Thought for food

Have you ever been excited by an idea? Excited by its simplicity, potential and the fact that, that one idea begins to sprout more in your head. So, it wasn't the first time that I came across the use of artificial lighting to grow plants hydroponically and it wasn't the first time that I'd heard of a very impressive space saving method employed to do that. But both the things brought so brilliantly together, is what genuinely energised me. This evening's walk then was a blur, for my mind raced far ahead of my feet. To kill the suspense, I came across something called 'Volksgarden' today. See it at www.omegagarden.com. See also the futuristic concept based on the same contraption, called 'Farmdominium'. To say the least, I found it mind-boggling and an answer to food security to at least some extent.

During the course of watching the videos, related to the above, reading about it...I couldn't but help take a walk to the greenhouse. Where I was greeted by little pink flowers on the crimson leaves of the basil. 

I then got around to collecting some greens. Got hungry. Checked online to come across an interesting and very simple recipe for the swiss chard. I included spinach leaves and basil though. Chopped.

The cut stocks went into boiling salted water for a couple of minutes, first.

The leaves joined.

Allowed to simmer for another 3-4 minutes.

Strained.

Sauteed precisely for two minutes with golden browned garlic in olive oil.

Served it to myself with salad and love. Delicious. I love Google.

So I'm off for a couple of weeks. Shankar is all set to look after the plants and the green house in entirety in my absence. Ample nutrient solution has already been prepared. I'm sure, Shankar will do well. See you all sometime in mid-October.

C.A.P.A.

  When you write a blog, sometimes you feel you should write because you should. Possibly, for the sake of continuity or cyber-relevance or even perceived readership pressures...At such times in my case, I remind myself that the blog is because the green house and its inhabitants are. And unless something worthy of mention happens to them, I'd be beating about the bush (now that's ironic). So, the silence. Nothing spectacular has happened in the past few days except that the tomatoes of both varieties are happily progressing.

And that, the neem-leaf water I'd used earlier proved only partially effective on the aphids thriving on chillies and bell peppers. With the new cucumber already in place I thought it reckless then, to continue to depend on a half-baked attempt at saving the fresh sapling from fresh aphid attacks. Consequently, this arrived by courier from geekgardener.in.

So, five ml of neem oil, 2-3 drops of liquid soap (Vim double power in my case) and 500 ml of water were very vigorously mixed and generously sprayed on/over/ around/ under all the affected chilly/ bell pepper plants, about 4 days back. I see, that the aphids have visibly reduced. So I've used the same concoction in the same proportions again this morning. I think I've found what the aphids truly deserve after all. So, if they come bothering the cucumber this time, I'm prepared. The corrective action on bell peppers and the preventive action for the cucumber. Hence C.A.P.A. And yes, meanwhile I've also got some 'Sticky Fly Trap' paper. It's basically hard paper with some adhesive smeared on it, which attracts bugs. It attracts and then it doesn't let go. So I cut some with a child's ingenuity and have used it for the cucumber thus. It seems to be working fine.

My actions were evidenced and verified by the sun above and this moth below. Both seemed satisfied.

The fall (in place)

It's been a bit busy. That's also the reason, I didn't realise how time flew and along with it the nutrient for the Kratky-ed cucumber to be...courtsey geekgardener.in. Meanwhile, along came the true leaves on the cucumber sapling...and all in all, finally it fell into place, this beautiful fall morning (some words have more life than the others...fall instead of autumn, for instance). The nutrient fell into 280 litres of water and was given a whirl.

The clay pellets fell into the netted pot and the true-leaved sapling nestled into the clay pellets. This now rests a second time in the cut lid of the tank, the pot's bottom flirting gently with the nutrient rich solution beneath.

And then, a radish popped out. Literally. Now, I clearly remember having planted just a seed for the radish. Since the past few days I began to notice a sudden increase in the density of the leaves atop. And then I was taken by surprise a couple of mornings before, when I saw the white of a full-fledged radish peeping out from the coco-peat. I gingerly coaxed and this came out. God bless coco-peat, it came out with almost no effort...with no disturbance caused to the second radish, still snug under this wonder medium.

I have to admit this, there's nothing to beat the fresh-crisp-unadulterated-firm-crunch of a root /leaf/ fruit/ vegetable straight from its fount. So while the radish became salad, its leaves made a very lively dinner side-dish...with a dash of garlic and diced tomatoes. Tomatoes yet bought from the market. Soon that should change! 

This part of the basil meanwhile, can't help being good-looking.

