put the pot upside down. Due to gravitation force it will be far easier to take the plant out of the container.

4.       Plant the seedling the same depth as it was in the container.

5.       Cover it with the soil and press gently to ensure the roots are in solid contact with the soil. Make sure the soil remains moist constantly till you see the plant grow.

Try to transplant on a overcast weather condition to give the plant a better chance to adjust to their new home without being withered by direct sun.

Transplanting can be a great way to start gardening as it will definitely increase the chances of survival for the plant and provide the much more enthusiasm for continuing Gardening as a hobby, which has so many benefits of its own.


Check out five cool tips for transplanting a plant in this following video

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Top Five Plants for Indoor Gardening

If you are blessed with a backyard or a Terrace if might not want to row plant indoor but for the rest of us indoor gardening might be the only way out. It has its own share of problems. Lack of light, humidity, proper watering are some of them. Very few plants do good indoors without any artificial lights. Having said that there is hope. Here is a list of five plants which will give you satisfactory result.

Cilantro: Being a type of leafy veggies cilantro does well in indoor. Here is an article which tell you how to grow Cilantro.

cilantro

Mushrooms: Probably the best way to use the darkness of indoors is to grow Mushrooms. Here check this article for details on that.

Mushroom

Basil: Though basil prefer sun light and warm climate. It does fairly well indoors. The best place would be to place on a window where it will receive little bit of light here and there. 

Basil

Bay: It is a perennial plant and will do well in side your house. It also require proper air circulation. Please make a note if you want to grow Bay.

Bay

Chives: They are rich in antioxidants, Vitamin A and C and phytochemicals. These plants love humidity. Water regularly and make sure you soil does not get dry.

Chive

 

Which plant do you grow. Keep adding to that list.

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Top Five Companion Plants For Tomatoes

Here in this article we will give you some of the best choices for companion plants of tomatoes. As a companion plant they provide one or more than one of the benefits to the tomato plants like:

1.    Reduce pests
2.    Improve health and flavor
3.    Reduce diseases
4.    Help in pollination

We have discussed about the basic of companion planting in our earlier article. So if you have missed that by any chance you can find it by clicking here. There are so many plants which can act as a companion to the tomato plants but here in this article we have chosen our top five.

Marigold:

These brightly colored flowered plants are known to everybody for their pungent smell. And surely you can use them to deter pests. It is a best controller for the nematodes (More on nematodes in this article).
They produce a substance called alpha-terthienyl

which reduces the root knot nematodes in the soil. The best way to do it is to first grow the plant and at the end of the season chop and till them into the soil. Apart from nematodes, slugs, worms and other garden pests can be reduced by planting Marigold plants along with
Tomatoes.

Spinach/Lettuce:
Planting Basil, Spinach or Lettuce along with tomatoes can greatly increase the taste of tomatoes. You can also save a lot of space by planting them in union. It increases the rate of pollination for both the plants. As a “cherry on the top of the cake”, it also saves your tomato plants from whiteflies, mosquitoes, aphids etc. Being larger in size tomato plants also provide shades for these leafy vegetables.

Carrots:
As they say: “Carrots love Tomatoes”. Carrots share the space well with tomatoes. The roots of the carrot break up the soil very well. So if you have planted it along with tomatoes, the tomato plant can take nutrients, water etc very easily. It is also helpful in harvesting. Plant the carrots when the tomatoes are very tiny and they will be ready to be harvested by the time tomato plants require more space to proliferate.

Onions/Garlic:
Onions and garlic are natural deterrent of pests. This is due to their pungent odor. Planting them along with tomatoes will definitely reduce your pest management cost. They are a good option if your tomatoes are infested with spider mites. Planting garlic cloves around tomato plants is like providing a natural insecticide to the plant. 

Borage:
Borage protects tomatoes from the hornworms. Growing borage along with tomatoes can help deterring the worms and keep your tomatoes healthy. Borage also has a fresh flavor to it so you can use the smaller leaves to salads or refreshing drinks. Besides tomatoes you can also use borage as a companion plant with Cabbage to deter cabbage worms.

For more ideas about companion plants of tomatoes see the video below.


