Black Beauty Zucchini (Lynseed Organics)

Today's post, Part Three, continuing on from my previous posts on growing your own veggies using organic seeds from Lynseed Organics. In my previous posts, I have successfully grown and harvest Arugula Rocket, the Roma Tomatoes are fruiting right now, and all these seeds are from Lynseed Organics. If you have missed reading those posts, you can click on this links, Arugula Rocket and Roma Tomatoes.

As mentioned in my previous posts, Lynseed Organics is based in the sunny island of Singapore and they offer one of the largest seed collection online in Asia, with deliveries to Singapore, Malaysia and other parts of the world. They carry a variety of specially selected seeds that thrive in our warm tropical climate. Their seeds are 100% GMO-Free, 100% Non-Hybrid, Open Pollinated, Quality Seeds, Heirloom Vegetable Seeds, so you can be assured of good quality reliable seeds.

They have a wide range of seeds for herbs and vegetables that are suitable for growing in containers and pots, and for home gardeners like myself with limited ground gardening space, this is really fantastic!

Black Beauty Zucchini seeds (Lynseed Organics)
Sowed the seeds on 09/06/2014

The seeds sprouted young seedlings about 3 days from date of sowing.

In fact, this is the second time I sowed the seeds. The first time I had two really nice big plants, but the hot weather back in April and May was so hot that the plants could not take it, and on top of that, the plants was "attacked" by these little beetles below.

They just love to eat the leaves of the zucchini and cucumber plants. Best way to get rid of them is to catch hold of these pests! Otherwise they will eat up the leaves and pretty soon your plant will weaken. I should know, I lost my first two plants partly due to these little beetles. Spraying them with the normal organic spray does not seem to work, but I found out that when I use the neem organic spray directly on them, they seem to weaken on the spot and do not move that quick, that gave me the chance to put on a loose plastic bag over my hand and easily catch them. It works each time. Wish I knew this sooner, when my first two plants are fat and healthy, before they were weaken by these beetles. But on the bright side, I hardly seen these beetles anymore, after getting rid about a dozen or so! 

Zucchini plant grows very fast. It is not very tall in height (17") but it spreads across quite wide (30").  This is one impressive looking plant!

Are these the zucchini blossoms or the young leaves that are just starting to grow? It was really confusing, many a times I got tricked into thinking these are blossoms, only to discover they are actually the new leaves that are just starting out. But I did notice a speck of yellow inside, so I'm very excited and keeping my fingers crossed that these are indeed the blossoms. 

Zucchini has lots of beneficial properties, they are rich in antioxidant, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and good source of Potassium. Zucchini contains 95% water, a medium zucchini contains only 33 calories, so it is a good choice if you are trying to loose weight.

A couple of years ago, zucchini are not easily available in most supermarkets. Nowadays, it can be found in almost all supermarkets and some morning wet markets as well. Zucchinis are great in stir-fries, salads, pasta, pickles, stews, and it can even be grated and used as an ingredient in a cake, just like this cake which I've made a while back, Chocolate-Zucchini Bundt Cake. The cake is really moist from the grated zucchinis and very chocolaty and delicious. A nice chocolaty way of sneaking veggies, as you would not even know there are zucchini in the cake! 

Want to grow your own Zucchinis? To get the seeds, you may order online from Lynseed Organics. Good news is, Lynseed Organics has kindly offered 10% off to the readers of My Little Potted Garden. Simply enter the coupon code MPG10 at checkout to receive a 10% off across all orders. Please do stop by their online website to view their organic seeds, or their FB page here. Start your own vegetable and herb garden, no matter how small your gardening space is, you will be rewarded with the satisfaction of harvesting your own homegrown veggies from the garden pot to the kitchen pot, and be assured of the quality of veggies that you are feeding your family. 

Next post coming up : Spacemaster Cucumber (Lynseed Organics)

Though the seeds have been sponsored by Lynseed Organics, the reviews are entirely my own.

Happy Gardening !

Roma Tomatoes (Lynseed Organics)

Today's post, Part Two, from my previous post on growing your own veggies using organic seeds from Lynseed Organics. In my previous post, I have successfully grown and harvest Arugula Rocket, the seeds courtesy from Lynseed Organics. If you have missed reading the post, you can refer to it here.

