Pages

December 2, 2009

How Does Your Garden Grow? part2

Remember this post back in August? Well it's finally update time! 
It was a rocky start to this garden.  My seedlings all died. So I just threw caution to the wind and planted all of the seeds in the bed.  As a result, many did not survive.  The insects got to many of them before they even had a chance to grow.

 I spent weeks reasearching an organic insecticide.  Finally, I decided to go with the soapy water mixture and some Neem.  Many people aren't familiar with this plant.  It's a tropical plant mainly grown in India and has many uses.  It's great for the skin and also has quite a few health benefits.  After some research, I found out that Neem is actually a great insecticide and also can boost garden soil!

Here in The Bahamas, on the island of Abaco, there is a company that grows and sells Neem products.  So I went to the local retailer and bought the Neem Seed Cake.  It's what's left over after the oils have been pressed out of the Neem seeds.


 I wrapped about 2tbs. of the cake in a piece of cloth and soaked it in a gallon of water overnight. I used this water to make my soapy water mixture.  My remaining plants just thrived!  It really works.  The bugs stopped attacking them.  BTW, it stinks to high heaven!

Here's what I've been able to grow so far.  I've just sown some additional seeds on the weekend.

Cantaloupe


Carrots


Cucumber


Lettuce



Beets

Tomato


Brocolli or is that Cabbage?.....


Leeks and Onions


Corn


I'm also growing watermelon, cauliflower, spinach, eggplant and sweet pepper. Hopefully my next update will include some actual vegetables!!

Working Outside Today

The weather here is perfect. It's a cool breezy day. Perfect for hanging clothes on the line and subtraction. So we decided to work outside today.