There are two sides to a coin. Those who see my backyard garden either hate it or love it.
Those who hate it say it resembles a jungle because of the overgrown shrubs and creeping vegetable vines. These are the people who hate vegetables and only eat meat.
Others love it because they recognise the vegetables and fruits there and know that home gardening can help provide extra food for the family at a cheaper price.
As for me, I love my garden. It is my pride. I only wish it is tidier and the plants are properly grown in rows.
Gardens, like children, need a lot of attention. I can spend one whole day in my garden. I used to do so until I realised how brown I had become and how much money I was spending on facial whitening cream because of the long hours I spent under the sun.
Weeds have to be pulled out, overgrown branches trimmed and leaves pruned. You must also keep on eye on bugs, particularly aphids which love tomato and chilli plants.
The plants have to be fertilised and watered regularly as well. Sometimes, you also have to repot the plants into bigger containers to allow more room for the roots to expand and grow.
Recently, while driving around my neighbourhood, I noticed that some of the hibiscus and jasmine plants had been pruned and trimmed. That was when I reminded myself it was time also to prune and trim the plants in my backyard garden as well.
Through experience, I have learnt that pruning the plants keeps them healthy and encourages fresh, new growth. Take for instance, my mulberry plants. I make it a point to prune the branches after harvesting the fruits. Soon after pruning, the mulberry plants will bear fruits again.
Pruning the chilli plants will ensure that they remain vigorous and sprout new leaves, branches and, of course, fruits.
I had a few surprises a few days ago when I finally found time to prune and trim the plants in the garden. There were many fruits on some of my chilli plants but there were also many aphids on the leaves. Besides cutting off the affected leaves one by one manually, I applied a soapy emulsion on the unaffected leaves and branches, as recommended by some gardening blogs on the internet.
While clearing some wild weeds, I was delighted to find three big green chillies dangling from a thin plant. I was ecstatic.It has been a long time since I saw such big green chillies in my garden. So what did I do? I quickly took out my phone, took a picture of the chillies and proudly posted it to my friends on Facebook. Never mind that it was a thin chilli plant with just three green chillies!
While tinkering around in my garden, I was surprised to discover a bunch of bananas I had been keeping watch on for months had ripened and that the birds had already eaten some of the fruits. I chopped the bunch down with the help of a long parang (Malayan machete) and took the bananas into the house. For the next few days, the bananas were sources of potassium for my family.
When I showed one of my colleagues pictures of my chilli plant and the bananas from the garden, she asked, “How do you find the time to do gardening?”
“Sometimes I do gardening in between my household chores,” I told her. Yes, while the rice or soup is being cooked, I rush into my backyard garden to pluck the chillies that are ripe or to pull weeds that are suffocating the tomato plants in the pots.
When washing the rice or meat, I save the water in a pail. When I have finished cooking, I rush into the garden to pour the water onto a vegetable plant or a mulberry tree.
In life, we do not have time for everything. But I guess if you love something, you will always find time for it. I am glad I have taken up gardening as a hobby. I wish sometimes I can spend more time in the garden, especially on the days I am off and do not have to go to work. But on such days, there are errands to run and urgent matters to attend to.
However, I am fortunate that my garden is in my backyard, just a stone’s throw away from my kitchen. Whenever I need chillies to spice up my recipes, I can just pluck them from the garden.
Do you know that there are a lot of benefits that you can derive from gardening?.
Gardening activities like cutting the plants and watering them, planting flowers and carrying bags of compost can help you burn many calories. According to one gardening blog, gardening is equivalent to a workout at the gym that will make you spend a lot of money.
Besides the most obvious physical benefits of fresh air and exercise, gardening also offers you emotional and psychological benefits.
Gardening activities can also help you to alleviate stress, pain and frustration. As you focus on the task at hand, you forget your worries.
Gardening is good for your soul as well. It connects you with the land and with nature. Sometimes, you sow hundreds of seeds but not all will germinate. You learn to be patient while waiting for the plants to grow and the flower buds to sprout.
I’d like to share here a quote attributed to Liberty Hyde Bailey which goes like this: A garden requires patient labour and attention. Plants do not grow merely to satisfy ambitions or to fulfil good intentions. They thrive because someone expended effort on them.”
Interesting food for thought, isn’t it?
And last but not least, gardening can also extend your life. According to some research, people who enjoy gardening on average live longer than those who do not like gardening. So, what are you waiting for, my friends? Take up gardening today!
