YAM HARVEST TODAY IN MY SACK-PLANTING MINI-GARDEN

 ...identifying mango trees for variety with more economic value

Growing yam in sack is somewhat tougher than growing leafy vegs. So don't laugh at me for being so excited at harvesting a tuber of water yam today  - last time I checked water yam of that size was N1,000.

Actually I prefer water yam because its lighter on the tummy as pounded yam than white yam.

Some days ago I also harvested the remaining pods of beans which had turned brown. I cooked it  - just a plate-  so healthy and it was so very delicious- mini-garden grown beans.

IDENTIFYING MANGO TREE WITH MORE ECONOMIC VALUE

But of course this mini-garden is not just about healthy foods to eat - certainly not enough anyway. It's about researching into agro-based health and beauty solutions and finding better ways to grow plants even when constrained by space especially in an urban area.

One of the constraints is getting trees in containers to  fruit - yet to achieve that. I intend to replant some fruit trees currently growing in sacks into very big plastic containers.

Apart from the small almond tree,  I currently have three mango plants that have passed the seedling stage into mini-trees all planted in sacks - mangoes have different varieties - there are hard pulp ones that can be easily cut and eaten like snacks, included in fruit salads or dried and packaged as fruit snacks .

There are soft pulp ones that  are juicy - ideal for Smoothies.
Which one should I replant in the big drum plastic? How do I even differentiate them?

I will need to research more into identifying mango varieties so that I know the one to replant in the bigger drum.

I am not too sure but would be observing more keenly-  I noticed two of the small mango trees have grown slightly purplish-brown leaves apart from the green leaves. These leaves are not diseased - they are healthy leaves of a different colour.

But I don't think one of the mango trees which is months older than the others has ever grown that colour of leaves - so I am wondering if it's indication that it is of different variety from the other two. If so which one is the hard-pulp mango and which is the soft-pulp?

I prefer the hard-pulp for obvious reasons - its more durable with better chances of being processed into dried snack. Therefore it should have more economic value .

So I have a whole lot of researching to do in identifying the mango varieties from the leaves or the plant. If I can I would have loved to replant all the three mango trees.

There is a fourth one still at a very small seedling stage - also in a sack - Bush mango  - very big, hardy but still soft pulp mango - I can identify that because I specifically bought that mango.to plant after chewing - maybe it may be the variety that produces 'Ogbono' used in making draw soup. That would really be of huge economic benefit but it must be replanted to get to fruiting stage.

Thank God I am still able to grow some things despite the space constraint rather than waiting in frustration for farmland -  it involved some creative thinking  - Necessity sure is the mother of invention.

#yamharvest
#beansharvest
#minigardenharvest
#identigyingmangovarieties
#treesofeconomicvalue
#pureagriculture
#agricutureversusgoodhealth
#minigardenresearch
#growingcornindryseason
#growingcornallyearround
#throughbredseeds
#purebredseeds
#agriculturalmedicine
#gardeningindryseason
#growingcropsindryseason
#growingcropsinsacks
#growingmaizeinsacks
#spaceconstrainedgarden
#gardeningincementedpremises
#gardeninginsacks
#growingplantsinsacks
#minigarden #urbangarden #urbangardening
#minigardening  #integratedgardening #gardening #gardeninginsmallspaces #integratedgardeninginsmallspaces  #spaceconstrainedurbangardening
#intercroppinginsoilsack.
#growingcornindryseason

SEEDS ARE STORE OF WEALTH, TRY TO KEEP THEM

Do you know apart from propagating new plants, seeds have other uses such as in making of medicines, beauty products and  nutritious edibles?

Before you protest that constant usage of seeds  would pose challenges to getting seeds for propagation - wait! Have you ever wondered why most naturally grown fruits each have so many seeds?

God, the Creator is a very intelligent being- having created seeds to have so many uses (though not yet fully discovered), hence He made most fruits to have many seeds. So no worries about having enough seeds for propagation.

