23rd Issue, Vol. 3, No.

8 ISSN 2094-1765 August 2010

GROWING PECHAY

Gardening has always been a favorite pastime of many people including me. That’s
simply because it’s a relief from stress and brings joy, especially when it’s harvest
time.

Pechay can be grown organically in the backyard. A family can have 15 pots
planted to pechay, and they can enjoy sharing their harvest with friends and
neighbors.

In planning to establish a garden, select an area that is exposed to sunlight and is

near the kitchen. With the garden being one stone’s throw away from the kitchen, it
would be convenient to water the crops with rice wash or with fish or meat wash,
which are all good for the plants as these contain nutrients and minerals. Preventing
infestation would be easy, too, as it would be easy to see from the kitchen window
the condition of the crops.

It is recommended that a bamboo table made of bamboo be constructed to elevate

the pots and to maximize the use of space. Fill the pots with humus soil or compost.
Plant one seed in small pots and two in bigger pots through direct seeding. When
the pechay begins to sprout, start to water the same with either rice wash or fish-
wash or meat wash.

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 As for pest management,
inspect pechay plants every
morning to see if there are tiny
holes or scratches on the
leaves. These are indications
that the plants are infested with
small pin worms or cutworms.
Remove these greenish black
worms using a stick and puller.

Start harvesting Pechay after 30

days. Do not uproot pechay
plants until they start flowering.
Pechay grow up to four months.
Replace the soil in the pots with
new garden soil and replant
again.

How to Grow Bell Peppers

Bell Peppers have always been a popular vegetable to grow in the garden.
Bell peppers are native to Central and North America. A sweet green pepper is a
pepper that is not yet ripe. Let it grow, and it will turn red. Not only the texture will
change, but the flavor will change as well. Growing bell peppers is easy with these
simple steps.

Wrap seeds in a loin cloth and soak it in a basin of water for it to germinate.
Wrap the cloth with seeds in old newspaper and put it inside a Styrofoam box.
Check it 1-2 days after if the radical (young roots) has emerged out of the seeds. If
yes, it is time to plant them in soil. Prepare the garden by adding plenty of compost,
manure and a general fertilizer.

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 Sow seeds with the roots pointing down on a seedling tray filled with shifted
garden soil (60% coconut coir dust, 30% garden soil and 10% compost or chicken
manure). Make a small hole in the soil using a pencil and put the seeds half a
centimeter deep in the soil. Water the seedling tray 2-3 times a day. Check for seed
germination. Put seedling tray in partial sun, slowly exposing to full sun once the
seedlings germinate. Seedlings are ready to transplant when they already have 5
leaves.

Transplant young
seedlings on pots or
on the ground
(prepared plots).
Space the seedlings
18 to 24 inches apart
and in rows 24 to 36
inches apart. Spacing
may vary by variety.
Water the plants
regularly, especially
in the hot, dry
summer months.
Pepper plants like
moist soil. If you do
not water enough,
the bell pepper will
acquire a bitter taste.

Surround the
peppers with mulch
to keep weeds from
growing and to retain moisture. Dust for spider mites and aphids with an organic
insecticide as needed.

Harvest the bell pepper at any point after they reach an edible size. Most bell
pepper peppers are green when immature and can be harvested at that time. Mature
bell peppers can be red, orange, yellow, green or purple depending on the variety.

Continue to harvest bell peppers by clipping them off the plant, but don't pull
them off. Bell peppers will continue to grow until the plant is old and unproductive.

Tips
When planting bell peppers from seeds, germination takes six to eight
days..After the first peppers begin to grow, place about 2 tbs. of fertilizer around
each plant approximately six inches from the stem then water. This well increase
yield and quality of the peppers.. Bell peppers will last up to three weeks if stored at

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45 to 55 degrees F and with relatively high humidity..If too much nitrogen is added,
you will have a great looking bushy green plant with few peppers..

How to Grow Eggplant

Eggplant, a warm-season crop
and commonly planted during
the rainy season, is among the
easiest veggies to grow. It also
ranks among the most
beautiful, and the prettiest.

Choose the sunniest site you

can find for eggplant. Soil
should be fertile, well-drained
and rich in organic matter, with
a pH of 5.8 to 6.8. Eggplant
also needs a lot of calcium, so
add lime to the soil before you plant.