As mentioned in my previous post, Lynseed Organics is based in the sunny island of Singapore and they offer one of the largest seed collection online in Asia, with deliveries to Singapore, Malaysia and other parts of the world. They carry a variety of specially selected seeds that thrive in our warm tropical climate. Their seeds are 100% GMO-Free, 100% Non-Hybrid, Open Pollinated, Quality Seeds, Heirloom Vegetable Seeds, so you can be assured of good quality reliable seeds.

They have a wide range of seeds for herbs and vegetables that are suitable for growing in containers and pots, and for home gardeners like myself with limited ground gardening space, this is really fantastic! 

Let's grow some Roma Tomatoes!!

Lynseed Organic's Roma Tomato seeds

I sowed three Roma Tomatoes seeds back in June, and all three germinated. One of the seedlings died, and two continue to grow well, though at a slow rate. I transferred the young seedlings to individual pots when they are about 8" in height. Both seems to be growing at the same rate and looks healthy and sturdy. However one of the plants which I have placed at my backyard garden have just recently wilted. So I am left with one plant. Prepare a stake or two in the pot when transferring the seedlings, as they will need to be supported by stakes as they grow. This mature plant is about 38" in height.

The small yellow flowers started to appear in early September. At the moment, there are three tomato fruit growing with lots of new flowers, and I am expecting more fruits in the next week or so. 

The first tomato, so naturally I'm really excited.

The plant starts to bear fruit after almost four months from date of sowing. Maybe a little slow, could be because of our hot weather as when the temperature gets too high, it causes stress to the plants and thus affect their growth and fruit developement. The day when I spotted some tiny flowers starting to show, I was all smiles, as I was really waiting for that flowers!

There's an interesting article on how hot weather may affect Tomato Plants, here.

I've removed some of the suckers as the plant grows, so that the the main stems would get more nutrients, and would hopefully yield bigger fruits. And on top of using fertilizer for tomatoes, I have made my own powdered egg shell, which I've read from various gardening websites, that tomato plants needs calcium for growth development, and powdered egg shell is one of the recommended method. I do a lot of baking and cooking, so I collected those egg shells, wash them clean, dry them in the oven at 150F for 1 hour, cool them, and process them in the dry blender till they are powdery. I mixed about 2 tablespoons of the powdered egg shells into the soil. No idea whether it works, as this is the first time I'm using it!

I am feeling excited and looking forward to the harvest of plum red tomatoes! Keeping my fingers crossed that they will grow well right up to harvest time.

Roma Tomatoes are also known as Italian Plum Tomatoes, favoured for making sauces, ketchup and for canning, because of their meaty flesh with not much juice and very few seeds. Roma Tomatoes are oblong shaped, about 3" long, and while they can be eaten raw, they are at their best when cooked. The fruit is ready for picking when they have turned red from bottom to top.

I remember a couple of years ago, when Roma Tomatoes used to be really, really expensive. One kg of Roma Tomatoes costs up to RM35. I went to the supermarket with the intention to buy some Roma Tomatoes to make some pasta sauce, and I was totally shocked at how expensive they are! Ever since then, I have been on the lookout for Roma Tomato Seeds. Though the prices for Roma Tomatoes have gone down since then, it is still a little too expensive for homemade pasta sauce. 

Now that I'm growing my own, one plant is not enough. I have already sowed a few more seeds and am waiting for the little sprouts to show..

Want to grow your own Roma Tomatoes? To get the seeds, you may order online from Lynseed Organics. Good news is, Lynseed Organics has kindly offered 10% off to the readers of My Little Potted Garden. Simply enter the coupon code MPG10 at checkout to receive a 10% off across all orders. Please do stop by their online website to view their organic seeds, or their FB page here. Start your own vegetable and herb garden, no matter how small your gardening space is, you will be rewarded with the satisfaction of harvesting your own homegrown veggies from the garden pot to the kitchen pot, and be assured of the quality of veggies that you are feeding your family. 

Next post coming up : Black Beauty Zucchini (Lynseed Organics)

Though the seeds have been sponsored by Lynseed Organics, the reviews are entirely my own.