Even fruits like avocado that have only one seed have so very many fruits emerging seasonally on each tree, so seeds needed for propagation would always be available even when seeds are massively utilised.

But the plants from which the  seeds are taken have to be naturally-grown  for the full potentials to be realised. Pure-bred seeds are your best bet when it comes to using seeds for health or beauty purposes.

I will just give very few examples now  - most, if not all pure-bred seeds remove toxins including viruses from the body. So they are potentially good for detoxifying the body. I have used the seeds of snake tomatoes for instance as body worm expeller- highly effective. But please do not attempt to just use anything arbitrarily  for health treatment. It takes a whole lot  of studying and researches to be sure.

Knowing the right dosage also very important so as not to cause harm to the body. So let the researchers do the due diligence and come out with details after enough researches have been conducted.

This information  is to sensitise growers of plants especially small producers who likely grow organic crops to stop throwing excess seeds away and start preserving as many seeds as they can after separating the ones for planting.  I believe some day there will be a seed bank for pure-bred seeds when the researches are tested and firmly proven.

As per edibles, some seeds are good as spices for seasoning food, some as beverage. For instance date seeds can be blended into powder and taken as alternative to coffee.

Some seeds are usable in beauty therapy - avocado seeds have health uses but also very useful in production of beauty products.

I use avocado seed as one of the ingredients  in the skin care products I have been developing and which I have been using for over two years - I no longer buy body lotions or creams. It was a health-motivated decision to remedy skin problems.

I also include it in my hair wash especially as I no longer use relaxer on my hair so I have to naturally treat my hair for it to be manageable.

I have started stockpiling some seeds especially those ones I am certain are pure-bred because I grow the plants.

Part of my aim at growing plants when I get to farm on a much bigger space is to ensure the seeds are safeguarded to preserve and maximise their potentials for health, beauty and edibles

OTHER GIST
There are so many things I need to accomplish in the course of the day.  Since most of what I do are still in research stages, costs have to be kept as low as possible. So I have to do as much as I can within a period- this 50year old body is serving me so very well.

There are certain tasks I would be convinced I couldn't handle but when I attempt most of them, even I get shocked that I could do them. This body only demand is that I take good care of it - one of which is feed it well -more of qualitatively than quantitatively . So after doing some very heavy tasks towards last weekend, my body felt sore . But I was still able to do some tasks. I needed to reward the body so I had to make soft drinks - remember - pawpaw leaves, lemon grass, mint leaves from my garden and any juicy fruit available.

 I try to make at least a bottle of this in a week to sip.

This morning, after having fruit and tea for breakfast,  I felt revitalised  but light enough to do some gardening work.

In order not to get one of those hunger atracks/hunger slap, I got snake tomatoes in the premises, harvested the seeds for  drying and storage. I  used the paste in making local jollof rice with chilli pepper and garden herbs with shawa fish  - This simple, humble but power-packed meal is to reward this over-worked body. Its not every time  one must feed the body with swallow food like pounded yam or fufu after heavy work in the farm, garden or processing.

There are lighter alternatives with same nutrients to replenish the body after physically- tasking work - the lighter alternative hopefully would do better in helping my brain in reading, studying and writing today.

#seeds
#purebredseeds
#pureagriculture
#agricutureversusgoodhealth
#minigardenresearch
#growingcornindryseason
#growingcornallyearround
#throughbredseeds
#purebredseeds
#agriculturalmedicine
#gardeningindryseason
#growingcropsindryseason
#growingcropsinsacks
#growingmaizeinsacks
#spaceconstrainedgarden
#gardeningincementedpremises
#gardeninginsacks
#growingplantsinsacks
#minigarden #urbangarden #urbangardening
#minigardening  #integratedgardening #gardening #gardeninginsmallspaces #integratedgardeninginsmallspaces  #spaceconstrainedurbangardening
#intercroppinginsoilsack

ALMOND TREE LEAVES - ANOTHER WEALTH TO YOUR HEALTH

Apart from making teas and  healthy soft drinks for humans, almond leaves are useful in animal production  such as catfish rearing and snailery. I perceive they would also be useful in poultry production and feeds for other livestock such as rabbits and goats - I will explore in-depth  these research(es) but  other researchers can as well delve into it.

