Home Grooves

Pineapples are growing all over my yard every year. Mostly May, June, July and August is the Pineapple Season here in Goa. When we buy pineapples from market we cut off the top stem with the thorny leavy and replant. This plant needs sufficient amount of sun and water. Even if you don't water mich there's no issue but if you want a larger healthier produce it is better to water a lot. It takes 10 months for the fruit to grow and ripen. The fruit usually ripens from summer during April upto monsoons in August. The fruit is a rich antioxidant and a very good stomach cleanser. The plant has thorny edges on its long narrow leaves. It needs rich fertile soil. During monsoons from June onwards the plants gets plenty of water to produce a large fruit.

The Tomatoes in my garden have grown on their own. Let's say the nature has favoured it's growth. It so happens that when we cut tomatoes and was the cutting board some of seeds seem to fall into the sink and since the pipe has its end open towards a coconut tree, the seeds must have fallen off there and from there starts the growth. I have noticed that the plant needs lot of sun and water and starts growing with a small green fruit which grows to a yellow fruit and then a plump red fruit. It takes a few months around 3 - 4 months to produce the fruit if provided a rich soil. Since our soil has all the waste from the sink flowing into it, the soil must be enriched with a lot of nutrients.

Peppercorn spice is widely used along with salt to provide spice to all kinds of food from pasta, pizza, soups, salads and other dishes. Usually we get these peppercorn growing on creepers, but there is also a plant called a bush which can be grown on the ground or in a pot. So basically I have grown this bush on the ground. The bush needs sufficient amount of water and sunlight. The peppercorns grow nice and green first. Then turns yellow, red and finally turn black. You can harvest them when the pod is full of the green peppercorns. Pluck each pod and let it dry on the tray till black. These peppercorns can then be powdered and added to a dry glass bottle to be used later.

White Anthuriums also termed as Peace Lilies.

The blooming month is January... Over the years, I have been curiously watching and specifically taking note of the Shoe flowers or rather, The Hibiscus. Its a very common shrub occurring and growing comfortably on this western coast of the Indian peninsula. I have quite a collection in my own garden and in my neighborhood. The climate is nice, crispy and cool in the mornings and evenings lush and breezy. The rest of the day is pretty warm and sunny, specifically in the summer when the weather is highly humid and hot. And it is this favorable climate, that brings these beauties to the bloom in this very season. Have you ever wondered why this flower is called a Shoe Flower???? The reason is that it was traditionally used to polish shoes in Asia, and in some backward villages, It STILL IS!  called a shoe flower. That was pretty simple. Structurally, the Shoe Flowers mainly has five petals with a long stalk-like structure in the center. Multi-petal flowers also exist; ...

Lovely Dark Pink Anthuriums growing in pots. The Lovely Pink shade is eye catchy.

Its the mash melon season. Our modus operandi is to purchase this fruit from the market. But now its time to make a change. I plan to relish the fruit and then scatter the seeds outside the kitchen window. This time I want to grow the Mash Mellon in my backyard. It so happened that at the end of the monsoons, in the month of September, the mash melon plant had spread its bows and large leaves on the ground of my backyard just outside my kitchen window. Obviously, some of the seeds scattered in the previous season had germinated during the monsoon; a season that boosts the growth of all green foliage as it nourishes the soil with the nitrogen floating in the atmosphere. The monsoons simply drain the atmospheric nitrogen into the ground injecting the soil with a fresh supply of this essential element. I took a walk in my backyard in the midst of the foliage consisting of weeds, wild grass, and foliage from the vegetation of newly germinated seeds. I look into the mash melon...

Hortensia Did You Know? The name of this plant is hydrangea or hortensia . This plant is mainly known for its bunch of flowers at the tip of each branch stooping in a downward direction. I must say it is a very pretty sight altogether. The flowers are mostly white, blue, red, pink, light purple, or dark purple. The color of the flowers is mainly due to the presence of aluminum ions which are available or tied up depending upon the soil pH. The soil pH will determine how available aluminum is to the plant. Acidic soil will give you blue flowers (aluminum available to the plants), and alkaline soil will give you pink flowers (aluminum unavailable to the plants). Hortensia does well in partial shade. They need to be planted in an area where they receive morning sun. They also thrive in full sunlight but may need extra water on hot summer days. Hortensia needs minimal pruning, but if you would like to reduce the size of the plant or prevent it from falling over too m...