A night out... with plants

Looking around my garden, it was so satisfying to see the seeds I planted had grown and produced fruit.

Zahra Ali October 28, 2010
It was a very pleasant night with beautiful moonlight glittering on my terrace when I decided to do all the garden jobs that had been pending for a week.

Transplanting vegetable seedlings

The seeds that I had sown earlier were ready to be transplanted. During the week, I had bought large containers and filled them with a good mixture of soil and manure for my vegetable plants. I spent some time marking the pots and transplanting the tomato and bell-pepper plants into the large pots. It had to be done quickly and correctly.

Seedlings must have moist soil  and two sets of true leaves prior to transplantation. The roots are pushed up gently by a stick while you hold the top of the plant in your hands. The roots of the seedlings should not be exposed to air for long. They are to be quickly planted in the bigger pots or the plot. Then they should be watered with a soft shower. Transplantation is done in the evening when its cool.

Getting in touch with plants

Next, I wanted to know how my plants were doing. The lime tree is producing lots of juicy limes, the orchids are blooming, the chiko has some new flowers and bright green leaves, Allamanda looks stunning even in the night, and the grafted cactus has two beautiful flowers. Flower seeds need transplantation as well, the pumpkin plants are about to bloom, Bonsai needs some attention, button roses survived trimming,  potatoes and garlic look happy too but china rose has had an aphid attack.

Appreciating the night

When I was done with a round of the garden, I sat down, looked around at the plants and thought about how much they had grown. It felt good to see the seeds that I had sown were growing, trees that I planted were fruiting, and all together the garden created a beautiful blend of shades of green and contrast of colours. Thank you, God!

I looked up in the sky and got lost in the brilliance of the moon that shone right above my terrace and the bright star that shined beside it.
WRITTEN BY:
Zahra Ali A freelance writer, gardening teacher and environmentalist. She has been spreading the message of natural living through her blog 'Crops in Pots' since 2008
The views expressed by the writer and the reader comments do not necassarily reflect the views and policies of the Express Tribune.

COMMENTS (13)

Sameer | 12 years ago | Reply Where can i get strawberry seeds or saplings in karachi?
Shahid Husain | 13 years ago | Reply Very informative and inspiring! Long ago I wrote a small piece when I was associated with The Muslim, Islamabad with the headline: "Greenery generates happiness!" Thanks God our youth is working on the same line.
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