Hello Hive Gardeners!
I'm munching on grapes that a french family en route to the airport left us while typing this. When I bit on the succulently sweet vine fruit, I felt grateful for the family's gesture of kindness. My thoughts then lingered and imagined the gardener who pruned the vines and the patience that took to grow them.
Grapes rarely grow on the island. I have a friend who succeeded and managed to grow them after years of love and care in Argao. They tasted sweet as I could recall despite living next to the sea. Reactions of visitors seeing the healthy grapevine often resulted in disbelief because it is that rare. No, I don't have grapes in the yard but anything is possible after all.
This month is all about kindness and generosity.
The month of March had been fiery hot and humid. The dry season started earlier than expected. For the last several days, we were thankful for the rain. We welcomed it and so did the plants. Right now, the rain descended on cue, and a second cup of coffee I find delectable.
The growth spurt of ornamentals, outgrowing their containers called for repotting. A task I had been postponing for quite a while because I was waiting for a good bargain on bigger pots. Budget-conscious, I abstained from buying new ones.
Swapping plants with neighbors became the norm. We happily exchanged extra seedlings to grow our gardens.
I surprised a stay-at-home Mom named Rachel who I rarely saw with a few herbs one morning. Without mentioning anything, she suddenly handed me several pots she doesn't use anymore. Guess what, they were the exact size I was looking for.
Giddy one cloudy morning, the* Secret Pocket Plant* or Mickey Mouse Taro, a variegated caladium got transferred to one of the pots.
Blue Ternate
After @laviesm suggested growing Blue Butterfly Pea, I secretly wished for one.
Unbeknownst to me, when a neighbor named Mrs. J went to the adjacent island of Dumaguete after the typhoon, she returned with a few smuggled plants haha. She unexpectedly gave me two Blue Ternate when I dropped off some string beans, mint, and chili plants.
She propagated the butterfly pea and managed to grow cuttings in upcycled soft drink bottles. After a week or two, they were in dire need of a transfer with vines itching to spread. I needed to build something for them to climb on.
I asked my daughter's tutor and her friend whether they have leftover bamboo poles that fell from the typhoon. The next day, they delivered these already-made ladder bamboo trellis. I was blown away, it was completely unexpected! They built the bamboo trellis for the string beans seedlings I gave them a month ago and these were the extra trellis.
I was so elated I gave them mint and sweet basil plants in return which turned out they didn't have in their garden.
I placed one blue ternate on either side of the smaller raised bed. The same way they crawled, so did the String Beans.
String Beans
String beans are one of my favorite vegetables. I use it for many dishes and the length of one-string beans can easily fill up a bowl of cut-sized pieces.
I was flabbergasted by the length of the first string beans that grew. It was more than 80 cm in length (31.5 inches). Here's a #gardenselfie of the first harvest to show how long they were.
The second and third harvests followed averaging to about 72 cm (28.3 inches). I used the first one to make eggplant and tuna sisig. The second one was added to pinakbet, a Filipino all-veggie dish along with Alugbati (local spinach) also from the garden, and the third to a Massaman Curry.
Other Updates
The plants in the smaller raised bed grew bigger as well.
Around the left-hand side of the planting bed, I was surprised to see American Basil growing in between two unidentified plants. I just threw old seeds in there sometime back and I had forgotten about them. Surprise!
The explosive plastic canisters of homemade foliar fertilizer in the toilet are now more than ready to be used. After research, 10ml of FFJ per liter of water in a spray bottle is enough to give plants a boost.
The FFJ organic fertilizer I used is made of 1 apple, 1 banana with peel, and 1 cucumber in equal ratio to the weight of the brown sugar. I stored the canisters in a dry and dark place for more than 6 weeks.
It was a lovely fruity scent when I squeezed them using a canvas cloth to segregate the residue while I threw the solids into the compost. The fruity foliar fertilizer can last for 6-12 months. I happily sprayed FFJ yesterday so let's see.
Thank you Hive Garden Creators and Admin for organizing this and @luckylaica for tagging me for this month's challenge. I'd like to invite @oniemaniego and @youngyang to share their gardens.
Thank you for reading! How's your garden doing? Have you used FFJ before? Was there a massive difference using them?
