Hello hive family, how are we all doing? It’s been such a long week, and I’m super excited because our pepper plant has finally produced its first fruit. It feels so good! I’m already looking forward to harvesting. Lol.
Two days ago, Mummy decided to weed the garden since the rains had returned. Honestly, I’ve lost count of the number of downpours we’ve had in just two weeks. Today, she also applied the manure she had been gathering from her goat house, preparing the soil for planting new seeds.
Usually, she plants jute leaves, African spinach, okra, tomatoes, pepper, and cayenne pepper. But there are also the constant ones in the garden that seem to thrive in all seasons—bitter leaves, scent leaves, curry leaves, cocoyam, and lemongrass. They do better in the rainy season, though this year the break in rains really affected their growth, despite our efforts to water them regularly.
Now that the rains are back, everything looks revived. In just three weeks, the pawpaw plant has doubled in size, and other crops are sprouting beautifully.
What amazed me most this morning was seeing tamarind seeds I used to throw out with dirty water sprouting so well. I never imagined they would grow easily! I’m both excited and unsure, though, because tamarind trees grow huge and might not fit well in our garden.
As for the tomatoes and pepper plants, I wasn’t surprised they’re the result of seeds I’d been tossing into the garden with water during the dry spell, hoping they’d germinate once the rains returned. And that’s precisely what happened.
During the drought, our saving grace for quick soups and greens were the waterleaf and scent leaves, which kept producing despite the weather.
By tomorrow, we’ll be planting jute leaves, okra, and African spinach. I’m also tempted to try a few corn seeds, though I’m not sure if this is the right time or if they’ll thrive.
Now that the rains are truly back, I can’t wait for harvest time. The magic of rain is something one can never underestimate.