Thursday, September 24, 2020

Garden after rains

 Keeping a watch on the passion fruit. Waiting for them to turn yellow so that I can pluck them before they fall off 

These vines last for about seven years. They require strong trellis as the fruit tends to be slightly heavy. Plucked these tomatoes which went into the tomato soup. These are not the regular variety and they have that extra tanginess. No wonder the soup tasted yummy.  




The unusual rains kept most of the plants green and the mint leaves look good enough to go into a curry. Maybe we may make pudina chutney (mint chutney) one of these days.  



The sun does shine bright when there is a respite from the rains, and the butterfly thinks it is better to bask on the turmeric plant.  (I wonder if that yellow guy is a butterfly or a moth)



Got a good crop of Tendli (Ivy Gourd) and it was enough for one curry. 
It is said that Tendli has been used by Ayurveda to treat diabetes due to its ability to increase glucose tolerance and lower blood sugar levels. 



For my photography gear, I had made a light stand with 3/4" PVC pipe which was lightweight and portable. Later I realised that it was not sturdy enough to hold the weight of the light especially when I increased the height to six feet and above. So I decided to make a new one with 1" pipe (which I hope should be sturdy)



Instead of throwing away the old stand, I redesigned it to make it into a stand to hold our orchid baskets. 


Talking of flowers, last month these Brahmakamal (Star of Bethlehem) decided to bloom at midnight as they stay bloomed for only one night. 
What a sight. There were four of them 




41 comments:

Anonymous said...

Your love for plants has been rewarded. You have nurtured nature. - Vanaja Rao

Anonymous said...

That stand is too good - Anna Krishnan

Augustine Xavier said...

Dear Joe you have been amazing with your terrace garden especially with the vegetable posts be it at home or anywhere in the world and i find it interesting over the years. I found this link from your archives and enjoyed reading all of them.
http://joezachs.blogspot.com/2010/02/kitchen-garden.html
http://joezachs.blogspot.com/2010/02/vegetables-and-market.html
http://joezachs.blogspot.com/2010/03/wheat-grass.html
http://joezachs.blogspot.com/2015/09/farmers-market-in-san-jose.html
http://joezachs.blogspot.com/2016/04/sunlight-and-vegetables.html
The colours , the way you write, your detailing, you are an awesome storyteller. You have been an inspiration.


Liz A. said...

Your plants are looking good.

DUTA said...

What a sight indeed! ( the stars of Bethlehem flowers).
You are a very creative person (the stand) and a devoted gardener.
Sometimes, I think perhaps I was indian in my former life. I like indian Ayurveda, indian fabrics, indian kitchenware.

Anvilcloud said...

It may be a small world, but most of your plants and fruits are not very familiar to me. Good luck with your light stand. I am almost strictly an outdoor or natural light photographer.

joeh said...

If I let my tomatoes ripen on the vine they always get rot spots. I have to pick them green and let them ripen inside a paper bag.

Unknown said...

The plants look really good, especially the passion fruit and tomatoes
NMust talk to you soon and look at the possibilities for our terrace too. Does it damage your roof?

Elderberry-Rob said...

Hi Haddock, I really enjoyed this post - my new favourite subject is plants! It's interesting to see how a plant will flourish in a favourable habitat (yours) I have a passion fruit/flower, it gives me one or two flowers a day but the fruits are tiny and orange so not edible, it is about 12 feet or more long, all around my fence and has survived two winters, not bad for the UK. I am amazed to see the midnight star flowers, they are new to me - what a special sight. Also, interesting to see the way you are growing your orchids, here they come in a transparent pot from the supermarket, roots crammed into woodchip and don't exactly flourish, I think I may try your method and give the roots much more room, it looks like you are using a wicker basket for them. Thanks for sharing. Betty

Haddock said...

You keep trimming the plants so it will not affect the roof

Haddock said...

Yes Betty, something similar to a wicker basket, but made of plastic. The roots have more space to breath.

Haddock said...

I too prefer the outdoor Anvilcloud, but there are times when you have to capture the action indoor. This stand was created to capture the wedding dance / action indoor. Even though I have a proper tripod for the light, there is no way I can transport it on flight (Pune to Hyderabad) The PVC one could be dismantled and carried as cabin baggage.

Haddock said...

Thanks Augustine. It is always good to share as it will be good for somebody somewhere. And thanks for digging out those old links 😊

Anonymous said...

