Basil, carrot, chillies, coriander, fennel, fenugreek, garlic, ginger, mint, pumpkin, tomato, turmeric – check! My confidence swelling with each baby step in experimentation with growing my own vegetables in our 8 ft x 1 ft box grilled window space, I decided to raise the bar a notch higher – exotic cultivars which are quite fussy about victuals and easily prone to infestation.
Thus in December I commenced a trial run with red and yellow capsicum. Salvaging seeds from store-bought organic fruit, I planted six seeds of each variety which ultimately gave me two viable saplings of red and a single one of the yellow. Though all three plants grew up at visually the same rate, each was supplemented with a different type of nutrient source – one with neem cake powder, one with vermicompost, and one with Jeevamrut (a filtered fermented concoction of cow dung, cow urine, gram flour, jaggery, handful of soil for bacterial inoculation, and water). All three plants flowered almost simultaneously in 12 weeks’ time from the date of sowing and were hand pollinated. One of the reds was first off the block and we plucked the first ripe fruit 7 weeks after pollination.


Three stages of ripening of the first born red capsicum have been captured on video and posted on Instagram at:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cbb-NqeqX9R/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CcPgPagoz5r/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link and
https://www.instagram.com/reel/Ccc7CCGKOr1/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Pest infestation was effectively managed during the entire 19 weeks with a fortnightly alternate spraying of Jeevamrut, and a homemade 5% solution of liquid soap, Dettol disinfectant and cooking oil. Once I complete my study of the growth pattern, and after tasting the fruit from each plant, I will be able to assess the nutrient source best suited for these cultivars.


So summing it up – from my learnings thus far – while growing your own food is thoroughly gratifying, it is enlightening too. In addition to the intricacies of gardening you also learn humility, patience and respect for the forces of nature. There is no one solution that works to fulfill the needs of nutrition and care across the wide variety of crops. Like you and me, all plants are individual in character and have typical demands depending upon their species and variety, light, weather, ambience, soil characteristics, macro and micro nutrient needs, resistance to pests and US!
Yes, us. Because it is we who have to observe – watch for signs that the plants display so candidly, whether in distress or in contentment – and join in the celebration of their life. It may sound a tall ask from afar, but once you decide to embrace Mother Nature, you will find her a teacher most willing – she holds no secrets, but only if you seek then you shall know!
– Narendra Nayak © 2022
What a hardworking yet joyous journey to grow your own veggies N. Kudos 👍🏻
Loved the title of your post and how you summarised your learning at the end. Wishing you a pleasant journey ahead with your green thumb !
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so very much, R! Your ever encouraging words and constant support is truly appreciated! 🙂 🙏🏻
LikeLike
Gorgeous peppers! 😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
My pleasure. 😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
Beautiful pics!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks a lot, Jyothi! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
One has only to see your happy pepper photo to measure your success! Never seen any pepper so amused on being cut into two. 😁
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ha ha ha…thank you, Jaya. In fact my father said the same thing when he saw it – he called it a joker capsicum. And the serious me was only looking at the seeds and their arrangement inside. 😄
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s the true gardener, i guess. My husband also looks at the seeds and soil and growth while I notice the bent chillies and double tomatoes and such. I like the Joker Capsicum bit.( Trust the earlier generation to come up with the perfect response!)
LikeLiked by 1 person
It takes both kinds to make a jolly pair, Jaya. Ditto for my wife – she sees things that I will look through even if before my very eyes! 🙂
I guess we are too stressed with unnecessary things and need to take a leaf out of the experiences of the older generations – surely we can loosen up and afford a laugh!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Dettol and soap will remain in the soil. I wonder whether you have some alternative.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sir, this homemade pesticide is a last resort against the highly resistant aphids that I have come across (neither neem oil nor other organic pesticides have managed to kill them and I have lost a couple of chilli plants to this infestation recently). Further, when I spray this, I cover the base of the plant with a sheet of polythene so that a minimal amount seeps into the soil. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, aphids are bad. A professional gardner recommended to us that we tear dried orange peels into small bits and put them at the base of the plant. It won’t help if you already have aphids, but it will prevent new infestations. We had to get rid of our old plants. With new plants and this treatment until now we haven’t had a problem.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much for this tip, Sir. I’ll implement it now on. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Let me know whether it works. My one trial is not proof 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, of course, Sir; it is a great pointer for me to go fully organic – I’ll keep you posted. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, it is an awesome experience planting seeds in our own space. I have some green bell pepper seedlings in a pot.
Great share and beautiful pictures, N. 😍
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks a lot, Suni, for your kind appreciation! Wish you a bumper crop with your green bell peppers. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes indeed.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Impressive
Did the offspring taste as good as the parent?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Pat! I may sound a little biased, but ours were a bit more crunchier. 😄
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m sure the parent did not get the TLC that you have provided to the offspring.
LikeLiked by 1 person
So very kind of you to say that, Pat! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I like your methodical approach to growing things, and also appreciate your thoughts about nature at the end of the post. You’re a true gardener!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much, Ma’am, for your wonderful words of appreciation and encouragement! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Your green fingers are only sharpening by the day. I can well imagine the gratifying feel with every single success that you’ve had so far as you continue your experimentation. Mother Nature has indeed been a great teacher. That you’ve managed to produce all these in your tiny little space is even more commendable. Wish you many such joyous journeys.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much, Neelanjana, for your constant appreciation and encouragement! It mean a lot! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Dear Master Gardener,
I’m so impressed with your ever-lengthening list of spices and vegetables you have successfully grown, as well as your deep insights into nature’s marvelous workings. I have never attempted to grow peppers from seeds. My attempt to grow apple trees from apple seeds resulted in–nothing. 😊
I look forward to learning about the future fruits (or vegetables) of your labor.
Best,
Tanja
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so very much, Tanja, for your constant encouragement and support in my gardening endeavours. I hope to widen my knowledge base with the accumulated learnings of these efforts, enough to (hopefully) till a small piece of land in the near future. 🙂 🙏🏻
LikeLiked by 1 person
How exciting, Narendra. I look forward to learning more about it!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I ate red peppers in Germany, in my daughter’s place. They were so tasty. We live in coastal Karnataka, I don’t know if they will grow here. We green capsicums in the market but I am not sure if we get the yellow and red ones. All the best in your garden.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much, Lakshmi Ma’am, for your encouraging words and for sharing your thoughts. It doesn’t take much different care for the red and yellow varieties than the regular capsicum. The heat and humidity of coastal Mumbai here is much like that in coastal Karnataka (as I have experienced on farmlands in my native Kumta). I think you will get a good result if you will plant some in your nice garden space. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person