overgrown

When I left my garden almost three weeks ago I did not notice this zucchini, which could not have existed at all or perhaps in bud form.  I picked it this afternoon as it is already too big.  The garden has kept growing and producing and besides the oversized zucchini I also found two cucumbers ready for picking.

The chillies are not quite ready for picking but there are enough green ones slowly ripening.  I use the green chillies sometimes but prefer to let them ripen for the fiery heat.  The jalapeno and Thai chillies (below) will soon be ready for picking, I hope.

There are still baby eggplants on the bushes and I hope there will be enough warm weather to let them mature.  These are ready to be picked.

succulent

I have to leave my garden for a couple of weeks and these succulents will look after themselves.  The long range weather forecast is predicting 31 degrees centigrade in a few days time when I will not be around to water the garden.  The different succulents will not shrivel for a moment and for this reason I am planting more of them in the outside garden.

   They come in different colours and shapes and I will look out for more interesting variety to add to my collection.  I have to remember to give them room to spread as they have a tendency to do just that.

okra, squash and chillies

I have harvested the okra but I notice a bud forming.  I will be away from my garden for a couple of weeks and I wonder if I would return to another okra to savour.  The temperature will be dropping which is not good news for this vegetable.

I hope by the time I return this spaghetti squash will be ready for picking.  The amount of rain we have been getting and the warm weather are just what the squash needs.  I have tried growing this vegetable before but was not successful.  These seedlings came from the Hurstbridge food swap where I take my garden produce to exchange for vegetables or plants I do not have.  I will miss this month's swap meet as I will be in Kuala Lumpur.  I have been taking pennywort, lemon grass and various herbs to the food swap and have picked up eggs, squashes and even a jar of preserved olives.

I will pick the ripe Kashmiri chillies before I go or they will dry up on the bush.  It is a mild chilli, but delicious.  I have other chilli varieties and I have been enjoying them.  I hope the green ones will be ready by the time I return.

Malay herbs

The turmeric with its broad, fragrant leaves is a favourite Malay herb used in rendang and gulai.  Needless to say the lemon grass is often used together with turmeric leaves.  In the picture the turmeric is in the pot sitting in front of a clump of lemon grass.  I have a few clumps of lemon grass growing and I propagate more when I pick a stem or two for cooking.  I slice off about one centimetre from the base of the stem and place it in potting mix.  More often than not a new shoot will sprout and it can be planted in a pot or in the ground in a sunny position.  A bit of protection will help in winter .

The turmeric I grew from a tuber I bought from a greengrocer.  I planted the tuber in early spring and it took a while to sprout.  Being a tropical plant it loves a sunny spot.   In autumn when the leaves show sign of yellowing I harvest them to freeze.  The tuber I dig up to use in my cooking.

Basil

If you look carefully you'll see roots sprouting from the basil cuttings.  I picked the bunch of basil for the kitchen so I don't have to go to the garden in the dark when I sometimes need the herb.  Another way of propagating basil but this way is not always successful.  Another way is by self seeding, which again, is a gamble.  I was successful with this purple basil which came up in my garden box from seeds dropped last summer.

I am letting some of the basil bushes to go to seeds.  In Asia the basil seeds are added to drinks and they turn gelatinous when soaked.  I like to call them frog's eggs because that's what they look like.  I will remember to cut back some of the flower head so I can encourage more growth before the cold weather sets in.

This is the best of the basil clumps.  A few are dwarfed by tomato plants.  They me be the best companion to tomato in every way but they need space to grow to their full potential.  Basil loves warmth and sunshine and when you brush against them on a warm day you will be filled with their exotic perfume.

I bought this perennial basil from the garden club.  It is also called the cinnamon basil.  I will protect it in winter with a covering of plastic and I may be able to enjoy some fresh basils when the sweet basils are gone.

fig tree

This morning I had two very sweet figs from this tree, which my friend Linda dug up from her garden.  Fig trees will send out suckers all over the place and this one started as one.  In the past three and the half years it has shot up, taller than the fence.  It has produced very small fruits in the previous seasons but they dropped before maturity.  This year the fruits are still small but are ripening and I had the good fortune to taste them before the birds.

hibiscus

The red hibiscus is a flower I can remember from the time I was aware of flowers.  It is a common garden flower in Malaysia, and if it is not seen in a garden it is likely to be found along side roads.  It is the floral symbol of Malaysia and I planted it in my garden to bring in a bit of the tropics.