This is a story of how I re-connected with moments of childhood that made me most happy. The joy of growing a garden, of time spent in the yard under the shade of fruit trees and in the company of plants, of hard labor preparing soil, feeding plants and the joy of seeing them prosper, bloom and bear produce.
Fast forward to circa 2020 - the year of COVID, the year that forced all of us to rethink the meaning of life. I was fortunate enough to have the security of working from home. Isolating at home meant more free time to ponder of times past. I decided to relive those beautiful moments by growing a few flowering plants with one big difference — I do not have a yard. I do have a little space outside the front door where I could fit in a few pots.
I managed to sneak a few trips to the local home depot. Purchased a few pots, soil and flowering plants. My first haul from the home depot consisted of:
1. Multiple colors of Rio Dipladenia Flowering Annual Shrub such as below:
2. A purple curcuma
A second trip fetched in a tomato plant
and some herbs
- Sweet Basil
2. Sweet Mint
End results
After a few months of watering and caring, I did manage a decent harvest of herbs. Fresh herbs do have much more flavor than store bought ones!
The tomato plant did well initially, however it was attacked by some pests. Did manage to save it and moved it indoors for the winter. We survived to fight another day!
The flowering plants did very well. My container garden sits outside my work area window. So it was a pleasure to see the bright blooms every day. The flowers and vine attracted a number of humming birds and a few yellow butterflies.
Conclusion and learnings
I re-lived my childhood moments setting up and tending to my container garden. It does not match having a big yard but the joys are the same!
A few learnings
- Use larger containers especially for tomatoes and vegetables.
- The potting mix has enough nutrients to get the plant started, however, it is very important to add fertilizer to sustain growth.
- Avoid excessive watering when growing in containers.
- Avoid adding spent flowers (eg the flower bouquet you received/purchased) to the soil. They carry germs or were treated with chemicals that can harm your plants (sorry dear tomato plant!)
Finally and most importantly:
5. ENJOY the journey. The joys of the journey will bring you great bliss! Favorable end results are an added bonus.