Certain  leaves of carbohydrate crops like sweet potatoes, yams and fruit trees such as almond are loved by most animals including the ones produced commercially. So if feed millers wouldn't look into it, livestock producers that formulate their feeds may look into it.

Just that crop farmers prefer to get the desired fruits from crops than harvesting the leaves before time. But if you can, you may plant certain crops not for the fruits but for the leaves for human consumption and/or animal production..

I plant these crops for the fruits but due to my current challenge of urban/space-constrained gardening, I explore other possibilities.

My attention was drawn to the fact that the few snails I released  to roam in the garden some months ago are feeding with so much intensity on the leaves of my sack-growing almond tree - see  the chopped leaves in picture - ahhh! Kilode! These snails are chopping silly the almond tree leaves!

When I noticed that I did some studying on usefulness of almond leaves and was amazed by the many benefits.

So I boiled almond leaf this morning, sweetened with honey and took as tea - tastes superb with its own uniqueness. 

The remaining when chilled ideal for soft drink - so if you have the sweet tooth, you can still enjoy 'healthily'.

Drinking almond tea  is good for heart health and therefore is a natural therapy for those with hypertension - consult your health-care practitioner(s) before adopting regularly.

Generally, its a healthy boost to the health and helps in maintaining kidney well-being and keeping away rheumatism.

Among other many health benefits  it improves digestive health and helps improve brain function.

Apart from commercial production of fish, note that almond leaves can be used in aquariums - as mentioned earlier, fish, shrimps and some other animals and livestock love almond leaves.

OTHER GIST
Interestingly, the almond seed was sown by bird(s). I had put a half-full sack of soil at that spot and was contemplating which crop to plant in it. 

When I noticed the seedling that had sprouted, I started tending it, I went to pack more sand with the shovel to top up the soil in the sack

Each day I did what I could  -  I try to catch as much fun as possible even while doing the very tasking aspects of the work - not feeling too high to do any needed work. Hard work doesn't kill.

Which reminds me - I need to eat well after doing some very tasking work in the garden - a plate of pounded yam with Okro soup and chicken lap should help relax my aching back.

#almond
#almondlleaves
#almondleavesastea
#almondleavesassoftdrink
#almondleavesinanimalproduction
#plantingfruittreesinsack
#pureagriculture
#agricutureversusgoodhealth
#minigardenresearch
#growingcornindryseason
#growingcornallyearround
#throughbredseeds
#purebredseeds
#agriculturalmedicine
#gardeningindryseason
#growingcropsindryseason
#growingcropsinsacks
#growingmaizeinsacks
#spaceconstrainedgarden
#gardeningincementedpremises
#gardeninginsacks
#growingplantsinsacks
#minigarden #urbangarden #urbangardening
#minigardening  #integratedgardening #gardening #gardeninginsmallspaces #integratedgardeninginsmallspaces  #spaceconstrainedurbangardening

ANOTHER PINEAPPLE SET TO EMERGE FROM SAME SHOOT

...more beans harvest in mini-garden

I harvested pineapple in July for the first time in this mini-garden from a pineapple plant.

Recently I  noticed that new leaves are growing and setting for the emergence of another pineapple. 

I am putting out this information in case you have harvested pineapple from the plant and the leaves appear to be drying off. 

Rather than cut off or uproot the plant,  continue watering and manuring - which is what I did. 

I had read sometime ago that from one plant, at least two pineapple fruits  can emerge but not simultaneously. After the harvest of one, another can still emerge. 

So, after harvesting the second pineapple, I would still try to get a third one to emerge -- don't call me Oliver Twist o😀

It's quite tasking preparing the land or sack of soil to grow crops, so if you are able to get more than one set of harvests from a crop, it's so relieving and really exciting.

