Over the long weekend two weeks ago we went to our farm to do some gardening, but before we left I was faced with a dilemma: What would I do with the plants on my bedroom balcony? Usually, when I am going away for a week I take them downstairs to the front yard where there's some sun so that the maid can water them in my absence. As there are more than a dozen plants, some of which are rather big, this is not an easy task.
MOIST MANOEUVRE: Far left to Right, to make sure your plants do not go dry while you are on holiday, first submerge them in water until the soil is fully soaked. Then cover the topsoil with newspaper and group the plants together on the floor so that they can lend each other moisture.
This time around, I was going away for only four days, so carrying the plants downstairs before I leave and bringing them up again when I return was not worth the effort. Four days without water would not kill my plants but they would be stressed; they should be watered at least once while I was away. Should I leave my bedroom unlocked so the maid could have access to the plants?
The day before we left, I watered the plants thoroughly by submerging them in a basin full of water until the bubbling stopped, which indicated that the soil was fully soaked. After letting the excess water drain out of the pots, I covered the topsoil with dry newspaper, which would serve as a mulch to keep the soil from drying out, then I laid down the plants close together on the floor so that they could lend each other moisture. I then went on holiday with my mind at ease: I had taken care of my plants' needs during my absence, and my bedroom was securely locked.
When we returned, the first thing that I did was check on my plants. After removing the newspaper covering, I felt the soil with my finger tips. It was still moist, and I did not have to water the plants until the following day, or five days after I gave them a thorough soaking. The newspaper did a very good job of keeping the moisture in the soil; next time I no longer have to worry about my plants going dry when I go on holiday for a few days.
The farm at this time of year did not have many flowers. Well, the gardenias were in full bloom, and so were some of the orchids, bromeliads, roses, hibiscus, curcumas, heliconias and anthuriums, as well as the violet allamanda that climbed the cottage we call our country home, and the giant magnolia, whose flowers were as big as my face. But in July most of the trees, shrubs and plants were busy growing rather than producing flowers, and to my delight even my siniguelas, or Spanish plum (Spondias purpurea), had grown by leaps and bounds since I last saw it.
I found the siniguelas difficult to grow in Thailand. Over the years, I had brought in from the Philippines countless stem cuttings to grow here, but all my attempts ended in failure. A native of Mexico, this small deciduous tree with edible fruit about 3.8cm long was introduced to the Philippines by the Spaniards, who ruled the country for 333 years from 1565 to 1898. It is common in the Philippines, but strangely enough all seeds are sterile and the tree can only be propagated by stem cuttings. It is therefore believed that all the siniguelas growing throughout the Philippine archipelago today originated from the trees brought into the country by the Spanish rulers around the 17th century.
I had given up all hopes of being able to grow a sineguelas tree in Thailand, but in what was to be my last attempt in 2004, one stem cutting out of six that I planted managed to grow roots and survive. The sapling took nine years to grow to its present height of about 120cm, but I am confident it now feels completely at home in Thai soil and will continue to grow fast.
One of the joys of going upcountry is being able to eat vegetables not normally found in Bangkok. The joy is doubled if they come from your own garden. The last time we visited in May, I gave the caretaker some pumpkin seeds, which he planted. Now the plants had plenty of flowers. Not many Thais know that pumpkin blossoms are edible, but in fact they taste very good when coated with batter and deep-fried until crisp and then eaten with nam prik, or they can be stir-fried with oyster sauce. Some Filipino friends love them in soup made of grated young corn, or stuffed with minced pork and fried or baked. I like it best in the Ilokano (a Filipino ethnic group) dish called inabraw, with the blossoms simply cooked with grilled fish, string beans and okra, with bagoong, or shrimp paste, to taste.
Pumpkin blossoms are said to be high in calcium and iron, and vitamins A and C, one of the reasons _ apart from the fruit _ why you should plant pumpkin if you have space in your backyard. Pumpkin is easy to grow, all it needs is well-drained soil rich in compost, full sun and a trellis to climb.
Seeds can be obtained from a good-quality, mature fruit bought from the market. Wash the seeds, let them dry in the shade, then plant them three to a hole. Weed out the weakest seedling after the seeds germinate, in about two weeks. Two months later you have flowers to harvest.
So how do you know if by harvesting the flowers you don't deprive the plant of fruit? Female flowers already have the makings of the fruit when they appear on the plant; all they need is to be pollinated by insects for the fruit to continue growing. All the other flowers are sterile, and it's these which are harvested and cooked as a vegetable, and they're yummy!
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NATURAL TREAT: Pumpkin blossoms fresh from the vines. Female flowers have the makings of the fruit when they appear on the plant; all others are sterile and can be harvested as a vegetable.