Sow and germinate eggplant

seeds indoors in seedling tray
with garden soil. Harden off
seedlings, by exposing to
brighter light. Transplant them
to the garden when they have
about 5 leaves each . Add a
half-shovelful of compost or
well-rotted manure to each
hole before you set in the
plant.

Set standard-size varieties 18

to 24 inches apart; compact
and dwarf kinds can be a little
closer together. Stake tall
varieties to keep the fruits off the ground. Place a paper collar around each stem to
deter cutworms. Spray plants with organic or synthetic insecticides if necessary.
Spray plants with compost tea or fish emulsion three weeks after transplanting and
side-dress monthly with a balanced organic liquid fertilizer.

Water eggplant regularly for them to be established put mulch to retain

moisture and deter weeds.

Pinch back new blossoms to channel the plants' energy into maturing
existing fruits rather than producing new ones that won't survive. Start picking

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eggplants as soon as they're big enough to use, and keep picking them till the fruits
lose their gloss. If they're brown and hard, you've waited too long.

Tips
All eggplants could thrive in containers, but varieties with smaller fruits look
more in proportion. Eggplant is a member of the nightshade family, all of which
contain toxic alkaloids. (Potatoes, tomatoes and peppers also belong to this clan.)
While all the fruits of the family are perfectly safe, don't eat any other part of the
plant..

How to Grow Celery

Growing celery is a challenge.
It thrives where growing
seasons are long, moist and
cool.

Choose a site that gets at

least 6 hours of sun a day and
has moist, rich soil with a pH
of 6.0 to 6.5 . Ensure moisture
retention by enriching the soil
with plenty of compost or well-
cured manure. Sprinkle the
planting area with wood ashes
to increase its potassium
content.

Sow and germinate celery

seeds in a seedling tray, using
a fertile mixture of garden soil.
Keep soil moist for easy
germination. Harden off seedlings by exposing to brighter sunlight, then transplant
them to the garden.

Set plants slightly deeper than they were growing in their flats, spacing them
6 to 10 inches apart, and water with a organic fertilizer like diluted solution of fish
emulsion or seaweed extract (or a mixture of 1 tablespoon completer fertilizer 14-
14-14 in a gallon of water).

Mulch to retain moisture and deter weeds, and install floating row covers to
fend off insect pests. Keep the soil damp, and feed once a month with manure tea
or vermin-tea.

Harvest celery as soon as it's large enough to use. Either cut off individual
stems as they develop color or pull the entire plant and cut off the roots.

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 Growing Sweet Corn
Sweet corn is a popular crop
with home gardeners since it's
relatively easy to grow and is
so versatile. Growing corn at
home is an economical way to
feed your family fresh, organic
produce on a budget, as it is
delicious and could replace
rice.

Locate an area in your

backyard or garden where
your sweet corn crop will
receive 8 hours of full sun and
the area has well drained soil
as the kernels can rot if the
soil holds too much moisture.
The pH level for your soil should be about 6.0 to 6.5. You can add limestone to your
soil to raise its pH if it's too low.

Fertilize your soil with compost or other natural fertilizers. Composting not
only aids your sweet corn, it is also a great way to reduce landfill materials.

Sink your sweet corn kernels about an inch into the soil. Place your plants
about a foot apart. Make sure there is about 32 inches of space between rows of
corn. Water your corn frequently. Make sure you water at least an inch a week
when the tassels appear on your sweet corn.

Keep your garden weeded and free of debris. Weeds grow abundantly around
corn, so you will have to weed often.

Water the area well. The plants needs moisture to germinate and to produce
sweet corn. Thin out the plants when the seeds germinate to one seedling per hole.
Choose the healthiest looking plant and remove the other ones.

Fertilize the sweet corn when plants are 12 to 18 inches high. Hoe to keep
the weeds away. Hold a hoe as if it were a broom. With the sharp pointed edge
going into the ground, use a chopping motion into the soil to dislodge the weed's root
from the soil. Keep the motions of the hoe short and pull the hoe toward you. Do not
hit or injure the stalks of corn.

