Last count...34

It was time to face the truth and bid adieu to the cucumber. The plant bore a total of 34 cucumbers . It still had a large number of flowers and cucumbers to be, on it...there still was nutrient enough to sustain the plant for close to another month. But, the aphids had returned, taking benefit of my absence in body and spirit these past few days...and they returned with vengeance. So almost each leaf was affected. I could have tried to save the plant, but that would also have involved putting to risk the other healthy plants namely the bell peppers, spinach and such like in close proximity. I chose the lesser evil and let this too go. 

As can be seen above and below...the root system was robust and still going strong. And there's no doubt that the clean nutrient remaining in the tank would have sustained the plant to continue to bear fruit. But like I said, it was a difficult choice and I made it. I've learnt my lesson well. Things can go wrong at any stage. You need to be positive, prepared and vigilant.

As Shankar and I were taking off the plant's vines from the wire mesh, we were surprised to see a cucumber wedged tight between the metal mesh and the poly-film on top.

It took quite a bit of patient manoeuvering to finally get the cucumber out from the base of gh1.

Surprisingly, it came out quite unscathed. Thankfully, it was delicious.

On a positive note then, the DIY raft has found it's rightful place inside gh1, with happily gurgling nutrient already becoming familiar with the baby roots of the recently germinated spinach. I have to share here though, that while the commercially available raft houses approximately 14 litres of nutrient, the DIY raft needed 22 litres for the water surface to kiss the base of the net-pots.

I shall keep us all posted on the progress these spinach plants make. For, if they do as well as they do in the commercial raft...well they'd be doing that, at almost 1/3 rd the cost. Also, if I'm convinced that this could be a sustainable system, I'd make it sure to fill up gh1 with a lot many more such. The current number of rafts totals to four.

And well, the bell peppers are still growing in size. So I'm allowing them to. Also, I have to admit that I'm yet to read up on how to know when is the right time to harvest capsicum.

And this brings me up to the year end. This might possibly be the last post for 2014, for I'm travelling for the next few days. It'd be an eager me returning around the new year, sharing of how things have been. Cheers and ciao!