Kimi Bluemoon

So this is our Blue pet;) She likes to lie on e floor n stretch herself veeeery long into a roll of grey carpet on our laminate floor.

New season new pets - Green & Blue

Nov/Dec is very pleasant on a tropical island. Rain comes frequently while the clouds shield off the blazing sun rays. Even the view from our little balcony got all dreamy and holiday-resort-looking ;)


With all the buzz-buzz in work n studies completed/procrastinated, now is a good time to start the 'food chain' for 2009. Here's the new Green-pets coming up...


On top of these, our new Blue-pet is coming home with us tis friday. She's a British Blue Shorthair kitten. Susan gave these catnip plants to Kimi. Hmm, Kimi is all pampered with gifts even before she come!


Mister-Oregano is my favourite. He's been around since this little balcony-garden started in Jan. We haven't been able to cook him fast enough to match his growth speed; so tat's how he became a hanging-pot-of-oregano, shaggy hair and moustache. LOL

Tomatoes are smarter than cucumbers

Four days after posting this complaint about the progress of the tomato and cucumber plants, Miss Costoluto Genevese ripened up! She must have been secretly surfing this blog!

Lets hope she'll teach mister cucumbers soon how to get onto my wireless internet too;)


Given tat the harvested tomato can be sitting so comfortably on the lap of Rummi, it's obviously a twig too tiny! This is an heirloom tomato tat is supposed to be the size of Jean's closed fist, at least. Wonder if the 2nd round of fruiting will right this problem?...
Hmm

Bay leaves

In Wellington botanical garden (NZ), bay leaves grow into bushes at the herbs garden:)
Wed's Worldfarm-excursion, little bay leaves plants from Holland are for sale at $18 each. That's expensive for a small herbs... but i simply couldn't resist. So it was acquired!

Mini-orchid bloomed again

This mini-orchid bloomed a second time, and tis time, the color is much deeper purple. hmm...

Wish list

Sunshine, Peppermint, Chocolate mint, Basil (except sweet, thai & holy), Sawtooth coriander, Thymes, Sage, Tongue-of-fire bean
... ...

Bunny & tortise race - Cucumbers & tomato plants

Here's my cucumbers (Richmond green & Crystal apple; from YATES) and heirloom tomato (Costoluto genevese; from SWALLOWTAIL) plants.

Both trying to be the tortoise in the fruiting race!!

3 costoluto genevese tomatoes, under-sized and unripe, had been hanging there for a whole month, neither growing further nor 'fading' off.

Both cucumber has been throwing out displays of yellow male flowers. The females flowers with baby-cucumber attached only started to appear this week.

For the time being, i continue to water and fertilise them impatiently; while buying commercial cucumber and tomatoes off NTUCs to fix the cravings.




Cuucmbers being left pot on the floor; tomato being right pot on the floor.

Tell me how to cook oregano

Its only a 15cm pot but they grow really quick. Oregano must have love Singapore very much! Till i find more ways to utilize them... ...

Indian borage is an independent herb

Indian borages are such sweet companions on the little balcony. Leave them pretty much alone, and they will take care of themselves. A little caress and they give u nice sweet aroma for a long while.

Wonder if they will ever flower for me... cos its unheard of IB to flower in tropical singapore.

These kids are capable of growing into big 'bushes'. To keep them compact, i am 'restricting' them in small pots, like these.

Pak choy -harvested

Here's KY-early Park Choy harvested and cooked into soup.

Seeds are from Known-you. Veg are short and compact (around 20cm tall), nice-stasting greens without fibrous stems.

Hungry! Waiting for the harvest...

Amidst my busy schedule now, juggling work, study and housekeeping, watching the little balcony garden grow become my top stress-reliever. nevermind if the students or husband or sprained-ankle had been cranky, simply sharing my joy on this blog is good enough to nullify all unhappiness :)

Fruiting tomato, flowering cucumbers and maturing XiaoPaiChai.



Herbs are really fast growing! We just cant seem to be eating them fast enough.




Here's BungaTelang growing up nicely.

Mini orchids -new decor for ugly waterpipe

Once upon a time, i buy shoes and indulge in salmon-sashimi whenever i feel stressed out, depressed or generally moody...

nowadays, i just go nursery-shopping. LOL

here's 2 new pots of mini-orchids, hung on the waterpipe in the balcony. The decorated pipe turned out to be quite a pleasant decor style :)

Visit to Punggol community garden

Here's a wonderful community garden in Punggol, under the 'command' of Velvetine-the-dimpled...










THIS is Velvetine-the-dimpled...

and here's Solonavi and Velvetine standing inthe middle of the community garden. Vel was hanging on to her very precious and unique tilandsias pot.

LittleRedRidingHood & BigBadWolf

Little red riding hood went hiking in the passionfruit forest in Punggol Community Garden...



Along came big bad wolf...



Little red riding hood fled...


Err, wat an untidy escape across the aloe vera field, hehe

New layout - Making space for new pots

Two new tomatoes plants & two new cucumbers plants are ready to be go into their final pot. And that's a lot of space to ask from a HDB-flat's balcony and small stretch of corridor.

This calls for ruthless spring-cleaning!! All the bean plants in the corridor trough are taken down. Their ill-health is apparent.

With the corridor rack freed up now, the Basil-Trios moved out...

...here's an 'After'-foto showing the balcony looking naked without the lush-&-green basils...

... and here's the 'Before'-foto for comparison.

Costoluto genevese, tomato plant is flowering

Standing at 50cm tall, she is flowering :)

First cat in the balcony-garden

Maggie gave us a 'cat'. Is that a sign of a a real cat coming soon? i dream...

DIY corridor racks from GaruBoy

Garuboy is a DIY-veteran. He fabricated this corridor rack for us with leftover metal hollow-sections, steadest material for such a purpose. With the rack hanging on the corridor parapet wall, the young beans' box gets a nice suntan; while we get tis greener entrance :



GaruBoy sponsored the corridor rack. Rummi sponsors his seeds. We are happy neighbours in 'Sengkang resort park' :D