In case you're interested to backtrack previous posts, here they are:
Hive Garden Journal #3: Bamboo Trellis and Turmeric Spray
I was woken up from the memory of pushing the tables away in a quiet tapas bar that we transformed into a dancing hub by succeeding painful fire ant bites. The fire ants have created a massive nest within the rocky structure of the raised bed.
Hive Garden Journal #2: Sowing Seeds & How to Make Tissue Paper Roll Seed Starter Pots
For my second garden journal in the Hive Garden Community, I'd be sharing with you the status of the stone and concrete plant boxes, recent additions to the garden, sowing seeds in various containers, and making use of tissue paper rolls in gardening.
Hive Garden Journal #1: A Garden Tour and Building Plant Boxes
We moved to a small rental home inside a resort in Moalboal, Cebu, Philippines back in 2021 as part of a minimalism exercise when we downsized and moved from a two-story seaside rental home several blocks away to a two-bedroom 70 square meter bungalow. The first entry features a garden tour and the construction of stone and concrete planters and a gravel patch in the front yard.
Cover image edited with Canva
"I am an old soul who simply loves coffee, who finds joy and beauty in both tangible and the unseen."
Curiosity and imagination lead to unexpected experiences. Interested in Nature, Places, Roads Less Traveled, Minimalism, Authentic Living, Anything French, and International Cuisine. Feel free to follow her, re-blog, and upvote if you enjoy her content.
pinakbet -masarap!
Ooh, great idea! I'll try that soon.
Those beans are incredible! I wonder if they are what we call snake beans, although mine have never gotten quite that long!
You have so much growing, I'm envious of how fruitful it all looks. My garden has been target neglected of late.
Hello @minismallholding, yes you're right, they're snake beans. We tried to grow them before in a different area of the island but they were tiny. This is the first time I've seen them grow like this. The seed company called the seeds Bongga sa Bunga which meant "fabulous yield" so I guess their branding and ad are accurate 😊
They certainly aren't disappointing! 😆 Do you get ants on them after the sugar?
With the FFJ? We have a lot of ants in the Philippines so there were black ones around it but the lid was closed tight so the ants weren't able to get to it. They were pretty curious though because I spotted some around the plastic jar during the first two weeks. After several weeks or so they disappeared. If it were aerated with paper or cloth cover, it would have been covered by ants now the same way they do with the compost pit.
Not sure if the FFJ is working, some of the leaves had stained the day after they were sprayed and some insects were drawn to the plants. I'll continue to observe and see any changes.
No, sorry, I meant the snake beans. I always get ants on the flowers and around the stem of the beans, because they're slightly sweet and they seem to like that.
Ah, so that explains why. Oh yes, there are a lot of ants running along the stem all the time. Did they affect the snake beans in any way?
Not usually, but occasionally they'll start eating the bean itself. Mostly they're just annoying when harvesting.
This is so aesthetic and beautiful! I would like to try this gardening.
Thank you @ykdesign. Yay, the more the merrier! Looking forward to reading about your gardening adventure here one day soon.
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Hello @brotherhood, thank you very much for the mention and for your support. Sincere apologies for the late reply due to family visiting during the long holiday week.
I've seen your snake beans on IG, your plants really are in good hands 😂 Surely, it's rewarding to shop vegs from your own garden. Happy gardening!
*I envy your lovely trellis
Trying to be a good plant parent, but I still do make mistakes. 😁 Thank you, Your IG inspires me immensely so I wish you could share your farming/gardening journey here one day.
Those strings beans are amazing, wow! I don't think I've ever seen beans that long before. It's pretty cool how just one of them could pretty much make a whole meal haha.
I hate transplanting plants and pots. It always makes a mess and half the time I kill a big portion of the plant - especially if it's a succulent that has many off shoots and babies. They are so delicate that they just fall apart when transplanting.
The herbs and vegetables look good. You'll have to let us know how the fertilizer works out.
It's crazy, right? I was stunned as well. They're also called a Yardlong bean, snake bean, asparagus bean, and Chinese long bean. Haha, so many names. It is true, it could make a whole meal, quite economical. It's common here in the Philippines, it can withstand humid heat. I caught grasshoppers around it thrice.
