This weekend there was some work and much enjoyment at the garden.
On our way to Aanandi, we saw these huge Vitthal-Rakhumai idols on the road. I liked the expressions on their faces and stopped to click a couple of photographs.
On Saturday we removed the weeds, that, incidentally grow so well and so fast that it seems as if we planted them, and not the leafy vegetables ! We also demarcated all the sub-plots with bricks. We watered the plants a bit. Its a little tricky watering the plants right now. It isn't raining consistently in Pune but when it does it pours. So we use a little judgement according to that day's weather, predictions, and some Indian lunar calendar indicators and give the plants, what we think is, just enough water. Can't have them dry up or drown !
I was so feeling like a true-blue farmer while removing the weeds, discussing and speculating about the weather and worrying for the tiny plants :)
The leafy vegetables are growing well and in about three weeks time we might be able to harvest the ambadi ! The other veggies that we planted last weekend, on the other hand, gave us mixed results. The chawli is up and bright. Looking at the mirchi and waanga plots you'd wonder if we'd actually planted anything. After planting nine rows of bhendi seeds last weekend, I had remarked to Amruta that we would see a record production of bhendi. Spoken too soon ! There are just six to seven bhendi plants in the entire plot of nine rows :( I expressed my disappointment to somebody and they assured me that bhendi and waanga are sturdy plants and also take their time to sprout. So, I'm keeping my fingers crossed ! (I'm wondering about the mirchi, though).
On Sunday we did some more cleaning work, removed some Ashok branches laden with seeds, that would have, no doubt claimed all plots and registered their presence in a couple of weeks. So, we literally nipped it in the bud :)
The Ashok trees have grown to about 40 feet tall and now, lean into the terrace. Some branches hang in the terrace, but others hang way outside the terrace. We would have to go to the terrace, pull them in and chop them off. So Ashish and I went up to the terrace with the famous machete, a huge pair of scissors and a long bamboo with a hook affixed to one end. The terrace has a boundary wall that is only one foot tall. There was this huge pile of dried leaves, full of cockroaches by the way, in the corner from where we had to pull in and chop off the Ashok branches. Initially I simply refused to enter that area. Ashish had to work alone at pulling the branches in and chopping them off. However, about three easy branches later, we realised that I would have to enter that cocroach infested pile of leaves and help Ashish. Mercifully, these cockroaches weren't the house-cockroach variety and I discovered that they would scamper off, and not climb up my legs, when I entered the pile of leaves. So I was able to help Ashish without much stress. I would use the long bamboo with the hook to pull in a branch that would be far off. Then Ashish would catch hold of it and hand it to me. Then I would keep it pulled while Ashish chopped it off. All was going well in the beginning. However a few branches later, my arms started aching with all the pulling. So Ashish and I decided to switch places. The next time I pulled in this really huge branch and Ashish caught hold of it. The branch was pulling out so much that Ashish had to sit on the cockroachy-leaf-pile and firmly push the boundary wall with his legs to be able to hold on to it. As I started chopping the branch off, the vibrations were such that at one point Ashish's grip got loose and he got up to adjust his grip and footing. In that very instant, unknown to what he was doing, I struck the machete powerfully at the branch. Ashish swayed and actually yelped. That made me turn around and I saw him nearly go over the terrace wall, hanging to the Ashok branch. I started laughing and so did he...and to top this nonsense, between fits of laughter, I started shouting, "Help" "Help" :) And just 30 feet below, blissfully unaware to this whole drama were Smita and Amruta peacefully lining the plots with bricks. Under a minute Ashish got his grip and footing back but, oh, we laughed so hard !
We also planted tomato seeds in one small corner of the behndi plot and four small corners of the mirchi plot. Tomato plants, apparently, grow quickly. Let's see.
The Ashok trees have grown to about 40 feet tall and now, lean into the terrace. Some branches hang in the terrace, but others hang way outside the terrace. We would have to go to the terrace, pull them in and chop them off. So Ashish and I went up to the terrace with the famous machete, a huge pair of scissors and a long bamboo with a hook affixed to one end. The terrace has a boundary wall that is only one foot tall. There was this huge pile of dried leaves, full of cockroaches by the way, in the corner from where we had to pull in and chop off the Ashok branches. Initially I simply refused to enter that area. Ashish had to work alone at pulling the branches in and chopping them off. However, about three easy branches later, we realised that I would have to enter that cocroach infested pile of leaves and help Ashish. Mercifully, these cockroaches weren't the house-cockroach variety and I discovered that they would scamper off, and not climb up my legs, when I entered the pile of leaves. So I was able to help Ashish without much stress. I would use the long bamboo with the hook to pull in a branch that would be far off. Then Ashish would catch hold of it and hand it to me. Then I would keep it pulled while Ashish chopped it off. All was going well in the beginning. However a few branches later, my arms started aching with all the pulling. So Ashish and I decided to switch places. The next time I pulled in this really huge branch and Ashish caught hold of it. The branch was pulling out so much that Ashish had to sit on the cockroachy-leaf-pile and firmly push the boundary wall with his legs to be able to hold on to it. As I started chopping the branch off, the vibrations were such that at one point Ashish's grip got loose and he got up to adjust his grip and footing. In that very instant, unknown to what he was doing, I struck the machete powerfully at the branch. Ashish swayed and actually yelped. That made me turn around and I saw him nearly go over the terrace wall, hanging to the Ashok branch. I started laughing and so did he...and to top this nonsense, between fits of laughter, I started shouting, "Help" "Help" :) And just 30 feet below, blissfully unaware to this whole drama were Smita and Amruta peacefully lining the plots with bricks. Under a minute Ashish got his grip and footing back but, oh, we laughed so hard !
We also planted tomato seeds in one small corner of the behndi plot and four small corners of the mirchi plot. Tomato plants, apparently, grow quickly. Let's see.
In the rest-of-the-garden news, the pomegranate tree has a big burst of blossoms. The orange flowers look so pretty ! There are many butterflies flying about and its great to watch their different colours. Also, there is this huge jungle of gulbakshi plants with ... er... gulbakshi coloured flowers ! When you crush a gulbakshi flower on your palm, it leaves a rich magenta colour. Prajakta reminded me and I too remembered that as children we used to play 'mehendi-mehendi' with these flowers :)
I leave you with some photographs.
Vitthal-Rakhumai
Brown butterfly...the colour could fool you into thinking it is a stone !
Pretty pomegranate blossom
Rich magenta (gulbakshi) coloured Gulbakshi flowers
Neatly demarcated plots
Chawli
Methi
Ambadi
2 comments:
Yum... you are lucky to grow your own vegetables in this day and age of pesticide and harmful chemicals. Yours will taste so much better!
:) It was...it was...we harvested some ambadi on Saturday the 24th and made the bhaji and it was delicious. Also, I guess what made it all the more delicious was the feeling that it has come from the land we tilled and the seeds we planted and the plants we nurtured :D
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