Sow What ?

People in their admiration for a colorful garden, vegetable patch, or bountiful harvest exclaim that the gardener is endowed with a Green Thumb.  An avid gardener will tell you the thumb and nails are anything but green with stains of the muddy earth and associated fragrances. Gardening or tending to a garden is a skill acquired like any other skill that involves education, training, and practice with many failures and successes with learning being a continuum- intuitive at that. It is not a talent one is born with. While a " G reen Thumb " compliment is well-meaning and most encouraging, I am overcome by a primordial longing to narrate the travails with weeds alongside non-sprouting seeds, Aphids making merry with the  Mealybugs, Ants, Rodents, and Monkeys in a jamboree, Curling leaves, falling-flowers, root rot, and what not! Green Thumb as such is no superpower or natural endowment and at best can be an inherent aptitude. Green Thumb is not what you are born with as is be...

3 minute read A lot can happen over coffee. And one of them is Compost. While attempting to list down the benefits and usage of coffee grounds as a soil amendment could not ignore the striking similarities between Coffee and Compost. Let me get that out of the way to stay focused on the original intent of this note.😇 1.  C for C   -  a rather juvenile one but nonetheless 2.  Both are addictive  3.   Coffee and Compost both are best when Hot or Cold  4.  Both require a certain amount of passion for best results 5. Both are Emotions. 6.  Lingering fragrance   7 . Stimulating   8. Beautiful  Brown  shade  9. The grainy  texture . 10. Both allow percolation. Hope those who are passionate about coffee and compost will understand this gushing. For the rest- not your cup of tea! Whether you make your daily coffee and end up with coffee grounds or wonder what happens to all the coffee grounds at coffee houses,...

Leaf composting 3 minute read Often times we find garden wastes being burnt or dumped into garbage bins along with other wastes destined to reach the landfill.   It is a good practice to compost the fallen leaves   along with other garden discards with the help of organic, microbial accelerators.   This will speed up the biodegradation process in urban  setups  that have challenges of space, manpower,  and  other resources.   The leaves of most trees contain twice as many minerals and micronutrients as manure. When used as mulch, or when composted they are worth a pound for a pound!   Here is why:   ·         Deep-rooted   trees absorb minerals from  the soil, a good portion of which goes to the leaves ·        They supply fibrous organic matter that nourishes the soil ·        Humus ...

It was indeed a devastating sight after the massive cyclone Vardah hit Chennai during December 2016. Broken branches, fallen trees, mangled shrubs and creepers all along the road..all over the city was heart-rending. Restoring trees is a costly affair and we do not have resources to effectively restore trees as yet.Though I believe some volunteer groups are at it which is really heart-warming. We too were forced to cut a tree that had three crows' nests. The tree was 75% uprooted and precariously leaning over the roof. We deliberated for over a week and made sure the birds had abandoned their nests and gave in to the inevitable. Somehow we did not have the heart to throw away the tree. For two reasons: #1 It had become a part of our family, and supported 3-4 bird families. #2 Wanted to minimize the load on landfill and the associated cost of transportation,fuel-usage,                 resultant pollution Here is what we tried to d...

One is sturdy and will grow into a mighty tree. The other is a slender and tender herb. Both have strong flavors . Surprisingly they do not suppress each other.  Think about all the dishes wherein they complement each other... Rasam, Lemon rice, vegetable curries, buttermilk to name a few.  Inclusive yet retaining their individuality.   I am in awe of this pair Kothamalli and Karuvepillai. See how they coexist in this pot before they go hand in hand to make fine food.  Grow them together. And get some food for thought too.

We require Coriander almost every day-The Need. Coriander is a fussy herb to grow-The Challenge. And I have the habit of sowing seeds every single day.At least one seed every day- The Passion. This Passion met that Need and took the Challenge head-on. That is the genesis of this idea -to keep Coriander seeds handy and go about broadcasting one or two seeds in every pot, every morning after watering the plants. The result: We get at least two sprigs of Coriander every day from our OTG nowadays. Saved us the trouble of looking for pots to sow Coriander every, now and then. One or two seeds in every pot do not compete with the main plant too. The same technique may work well for any herb/green with a short life cycle. So, natural pest repellant Methi or Fenugreek is a close contender for this arrangement. I have been broadcasting coriander seeds rather randomly around other plants.No complaints. However, have realised that sowing seeds aroun...