I was uncomfortable repotting as well, more of being afraid of any squiggly that might be hidden in the soil. I don't usually wear gloves so there's always that jump and shriek element of surprise Lol It's a hit or miss, sometimes plants don't like being transferred, it happens. Hopefully, the fertilizer works out.
You're welcome @discoveringarni. Wow, your string beans look so great and the rest of your garden plants are amazing. Looks like your Chillies are bearing fruit already too.
Homegrown produce tastes so good. I can't wait to turn those chilies into Dynamite Cheese Sticks 😁
Right, I can taste it with my tomatoes. It feels like it's more delicious than the one I bought at the market. Good luck with the chillies. I hope more to come so more dynamite cheese sticks to prepare soon😉.
With all the love and care, I bet your tomatoes and other garden veggies taste extra delicious. Thank you, fingers crossed 😁
I only wish i have enough space in my frontyard or backyard to do some gardening like you do. Missing my hometown! Hope to visit your garden once I'm in Moalboal hahahahha
I started watching Don Bustamante's Rooftop Gardening some time ago on Youtube and the inspiration blossomed from there. It depends on how much space you have as long as there's sunlight and access to water, container gardening or vertical gardening works so well. You're welcome to visit and see the garden if ever you visit Moalboal.
Yeeeyyy. Puhon2. Thanks for the invite. Hahahah
Hi. I too use the technique of bartering plants, seeds and cuttings with my sisters, brother-in-law and friends. You have a well kept garden.
Hello Egly, thank you. It feels wonderful, right to adopt a new plant baby and vice versa, handing them over in exchange and knowing they will be looked after.
Hi Arni, love your garden! There are lots of herbs and veggies so when you cook the ingredients are extra fresh. And those long string beans look super healthy. You have probably been taking good care of them.
And you have compost too! Wish I can do that too with my wee little plot.
Also, glad you have some ternate now. And they're growing well too. Mine have been sprouting many flowers everyday so I can drink the tea anytime I want. After quite some time, they grow more quickly that's why I'm trimming them every few days. But, maybe, I'll try getting something taller for them to climb on so they won't climb on my other plants.
Anyway, all the best to you and your lovely plants 😊
Hi Lavie, I can't wait to see your blue ternate. I still remember when you suggested it. I started reading more about it and today just saw a beautiful dessert that Anggrek Lestari made with it. Can I tag you for the garden journal challenge?
The composting was a trial and error. We used to have an open compost pit when we were living in the middle of the rice fields but a baby snake and toads decided to make it their home. Imagine my horror every time I had to throw vegetable scraps there. I made loud sounds to alert whoever was there that someone was coming. When the toads were there, I assumed the snake was away.
The open-pit compost in the Philippines wasn't as good as using the Orocans - tall plastic bins with cover. It kept the cockroaches and rodents away. It would be cool to do a worm tunnel one day but I haven't tried it yet. So far there are large earthworms (almost snake-like in size) living below the raised beds.
It's great to hear your blue ternate is producing abundantly. Thank you and cheers to more blue pea tea flowers! Happy gardening!
I love that everyone is so friendly and helpful! You have a beautiful garden. I can't wait for mine to look like yours. Perhaps in a few months. String beans are fun; I like growing them, too. I made some foliar fertilizer with eggshells once but I must have made it too strong because it burned the leaves of my mystery citrus tree. Maybe that combined with applying it in the morning sun. Good luck with your garden and may you have bountiful harvests!
We're really lucky we moved to this village. Everyone in the small community has been so kind and I think the relationship was further strengthened after surviving Typhoon Odette together without water for days and electricity for several weeks.
I tried making a fertilizer shake with eggshells and bananas, it stained the blender so bad, that I couldn't remove the sticky sap. The fertilizer shake went straight to the soil. Maybe it was the morning sun? Thank you and wishing your garden produce to be abundant too. 😊
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Hi Arni!! Love your garden, I wish I could have clean and tidy as your garden. 😅
Hi Shine, thank you. My idea of a healthy garden would be wildly growing and sprouting everywhere but the compulsion to tidy up comes up naturally so this is what happened 😂.
Oh, wow! that ladder is so beautiful, I think I fell in love with it (^_^)
It's a really cool idea by my daughter's teacher. Thank you 😊 all compliments to them and their handiwork.
You're welcome (^_^)