Monday 6 February 2012

New Beginnings

January is a good time of year to start plants in Chennai. The weather is as pleasant as can be. The sun shines brightly, but doesn't scorch the plants. This year, the temperatures touched a ten-year low in Jan, for which I'm very happy as I'd planted some carrots for the first time. Carrots here, are among the exotic "hill vegetables", (since we get all our carrots from the surrounding, cooler hills.) While the seeds sprouted in less than a week and have been growing steadily since, I'm keeping my fingers crossed. It's too early to say whether my carrots will actually grow in Chennai's "cold" weather.
Carrot Seedlings: To be Thinned
Now in Feb, many of the seeds sown last month have transformed into sturdy little seedlings. Here are some photos. My earlier basil bush was overgrown, so I decided to start it from seed once more. Basil is so easy to grow here that starting from seed is much easier than re-potting and pruning an old bush.
Sweet Basil Starting Out
Last year's spinach went to seed after several wonderful harvests. So this year, I intend to invest in some more spinach. While I had nearly 100% germination success with the seeds, many of the seedlings have been trampled upon by squirrels and crows. The crows come to peck at pieces of egg shells that are part of the compost.
Spinach: A Year Old
Spinach: Less than a Month Old
The bell pepper plants look like strange chilly plants. The leaves don't seem too well. Perhaps it's because I've done something that is strongly discouraged. The capsicum seeds weren't bought, but saved from a capsicum that I got from the market. The capsicum was yellow-red and probably hybrid. Since it seems near impossible to get yellow and red bell pepper seeds from anywhere near my place, I was left with no better option. But seeds from hybrid plants yield poorly. I am just hoping that they will at least yield a couple of capsicums.
The curry leaf tree and the lemon tree (both in pots) are showing a lot of promise. Many tender green leaves have sprouted all over.
Curry Leaf Tree with Plenty of New Growth
Lots of suspense at the Tube Rose (Rajnigandha) plant. Buds have been growing a little bigger each day, for nearly two weeks now, but it is yet to flower.
Tube Rose Buds
While my other zinnias are beginning to fade and produce smaller flowers every time, the peach coloured zinnias have just begun to show off. These get lovelier as they age and in fact are in their best colour when they're nearly all dried up.
Zinnias Basking in the Sunlight
And just like my garden is making a fresh start, so am I. I've landed a new job after a longish gap. And while I am very happy about the job, it may also mean less blogging. (During the week, I have only just enough time to water my plants). So if you find fewer posts and comments from me, you know the reason.

20 comments:

  1. Congratulations on getting the new job. I wonder what it involves...
    About the carrots: why don't you try erecting a sort of sunshade over them, much like I might use horticultural fleece to protect mine from the cold?
    Lovely photo of the Rajniganhda. Don't forget to photograph it again when it opens!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The job is instructional designing.

      Around where I live, it's not easy to find garden supplies. I'll have to search high and low for sun shade nets. Besides, most dealers will sell them in bulk. Small-time gardeners like me simply need to improvise. For now, the carrots are in a shaded spot and look quite happy, so I'm hoping they'll survive.

      Delete
  2. Good luck in your new job. I was surprised to see the zinnias. Here it is too cold at night with possible freezes through mid-March, even though it is in the high 60's (20 C) during the day.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Good luck with the carrots and the job. I love the zinnias! Have never been able to grow them myself.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Congrats on your new job. I know what you mean by having lesser time to blog. My job sometimes leaves me no time to water my plants too ( I call my mum from work as beg her to water my plants.)

    Your carrot seedlings look lovely and as do your basil.

    The one capsicum plant I ventured into growing looked like yours do for months before I killed it. I later found out that it could be mostly due to lack of calcium in the soil.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for that tip about calcium. I shall look out for calcium deficiency.

      Delete
  5. Congrats on your new job! I'm jealous that you can sprout basil by seed outdoors. I love the blooms of your peach zinnia, great color! Cheers, Jenni

    ReplyDelete
  6. New beginnings are always delightful. Congrats on your job!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Congratulations on the new job. Found your blog through Adele as a fellow Versatile Blogger. Your garden looks like it's thriving. Hopefully you will get some carrots to enjoy.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hey, I could have sworn that I posted a comment telling you that I nominated you for the Versatile Blogger Award.....Guess what? I nominated you for the Versatile Blogger Award, details are on my blog.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Adele, for the award. Am trying to figure out the rules.

      Delete
  9. That tube rose is beautiful even in bud form. It is still cold here and we are not able to sow seeds outdoors yet, but it is nice to see what I will be having soon.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hi Anita, I have nominated your blog to the Liebster Blog award. (Check my blog site.) :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Asha, Thank you for the award. It's raining awards this week. :) Don't really think I deserve them. Let me see if can figure out the rules now.

      Delete
  11. This is my first visit via Mark's blog. THis is a long shot which I don't expect to be correct but you haven't had any weedkiller sprayed close to the capsicum have you or used any grass clippings that have been sprayed as a mulch. The leaf curl looks similar to how our plants reacted when we used manure that had weedkiller contamination.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Sue, thanks for the tip. I'll have to check if there has been some accidental contamination of the mulch and compost that I use. But the contamination can't be due to weedkiller, since I don't use any. It must be something else (neem oil and other such bio-sprays).

    ReplyDelete
  13. Hello Anita, loved reading all about your plants! Tried commenting on your blog earlier but I couldn't. Enjoyed reading your comment on my post!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Hi Anita, came across your blog while looking for ways to grow sweet basil.. I am a big fan of these and wanna grow them in pots in my apartment here at Chennai - where can I get some saplings or seeds? Or will these grow from stem cuttings? Its apparently very hard to find these in chennai. Would be very grateful for some ideas from you...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, You have a really nice blog...will be visiting it often.
      Regarding basil, I've been successful only with seeds. I don't know where you can find the seeds in Chennai. But drop me a line at my mail id and I shall suggest how to go about it.
      Anita.

      Delete