And last, but definitely not the least...something else has also flown in from the geekgardener. Neem oil. I intend to prepare its concoction tomorrow. I shall keep us posted.

In'sensed'

When I started the green house, I knew nothing (I’m only marginally better off now). What I also didn’t know was how deeply engrossed I’d get to be in the venture. And how, each sense of mine would be unexpectedly jolted (mostly pleasantly).

So the approach to the green house is preceded by the faithful hum of the three aeration pumps, quietly raising breath-giving bubbles inside the three raft systems.

Just as you enter inside, a riotous mêlée of aromas assails. Tomatoes exude a strong primal smell of pollination and new life.

 Mixed with that is the subtle yet unmistakable scent from the basil leaves, reminding you of  Al Fresco lunches, clear skies and a whiff of Mediterranean climes.

As accompaniment then is the singular smell of oregano, as long as you are willing to go and gently rub the herb between your fingers.

  

On the issue of touching and feeling then, you as if involuntarily get drawn to the lush leaves of the spinach/ swiss chard. It’s difficult not to feel the texture, thickness, the very life of these greens. And in the same flow an impulsive plucking of a leaf now and then, just for the sake of crunch and juice in your mouth. 

This incidentally is what I collected for the weekend.

 And then the colour. As a child, an old gentleman tried to teach me to paint. I was fascinated primarily by two things. The way his very large hands worked so surely on paper. And, that life on drawing sheets was far beyond the 6 basic colours Camlin offered. For instance blue could be Prussian, Ultramarine, Cobalt etc. Or yellow could be Ochre, Lemon, Chrome etc. In line with that, I propose to introduce a variation in green…'Baby Green Unsullied'. The inspiration being this young cherry tomato plant.

  

Or Basil Burnt Crimson because of …

 Coming then to the spicy life for Aphids. My last post showed how I intended to spray the affected plants with strained water which had an overnight immersion of about 4 very hot green chillies. It worked, but just a little bit. Next I collected about a kilogram of neem leaves.

I put them in about 5 litres of water and allowed it to boil. On cooling, I strained the liquid. This is what remained of the leaves.

This is what I collected.

I’ve sprayed the same regularly for the last three days. It looks like working, though very gradually. Would need to check for another few days, else I’d look for something else. More on that later.

Flowers like little yellow butterflies

This is what happens, when you watch a film like the 'Pan's Labyrinth' (written and directed by Guillermo del Toro) just before you sleep. And upon waking read a bit about Quantum Mechanics...then you go through the day slightly dazed from lack of sleep and abundance of thoughts. And then you run at dusk, with clouds engulfing the last bit of sun very suddenly. It's dark...the shade of the road and the grass on the sides commingled to a hazy grey. And yet there's this sense of a keen clarity in your head, with the background sound of your own foot-falls surprisingly serene. Your senses feel more alive, your memory sharp. Obviously, all you are good to do now is write. 

So, whether it was a previous lack of this heightened sense of awareness or mere chance, but I'd never so far mistaken the pretty flowers on the Cherry tomato as little yellow butterflies. But this morning I actually believed I was seeing them, resting gently upon the green leaves of the plant. It was also a pleasant surprise then to see a couple of grape like buds...the first beginnings of cherry tomatoes to be. 

The Suhyana Tomato meanwhile is kind with its bounty. Looking forward to some colour in the fruits now.

Incidentally along with the welcome arrival of fresh green leaves and infant fruits, there have been some objectionable arrivals too. The gentleman below was found in my wash-basin at midnight. He seemed very angry and darkly hypnotic. What followed wasn't pleasant.

The pug-marks below then were found first thing in the morning...just outside my place of work. Professionals from the forest department have been called to declare which feline animal they belonged to. A leopard has recently been ensnared incidentally, not very far from this location. Understandably people are sure it's yet another one (and possibly with cub).

Meanwhile, the rest of the plants continue to grow happily, steadily. That's five of the rucola saplings fast transforming to true leaves, waiting for the right moment to find themselves in one of the hydroponic rafts. Which by the way, as systems seem to work like little islands of magic. I've consecutively for three weekends now plucked off the rich Spinach, Swiss Chard and Basil leaves from the three raft systems. They just seem to grow back on, by the time it's Friday. 

 Sadly, equally persistent have been the aphids. They are after the bell peppers and the three different types of chillies I have. So far, the finger squishes have just about kept up with the silent persistent suckers. Now, I intend to up the ante. So the tri-oil mixture (geranium, citronella and neem) I've used twice hasn't proved to be all that effective. Consequently I've searched a bit more and have come across a couple of options (naturally, natural). I intend to try them one by one. So the first has led to a pan of water awaiting overnight, thus. 