The same goes for the only bean plant currently in this mini-garden. After I harvested the beans a minrh ago- about a milk cup more or less, another set is growing. This time I am not harvesting and eating as green beans. I am allowing the bean pods to dry somewhat before harvesting.

Then after harvesting, I further dry - the beans are as brown as the ones sold in the market 😮- this first time practical experience of growing beans would no  doubt be pivotal to growing beans on large scale - hence the excitement. 

I have learnt for instance the reason commercial bean farmers spray chemical pesticides on beans -  insects won't just leave the beans alone. Even though I understand, I don't agree  to the use of chemicals- so prepare to  use an organic pesticide even when growing beans on large scale.

 Currently I use Neem leaves to control the pests and this can be used in making organic pesticide. 

OTHER GIST 

Apart from the growing mango tree I put a tyre over about two weeks ago, I have other mango seedlings. There is a second seedling also becoming a tree but it's in a very small sack. 

Some people have expressed concerns that growing fruit trees in sacks is starving them. 

Since that is the palliative at my disposal  for now, I gat to use what I have to do what I can o - abeg.

So today I  transplanted this second small mango tree into a bag of rice 😁 I mean rice-bag - the sack is a bit bigger than the other sacks I have been using. 

The  old  sack the mango tree was growing in was heavier than I thought - I didn't know I would be  able to carry it until I lifted it. .

 So behold the second mango tree in the bag of rice -  see pictures. I also added more soil from other sacks and remnants of fruits to manure

After breakfast of African cake  made with plantain flour, corn flour, soya bean flour, natural oil, butter, eggs and honey  to sweeten, I am not fatigued - tired but not worn-out.  Also hunger didn't attack me today while working.😁

 I took African cake for breakfast with the fresh lemon grass/mint tea and freshly made soya milk so I can still be alert to spend considerable time on mentally-tasking reading and writing today - uuuummm...I have a question - it seems that sort of light meal has affinity with Oyinbo-kinda work while swallow foods seem to have affinity with  heavy work like farming? Is that true? Still hypothesis that can be proved or disproved.

But  I am also discovering that farming is not just physically-tasking but also mentally-tasking. If you know how my brain works over-time on how to counteract challenges and  achieve best results in this mini-garden farming, you'll believe.

Anyway  I will try reward this body today  with pounded yam  and  very nourishing native  soup for the farming work. 😘

#pineapple

#growingpineappleinsack

#growingbeansinsack

#growingmangotreeinsack

#pureagriculture

#agricutureversusgoodhealth 

#minigardenresearch

#growingcornindryseason

#growingcornallyearround

#throughbredseeds

#purebredseeds

#agriculturalmedicine

#gardeningindryseason 

#growingcropsindryseason 

#growingcropsinsacks

#growingmaizeinsacks

#spaceconstrainedgarden

#gardeningincementedpremises

#gardeninginsacks

#growingplantsinsacks

#minigarden #urbangarden #urbangardening 

 #minigardening  #integratedgardening #gardening #gardeninginsmallspaces #integratedgardeninginsmallspaces  #spaceconstrainedurbangardening

#intercroppinginsoilsack.

FRESH PAWPAW LEAVES SUPERB FOR MAKING WINES, SOFT DRINKS

I usually make teas from different leaves in my mini-garden. I combine at least two or more different leaves such as lemon grass, mint, blood leaves, mango leaves etc.

Sometimes I also pluck pawpaw leaves and with purchased red hibiscus leaves (zobo leaves) to boil  as tea. I hope to grow red hibiscus some time soon.

Few days ago while in the garden contemplating which leaves to use I was attracted to the leaves of a pawpaw seedling growing in same sack with a bitterleaf shrub. 

When I planted  the bitterleaf in that sack, I decided to start experimenting the possibility of making bitter leaves somewhat sweet or less bitter. So I was manuring with remnants of sweet fruits.

