The Growing Garden

Alas, my lavender has once again died on me.  I think I've finally figured what would make it thrive though.  I noticed it became livelier and grew new leaves quite fast during those consecutive really hot days.  I'd only water about every 1.5 days or when I noticed the soil was very dry.  When Bebang came, it stopped growing new leaves.  I brought it inside because I was told when I bought it that it doesn't like being very wet.  I also read that although it doesn't get attacked by insects, root rot is what I'd have to make sure doesn't happen.  So even if I didn't water it during the storm since the soil was constantly wet, it started withering after the storm passed.  Even after I left it out in the sun for the past days, constantly watching the wetness of the soil, it still went ahead and gave up.  Huhuhu....  I guess I'll try again. 

Guess what?  I discovered something new in my garden today!  When I was watering my plants today, I noticed some new leaves sprouting beside my alugbati.  They were not something I recognize planting.  I thought they might be grass.  I tried pulling them out but they seemed to be firmly rooted.  The stems were also quite thick for any fast growing grass that might have sprouted in my pots.  I say fast because it has only been two days since I last watered and I didn’t see them last time.  They’re about a handspan (dangkal) in height now. 

I finally figured out what they were when, while trying to uproot them, I dislodged what they seemed to be rooted to.  A kamote!  Realization dawned.  I’d forgotten to cook that kamote and found it to be smelling too earthy so I just buried it with my alugbati figuring it could still serve as fertilizer for my alugbati.  Lo and behold!  It sprung its own leaves!  Haha now I’ve got talbos ng kamote to harvest too.  I also noticed the other half of the kamote with some small shoots trying to push above the soil.  Yay!  My garden is growing more and more.

Meanwhile, my waist-high malunggay have more new leaves that can be picked in about a week.  The other malunggay seems to be wavering between living and dying.  It had some mildew at the top of the stem that seems to have stopped spreading.  That second malunggay (also waist-high) would grow some leaves that would then turn yellow or start to dry then grow new ones and turn yellow again after a week.  I hope it finally decides to live and thrive.

The alugbati is growing beautifully with more leaves ready for picking.  It just keeps thriving.  The smallest stalk I planted, about 4 inches high, is starting to grow some leaves.  The rosemary is still thriving.  I’ll pluck a few more leaves later to add to my dry leaves.  The sweet basil still has its flowers—small beautiful flowers as you can see below.

My mints are thriving!  The peppermint is starting to scatter.  Perhaps it really should be left alone.  The Java mints have one or two offshoots now and they’ve regained their dark green color.  The lemon mints no longer look so yellow.

Ah and I replanted the three citronella.  I finally put them all in one big pot and put them in the corner where they won’t hit any of the other plants with their looooong leaves.  

The oregano are also getting too heavy to carry their own weight.  They keep falling over.  I should cut them soon.