The intention is to drain the water in the morning and spray it all over the affected plants. Can't wait to spice things up a bit...more so for the aphids. More on this, as it progresses.

The cucumber is in a better place

I had to let the cucumber go today. It was just a plant. But I felt sad. And I thought then, of people of a different mettle. So, I perceive today and salute the strength & fortitude of relatives who allow doctors to pull the plug out of the life support systems of brain-dead loved ones; or that of the brave ranger who takes it upon himself to shoot his horse in the head to put the animal out of its misery; or that of a particular soldier I heard of, who was willing to live with the burden of taking the life of his friend who had fallen and got hopelessly stuck in a crevasse in a glacier at upwards of 18000 feet, rather than allowing him to die a cold, slow and sure death, all by himself. My loss then, can't even be termed trivial.

Nevertheless, the plant was dying and I couldn't revive it. That's the long and short of it. Here's how it looked just before I took the decision and Shankar & I took out the slotted pot out of the tank.

It's roots were lovely...like the tresses of a fairy tumbling all over her face.

The faithful constant then, is change. It was time to spill out the old nutrient solution...

thus...

There, done and dusted.

And then, to clean up the clay pellets and the netted pot itself. Washed and left to dry. 

A new cucmuber seed has been put for germination. Part of the RO water required to almost fill the 300 litre tank has been purchased. The balance shall be procured on Monday. And then the moment the freshly germinated sapling shows signs of true leaves, in goes the grow plug and the Kratky system starts all over again. With just a little change... I am now familiar with aphid-attacks and what their consequences can be. Needless to say, I'm better informed and better prepared.

Meanwhile, beans have been. And they look lovely.

Of clips, snips and learning

It's strange. It's me who thought of seeing what hydroponics could do for me (for whatever reasons); it was me who was fortunate, nay blessed...to come across very good humans, who helped transform the gossamer of thought to physical entities; it was me who decided what plants to grow, knowing fully well that you grow anything with the desire, that it would fruit one day. The strange part is, when the fruit arrived I was taken by surprise. As if I weren't expecting it. There's a lot of joy in it alright, but I'm surprised I was surprised to see the first lot of baby tomatoes. And then, I was stirred into action. And in a matter of two days, I've learnt a lot about tomato plants. And I wonder, why I didn't make the same sort of an effort till before I saw Tom1.

 So, I've learnt that tomatoes have the determinate and the indeterminate variety (mine is, for instance of the indeterminate kinds, I know now). Simply put, indeterminate implies, if tended to properly, the plant shall continue to grow practically for ever (that's exaggeration, but 40 feet tall tomato plants aren't uncommon). And if cared for correctly shall fruit all along. It's the opposite for the determinate variety which automatically knows when to stop growing and is by and large destined to bear just a fixed quantity of fruit. 'Tended to properly' and 'cared for correctly' then means three specific things. (a) The plant is supported to grow vertically with its' leaves off the ground (which I've done from the start...yay!). In fact the three new tomato plants that I'd recently started have already been provided stakes to grow skyward.

 (b) Clip clip, snip snip, shear and prune. There's this thing called a "sucker". As the name suggests, suckers suck on the nutrient and consequently instead of getting the right sized fruit you get an abridged version. So a sucker is nothing but an offshoot, a branch that always begins from the V formed between the main stem and the side branches. Ideally, suckers need to pinched and plucked off right when they start. For people like me, who awaken to this knowledge much later, there is still hope. For even though, the suckers are themselves little branches now, they can very well be pruned. Pruned carefully though, for it's best to leave a couple of leaves on the sucker and snip it further up. This way the shock to the plant is lesser. Also the rate of healing for the fresh wound (where you oh! so mercilessly snipped) is faster, with a couple of leaves available to continue the photosynthetic process. The knowledge gained was immediately put to practice and for a good twenty minutes I used my judgement to prune quite a lot. Understandably, both the plants now resemble kids after a short haircut, polished shoes, shiny eyes and all.

(c) Guidance and direction. As I'd mentioned earlier, the suhyana tomato plant wants to go beyond the ceiling of the green house. So this is how, I've bent the rules (read the tomato plant's tip). The intention is, that as the plant grows, it moves along the ceiling. Here...

On a different note, I've put to germinate 5 grow-plugs each of rocket leaves and lettuce. These shall replace all those from the 1st raft, which have outlived their lives. Hopefully, by next week this time, I'd be able to plant these two into the raft system.