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Tips

Sweet corn likes a soil with ample nitrogen. If you planted beans or peas the
previous year in your garden, plant the sweet corn in that area. Peas and beans add
nitrogen to the soil. Sweet corn averages two ears per stalk.

When the corn tassels, the ears should be ready to harvest in about three
weeks. Pick corn when the tassels turn brown. Peel some of the covering back and
peek at the sweet corn. Burst one with your fingernail. If juice bursts out, then it is
ready to pick. Shriveled kernels indicate that you left the corn too long before
harvesting. Eat the sweet corn as soon as you pick it for maximum flavor. If you are
not going to eat the corn right away, store the ears in the refrigerator,.

Growing Tomatoes Organically

Tomatoes are one of the most

important vegetable for it is
used in sautéing meals, it is
usedfor salads, salsas,
spaghetti sauce and in burger
sandwiches .

To begin with, select a

sunny site that you can water,
whether it's a garden bed or a
30-gallon garbage can on the
balcony.

Select tomato varieties

with a track record of success in
your area – seed companies
and some farmers or vegetable
nurseries, agriculture extension
service publications are
valuable resources. Grow
disease-resistant hybrids and
reliable heirlooms (but
remember that an heirloom will
usually perform better the
second season from seeds you
have saved yourself).

Build organic soil to grow great roots, nurture worms and support the big,
leafy tops your tomatoes need to ripen lots of fruit. Plan to feed your tomatoes with
organic fertilizer every other week until they set fruit, then again after each flush of

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fruit. Use a balanced organic fertilizer that you work into the soil or a fish emulsion in
water - their steady release of nutrients makes for the consistent, thrifty growth that
is the mark of organic vegetables.

Provide essential air circulation and distance from soil pathogens by growing
mulched tomatoes on tall stakes, in wire cages or attached to a trellis. (Most
tomatoes top six feet in height, and crawling on the ground puts them at great risk of
soil diseases.)

Give tomatoes the water they need. Also choose an area wherein the plants
will not suffer water logging as it will cause the roots to rot. To let them wilt between
irrigations stresses them and violates the organic strategy of steady growth. Place
mulch under tomatoes once the soil is warm to keep weeds, soil temperature and
water levels moderated and to prevent blossom end rot, which is caused by irregular
water availability.

Take low-impact steps to control insects: encourage beneficial insects, watch

for pests, stomp and squish all you can and use physical controls such as hair to
repel slugs. For big pest problems, spray or dust with organic controls; for example,
use soapy water or pyrethrins for aphids and whiteflies.

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 Sow seeds in a seedling tray first, then transplant seedlings in your pot with
soil or directly into the ground.

Tips

Harvest tomatoes at the "pink shoulders" stage (when they're just starting to
ripen) to prevent birds from pecking and to prevent the invading insects that follow
them from destroying the fruit.

To stake without damaging tender stems, wrap cotton ties around the tomato
stake first, then catch the stem with a loop and tie it loosely with a knot or bow
behind the stake.

Rotate your tomato crop in the garden or change soil in pots to control
nematodes organically - they are inevitable nearly everywhere.

Growing Hot Pepper

Hot Pepper provides the spiciness in Filipino cuisines and sauces. It leaves are
also used as an ingredient in Chicken Tinola. Almost anyone can grow a pepper
plant with no problems, as its seeds quickly germinates and grow into a medium
sized plant.

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Sow and germinate seeds of pepper in seedling tray and then transplant them after
3-4 weeks, usually when they have about 5 leaves. Choose a sunny area in your
garden to transplant the seedlings.

Prepare the soil before planting pepper seedlings. Use 5-10-10 fertilizer, manure
and compost to ensure that the dirt is healthy.

Space pepper plants 18 inches apart. Rows should be no greater than 24 inches
apart. Water the soil thoroughly just after planting peppers and regularly during the
summer months.

Apply mulch to the base of the pepper plants to lock in moisture and to prevent
weeds from growing. Fertilize pepper plants with a 5-10-10 fertilizer high in
phosphorous as soon as they begin to bear fruit.

Harvest peppers when some portions of the fruit runs red.

Tips: Aphids and

spider mites are
attracted to pepper
plants. An
insecticide will
quickly take care of
the problem.
Peppers should be
refrigerated and
eaten no more than
two weeks after
harvesting.

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