There was this over-ripe pawpaw - too ripe and soft to eat that I put in the sack of soil as manure.  When it decomposed, the seeds started sprouting, I was uprooting them but decided to leave one of the pawpaw seedlings which is now becoming a small tree - see in the pictures.

So few days ago,  I cut a fresh pawpaw leaf and boiled with lemon grass and mint leaves with very small quantity of zobo leaves and sweetened with honey. The taste was so unique  because of the sour but rich taste of the pawpaw leaf juice.

I knew it would be ideal as wine or soft drink. So I refrigerated some of  the unsweetened liquid mix left. I was able to get a few grapefruits. I sweetened the liquid mix with grapefruit juice- it tasted awesome as wine when chiled and also as tea when boiled.

Though the liquid mix sweetened with grapefruit juice was quite nice though sharp-tasting, the  mix sweetened with honey tasted nicer.

Then I combined the liquid mix sweetened with grape juice with that sweetened with honey.  Have you ever tasted exotic wine?  - this combination taste is exotic!

I do these agro-based experiments and share some knowledge generally to promote good health and well-being along with safe enjoyment.

A lot of people have been advised to steer clear of frizzy drinks and most packaged drinks because they contain substances such as concentrates, carbon and preservatives which may be carcinogenic.

But with this, you can still enjoy unique tasting sweet drinks that will keep your body in good health rather than damaging your body.

This exotic tasting mix would be ideal as communion wine, celebration wine for occasions or for individual and group relaxation, to quench thirst or take along with your snacks or meals.

For those who would like to package for commercial purposes, please avoid chemical preservatives whether you are a small, medium or giant business like the multinational drinks and bottling companies- in most health and nutrition advice people get, they are told to avoid taking  such packaged drinks if they want to stay healthy . But there are healthy organic preservatives which can keep packaged fresh juices preserved, prolonging the shelf-life of the drinks.

So  you can make drinks that are healthy and naturally sweetened and can last long while going through your massive distribution  channels.

I  am available for consultation on agro-based drinks or confectioneries you want to launch. My Farm Cafe  with mandate to promote Agribusiness basically through ICT is into Information Service...+2348092236484.

HEALTH  BENEFITS OF PAWPAW LEAVES
They are packed with enzymes  that  promote digestion by helping to break down and make available nutrients in carbohydrates, proteins and fats to the body.

Taking the juice in the leaves therefore prevents indigestion, constipation  and bloating. Pawpaw leaves are rich in phytochemicals making it easier for the liver to eliminate toxins from the body. They are rich in fibre, they promote gut health and have a soothing effect on the stomach. 

All these boost the body immune system - so just imagine the beauty of taking naturally sweet wine or soft drink that helps your body fight off sickness- you enjoy the sweetness and stay healthy or become healthier - what a win-win situation! - the mini-garden researcher is thinking deep!

#pawpawleaves
#pawpawleafjuice
#pawpawleafaswine
#pawpawleafassoftdrink
#freshpawpawleaves
#lemongrass
#mintleaves
#zoboleaves
#redhibiscus
#pureagriculture
#agricutureversusgoodhealth
#minigardenresearch
#growingcornindryseason
#growingcornallyearround
#throughbredseeds
#purebredseeds
#agriculturalmedicine
#gardeningindryseason
#growingcropsindryseason
#growingcropsinsacks
#spaceconstrainedgarden
#gardeningincementedpremises
#gardeninginsacks
#growingplantsinsacks
#minigarden #urbangarden #urbangardening
#minigardening  #integratedgardening #gardening #gardeninginsmallspaces #integratedgardeninginsmallspaces  #spaceconstrainedurbangardening
#intercroppinginsoilsack.
#growingcornindryseason
#growingcornallyearround
#throughbredseeds
#purebredseeds
#agricresearches

UNKNOWN EDIBLE NUTRIENT-RICH LEAVES ABOUND ALL AROUND YOU

Have you noticed  how even our commonly eaten vegetables such as ewedu, ugwu, generally green leaves for  vegetable soups,  have also become relatively costlier?  