We hope you have liked the article. We look forward to your comments regarding the article. Also feel free to share this along with your friends:

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Top Five Aquaponics Fish for The Fish Tank

In our earlier article we have given you an elementary idea about Aquaponics system and basics of Aquaponics Design. To extend our discussion here, in this article we will give you an idea about the various Aquaponics Fish which you can grow in the system. Though you can grow almost any fish you want, we recommend that you stick with fresh water fishes as most of the vegetables don’t like salt water.

So here is top five Aquaponics fish of our choice:

1.    Tilapia: Tilapia is a warm water fish. Ideal temperature ranges from 70 to 85 degree F. The best part of growing tilapia is that most of the varieties are resistant to diseases and pests and can survive low oxygen  level also. Tilapia grows very fast and can reach a weight of 1 kilo in 6 to 8 months. A downside of the story is in some places growing tilapia is prohibited. So if you plan to grow them first check the rule book of your country.

2.    Koi: They can survive in a high variety of water temperature (ranging from 30 to 80 degree F). They are brightly colored and can be considered as ornamental fish. Over time they grow whiskers around their mouth and can grow really large. Koi are very tasty and you can definitely use them as food. They are generally expensive compared to other fishes.

3.    Catfish: They are bottom dwellers; meaning they remain in the bottom of the tank. They are warm water (love temperature of 60 to 80 degree F) fish. The mature fish can reach a length of 18 inches and can weight up to 1and half kilos. Use a fish tank whose diameter is at least 4 feet if you are planning to grow catfish. It doesn’t have any scales and is a good choice if you are planning to eat your fish. A mature catfish can feed an entire family. A word of caution: some of the catfishes have spines on their fins; so be careful while harvesting.

4.    Goldfish: Goldfish are cultured mostly for ornamental purposes and less for eating due to their fantastic color varieties and body types. They like the water temperature same as the catfishes. They can reach up to 10 inches in length. They are very social and love interacting with humans. Goldfishes release a lot of ammonia into the water which is why it is a great choice for the Aquaponic system.

5.    Trout: This is a cold water (ranges from 50 to 65 degree F) fish. They are delicious and thus used mostly for eating purpose. These fishes are carnivorous.  For growing trout you are required to provide them a lot of oxygen and quality water. Some people prefer to grow trout in the winter and some warm water fish during the summer seasons.


Here are some points to remember:

1.     Don’t mix herbivorous and carnivorous fishes together. Otherwise you will be left with only one variety of the fish in the tank.

2.    Don’t mix warm and cold water fishes.

3.    Maintain the proper temperature inside the fish tank.


<<<How to improve your vegetable production nearly 10 times by using all organic methods>>>



We hope you enjoyed the article. Please share your views by using the comment box below.

Related articles about Aquaponics:

Aquaponics System: Know the basics of Aquaponics Design

Advantages of Aquaponics System
Aquaponics System: 5 Steps To Success

Video: Preparing Aquaponics Fish Tank | Aquaponics Design A Step by Step Guide

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Top Five Perennial Vegetables

In one of our earlier article we have stressed on some points on the importance of growing perennial vegetables. There are so many vegetables which can be grown as perennials. Here in this article we will give you five of the most common perennials which are our favourite also. So here is a list of our fav five:

1. Papaya: A good choice as a fruit and also as vegetable (the raw ones). A papaya plant can produce more than 100 kgs of fruit in a year. They can be grown from seeds as well as through vegetation.
   
2. 
   Garlic: Though in most of the places garlic is grown as annuals it is basically a perennial plant. It is one of the healthiest vegetable you can get in the nature. 
   
    
3. Groundnut: Apart from their perennial features they are also known for their ability to fix nitrogen in the soil. The edible part of the plant is tubers. You can easily grow them by sowing tubers in moist soil.
   
   
4.  Sweet Potato: Apart from the roots of the plant leaves are also edible and are used in many parts of the world. The leaves are much more enriched in protein than the tubers.
   
   
5. Bitter Melon: as the name suggests they are bitter in taste. Their immature fruits are the most consumed part of the plant. They growing techniques are more or less similar to that of growing cucumbers.

This is a short list of our favourites. Which one do you grow? Share your experience with us.

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