Amazing work and a beautiful post!

Milind Bodas said...

Your R&D brain is still ON! Great!

Haddock said...

Yes Milind, it always comes in handy.

Anonymous said...

Enjoyed my visit to your garden, Joe. Keep some tomato seeds for me please. We have a wonderful group we call the Sainikpuri garden club and delight in sharing photographs, plants and seeds with each other.

love, Vimala

Anonymous said...

Enjoyed seeing through Ur terrace garden.
Excited to see u making best use of TATA'S technical experience in constructive work.
Wish u best of health. Regards
Shoyeb Ahmed Shaikh (Ex Tata)

Haddock said...

Thanks Shoyeb. Yes it is good to make use of some of the things that we have learned.

Anonymous said...

Superb sharing Joe. And I must say your plants are growing. very well. Great going - Socorro Vaz (ANZA)

DVArtist said...

Thank you for stopping by my blog. I very much enjoyed this post. I grew my first garden this year and am still having so much fun with it. I love how you have put things together. Enjoy your day.

Haddock said...

Thanks DVArtist. In these difficult times gardening is a good option to keep oneself occupied.

Anonymous said...

Wow... that is one very fruitful garden - Nooreen

Howard Hill said...

Beautiful photos & plants, Joe. Not too familiar with some of them. Our garden, now preparing for winter. Leaves falling everywhere , so will be composting most of them.

Christine said...

Enjoyed your photos of these exotic plants

Haddock said...

Thanks Howard. I can imagine the pretty sight with the fall in your garden. I remember how I startled a fox in the corner of your garden. We were both surprised to discover each other 😊

Himawan Sant said...

I applaud your creativity in making the camera stand.
Inspired me to make functional use of existing items.
The last flower photo looks very beautiful ...., in my country it is called 'Kembang Wijaya Kusuma'.

Keep on creating, friend.
Greetings from Indonesia

Haddock said...

Thanks Himawan and good to know someone from Indonesia. I learned a new word today Kembang Wijaya Kusuma.
By the the stand I created was for a light stand. Lights with the diffuser umbrella is pretty heavy especially when I raise it to seven feet and above.

Anonymous said...

The garden looks beautiful and the stand is innovative - Loraine Cantem

gigi-hawaii said...

That looks like a nice patio floor with the potted plants in tiers. The flowers in your last shots are called Night Blooming Cereus in Hawaii.

Haddock said...

Thanks gigi. Got to learn one more word. Many are not even aware of that flower (Cereus)

Anonymous said...

Hi Joe
All your hard work paying dividends. Love the passion fruit & flowers. Enjoy
- Carol Heydon

Anonymous said...

Saw all the plants, passion fruit, star of Bethlehem, mint, tendli. I didn't know that tendli is good for diabetics - Priscilla Babu

Anonymous said...

Joe
Good to hear from you
Trust you are doing well, are in good health and safe
Really liked the innovative application of the old stand and nice pictures
Stay well buddy, and look forward to these posts every once in a while
Regards
SH Kapoor

Anonymous said...

Joe good morning 🌹
तूझ्या परसात वहरलेली लाल भडक टॉमेटो ,तोंडली , पुदिना,हळद आणि ब्रम्ह कमळाची फूले पाहून मन प्रसनः झाले.PVC पाईप डिझाईन लै भारी काम.कार्ले,खाण्यांचे पानांचा वेल असेलच.भेंडी लावलित का.गावठी नऊ शिरांवाली लाव.कर्टोलीचे बी मिळाले तर जरूर लाव.तो रानमेवा आहे.पावसाळ्यात लोणावळा कर्जतला विकायला येतात.असो .तूझी कोरोना बाग फारच सुंदर आहे.🌺🙏 - Ravindra Darne

Pradeep Nair said...

Nothing to beat the lush greenery that follows the rains.

PipeTobacco said...

I am not sure if I have ever had tendli..... unless it was in a prepared curry and I did not know. I do know I have never seen the fruit before.

PipeTobacco

Corinne Rodrigues said...

Very fruitful labour indeed! Love the plant stand idea!

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Lily Allen said...

Your plants are looking good. .keep it's
clipping path

Mica said...

Your garden looks beautiful! How nice you could add the tomato to your meal and that you managed to capture those last flowers blooming when they bloom for such a short time!

Hope you are having a great weekend :) We went out and did more Christmas shopping yesterday which was fun :)

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