Backyard Gardening

I am more into fruits. I have several fruit trees and get fruits when they are in season. I also make fruit juice of any surplus. Some fruits are also sold. Besides fruit trees I also have turmeric, coconut, pepper and arecanut.

 

My dad loves gardening, and he does have edible plants, but it's not the type that you can cook everday, since he has guava, mango, jackfruit, chilli, etc. He also has those decorative plants, and they are planted in the front yard.

 

I am a backyard farmer since I was in grade school when I learned gardening from our grade 5 teacher. Even now, I'm into gardening for the fun of it although I have to admit that the edibles in our backyard saves us from some spending. Fromt he top of my head, we have red pepper, ginger, lemon, kumquat, lemon grass, mint, squash and bitter melon, sweet potato, cassava, native spinach, not to mention the fruits around the house. Aside from the savings, our edibles are a sight to behold especially when they are ready for harvest.

 

It's one of favorite hobbies and activities, looking out for my garden is a blessing as well an incredible joy that fills my heart.

 

I live in an apt., so I have little pots of herbs and a medium size pot of ferns I use every year for a New Year celebration ceremony. I have aloe vera, the smaller ones, broad leaf plantain and red ti leaf for good luck and protection. I give these plants water run off from my sink. I like having my little herb garden.

 

I don't have a garden as I live in an apartment, but I do have a few pots in my window box. I grow aloe vera, lemongrass, basil and curry leaves along with a few flowers. I have also planted turmeric this year.

@Krissttina Isobe what do you use the ferns for? Which variety do you use in cooking?

 

I love the idea of having a garden full of edible and ornamental plants in my backyard if ever I have one. Actually it's hard enough to have a decent space in the city, whats's more of having a backyard.or a garden even. But I love to have an indoor plants, the ones that could scare the pest and mosquitoes away. I'm still searching what plants could do the job, any suggestions?

 

@TheOtherSide Citronella, lemon grass and mint are some plants that is a good mosquito repellent. If that is not working, try making a mosquito trap using yeast, water and sugar. I have provided a link below for the step by step procedure. It is not my video.

 

Why ferns? At this site

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it is explained much more eloquently than I, but in short the fern is a link to the past for we wouldn't be here if we did not have ancestors and the upside down fern is to be crystal clear living. This is my fern in my little apt. backyard. It's the Polypodi fern in Hawaiian it's called laua'e fern. It's nickname in Hawaii is the wart fern.

Here is a picture of a grand kagami mochi display. People would have this huge display for New Years, at businesses in Japan.

 

Thanks for the link

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, I enjoyed reading it. It is indeed a lovely insight into a culture that is different from mine. I really love the beautiful display and also the lovely little fern you have. It is so intriguing that although, cultures are so different from each other in different countries, yet the common thread that links them together is the nature. In my culture, we have various customs and traditions that we celebrate, probably worlds apart, but each of us takes something from the nature that we are offered and we celebrate it in our own ways. I really liked the philosophy involved with the fern plant.

 

Actually, I do produce vegetables in my yard, not too many because I have a small yard. I produce tomatoes, pepper, eggplant, cucumber, and onion. My first reason to plant these vegetables was to save some money but in time I realized that it is better to eat what I produce because is more natural without any chemicals.
My vegetable is better than the ones from the supermarket.

 

I have had a few herbs that I've grown in my backyard in the past. Since I live in the city, I am limited on outdoor space for growing, but my uncle has a large garden in the suburbs. He grows a huge variety of veggies like tomatoes, cucumber, zucchini, squash, peppers, and different types of leafy greens. It always saves me a ton of money on groceries in the summer and fall.

 

If only we have a bigger lot then I might be planting some herbs since I use them for cooking. But if ever we get to buy a bigger lot, I will plant some vegetables in our backyard for sure. Here in our place, buying vegetables isn't actually cheap, aside from you now knowing what pesticides they used to make those vegetables pest free and look fresh all the time. If I plant my own veggies, at least I know they're pesticide free.

 

I don't have a backyard, but a front yard. I do grow some vegetables in the front yard, and I would like to grow some herbs too. I agree that it's really saving us some money by growing and eating our own food, moreover they are the freshest vegetables we can get. At the moment, I am clearing my garden as there are too many insects disturbing my vegetables and they can't grow well.

 

Every person living in my village is definitely a good farmer and can't do without cultivating quite a piece of land at his or her backyard. I have a piece of land in my name and it's my personal inheritance not far from my house.

I cultivate lots of vegetables that ranges from pumpkin leaves, scent leaves, melon, and some legumes. I even combine mixed cropping because I believe it is more economical and quite effective in maximization of farm land.

The government of my country takes it quite serious when it comes to propagating agriculture. Anyone that shows serious investment in agriculture gets a handsome loan and subsidy to ensure he is successful in making the endeavour pull through.

 

This one seems to have faded a bit from the family as the generations advance. My grandmother had a whole garden and my mother grew herbs, and now it looks like it is even less with me.

 

@kaka135 Hi Kaka, do you use turmeric powder in your cooking? If you have easy access to turmeric, you could try spraying a strong solution of turmeric in your garden, it kills most insects effectively! Or you could even boil a concoction of hot chillies and garlic and spray it all around. Cheap, economical and very effective spray against most insects. But make sure to cover your hands, face and eyes well.

 

@nangk08 Thanks a lot for your advice! I am not using turmeric powder now, but I plan to use it in future as I read it's really good for health. I didn't know it's good for getting rid of the insects to. I will give it a try. I can get hot chillies and garlic here easily too, I will give them a try. I wonder if planting these in the garden helps as well.

 

@kaka135 Yes, I think planting garlic and chillies will help but not that much to get rid of the insects. Of course you can plant them for a free supply of both. But try planting Basil, Citronella and marigolds. The peculiar fragrances of leaves due to certain oils in these plants really help get rid of insects. These plants are used to reduce mosquitoes and I think they might be effective for other pests too.