For city dwellers, a family of four would likely need at least N500 worth of one of  this vegetables for a meal. If they buy and cook such vegetables 20 days in a month, that is at least N10,000 spent on LEAVES ALONE, not to mention other ingredients that would be needed, so many other more pricey foodstuffs and fruits needed in the household.

As a result, lots of families and individuals except those with 'easy-money' or those who grow most of  their food have felt touched by the huge amount in the budget going into feeding.

These foodstuffs may be cheap in the rural areas they are grown massively but one of the main factors shooting up prices is high cost of transportation.

'The government is to be blamed,' many people would quickly and no doubt rightly point out.'  That is fact but right now I want to direct energy to one of the things people can do to stay healthy and  strong.

Afterwards, we can join in the debates e.g. the President's true certificates  and schooling. Maybe the discoveries will alleviate the current food crises - hmmm...

NUTRITIOUS LEAVES

Back to the matter -  so many leaves abound  all around - some deliberately  planted, some just sprouting by themselves.

During last week I went to get some things, a matter came up  and the vendor became curious about my interest in plants.

I showed her some of my garden pictures and she spotted some leaves - one of which is sweet potato leaves. She said her mother used to pluck the leaves and cook for their family while she was a kid.

I had always perceived  the leaves of sweet potato  were edible/nutritious and already planned to research it. So I went to do some reading and lo and behold  Sweet potato leaves have so much health benefits -

LEAVES OF SWEET POTATO
It can protect the human body from oxidative damage, inflammation, aging, and hypertension due to the presence of various antioxidant compounds.

Regularly eating leaves of sweet potato i.e. daily can help maintain a healthy blood pressure and reduces the risk of having heart attacks.  It can help reduce the growth of cancer cells in the body.

The caveat is to ensure they are naturally grown - no synthetic fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides.

COOKING THE LEAVES
Sweet potato leaves can be boiled and eaten like that or as a salad. It can be cooked as vegetable soup like 'efo riro' or as 'egusi soup'.

I included it in fried eggs and also in bean paste for akara before frying.

IS IT ECONOMICAL?
But you may be concerned that  it would be too much to plant  the cuttings of  carb sweet potatoes and not get a harvest of the actual sweet potatoes - carbohydrate root tubers as a result of cutting the leaves.

Not to worry - do you know that sweet potatoes can also be propagated from even stalk of the leaves?

Yes o - When I was preparing the sack of soil to plant bitter-leaves, I looked round my mini-garden for what to use in manuring. I used some stalks and leaves of sweet potato to manure not knowing they would germinate - I thought it was only through the  carb sweet potato cuttings planted in the soil.  See that picture of sack full of  leaves of sweet potato? - they sprouted from the stalk of leaves. You can also have huge number of the leaves  by dumping wastes - peels of sweet potatoes on the soil - they sprout so easily.

If it is the carb sweet potatoes you want to harvest, don't pluck the leaves -ensure you plant the cuttings of the carb sweet potatoes properly, care for them until they mature and  then you dig the soil for harvest.

#leavesofsweetpotato
#sweetpotatoleaves
#nutrientrichleaves
#pureagriculture
#agricutureversusgoodhealth
#minigardenresearch
#growingcornindryseason
#growingcornallyearround
#throughbredseeds
#purebredseeds
#agriculturalmedicine
#gardeningindryseason
#growingcropsindryseason
#growingcropsinsacks
#growingmaizeinsacks
#spaceconstrainedgarden
#gardeningincementedpremises
#gardeninginsacks
#growingplantsinsacks
#minigarden #urbangarden #urbangardening
#minigardening  #integratedgardening #gardening #gardeninginsmallspaces #integratedgardeninginsmallspaces  #spaceconstrainedurbangardening
#intercroppinginsoilsack.
#growingcornindryseason