Happy Gardening !

Arugula Rocket (Lynseed Organics)

Today, I am really excited to share with you, on growing your own veggies using organic seeds from Lynseed Organics. A few months ago, I was approached by Lynseed Organics to try out their organic seeds for homegrown veggies. Of course, I accepted their kind offer with much delight and was really excited when I received the seeds! 

Lynseed Organics is based in the sunny island of Singapore and they offer one of the largest seed collection online in Asia. They carry a variety of specially selected seeds that thrive in our warm tropical climate. Their seeds are 100% GMO-Free, 100% Non-Hybrid, Open Pollinated, Quality Seeds, Heirloom Vegetable Seeds, so you can be assured of good quality reliable seeds.

They have a wide range of seeds for herbs and vegetables that are suitable for growing in containers and pots, and for home gardeners like myself with limited ground gardening space, this is really fantastic! 

Let's start with the first of the few veggie seeds that I've tried from Lynseed Organics, Arugula Rocket. I have never tried growing my own Arugula Rocket plants. I would hesitate to buy the leaves off the rack from the supermarket, as they are quite costly, a pack would cost about RM6 and if I need it to use as a garnish, that is a pretty expensive garnish! Besides, in order to buy them, I would have to make a special trip to the supermarket like Jusco or Cold Storage as Arugula Leaves are not available in most local supermarkets. Now that I've growing my own Arugula, the only trip I need to make is to walk out to my tiny garden and I can pretty much harvest how much I want from my garden pot! Isn't it great? Big smiles and double thumbs up from me! 

Lynseed Organic's Arugula Rocket seeds.

I sowed the seeds in a rectangular container which I've filled with a mixture of soil, compost and some organic fertilizer. The seeds are scattered in two rows, making sure that the soil is lightly moist and not dry at all times. The seeds germinated on the third day. I apologize for the missing photos of the growing seedlings as something was wrong with my camera and I am unable to view the photos I've taken, and those are not the only ones! (my camera has since been repaired!).

As we know, our weather has been rather hot with such blazing heat. So after about 3-4 hours of morning sun, I moved the container under shade, and I did this for about 3 weeks or so, until the plants are sturdy enough and even then, keep a look-out for days that are extremely hot. Keep them under shade if the sun is soaring and if the day's temperature is high. 

A few plants wilted along the way, which I believe is mostly due to the hot weather. I sowed two rows with seeds and as the young seedlings grow, I did not thin them out, and left them as they are. It is a wonderful process of watching the seedlings grow right up to harvest time.

I harvested some of the leaves on the fifth week, for a roast chicken dish. These leaves are usually used in salads, they are a little peppery in taste, and I absolutely love it!

I use the gorgeous leaves to make Arugula Dressing. If you have not tried using Arugula leaves in a dressing, you should try it. It is really good, with a light peppery taste and light fragrance. Delicious eaten with roasted chicken. And it is really very easy to make.

Recipe : a bunch of arugula leaves, finely chopped, mix with some olive oil, salt and black pepper to taste. You can even use this dressing, spread over slices of baguette and put under the grill for about 2 minutes or so, till the baguette is light brown and crisp. My two kids love this Arugula Dressing. And it feels great making a dish out of your own organic homegrown veggies!

Get the recipe : Roasted Garlic and Rocket Chicken

Arugula is one of the nutritious green-leafy vegetable of Mediterranean origin. Depending on the growing conditions and surroundings, they can grow up to 2-3 feet in height, but to enjoy young tender leaves, best harvest when they are just a few inches in height. The leaves will get bitter and very peppery as they mature. Arugula is a good source of folates, rich in vitamin-B complex group, a good source of Vitamin A and a whole load of other nutritional benefits.

Arugula Rocket can also be used in salads, soups, stews, juices and cooked as a vegetable, which I am looking forward to try.

Want to grow your own Arugula? To get the seeds, you may order online from Lynseed Organics. Good news is, Lynseed Organics has kindly offered 10% off to the readers of My Little Potted Garden. Simply enter the coupon code MPG10 at checkout to receive a 10% off across all orders. Please do stop by their online website to view their organic seeds, or their FB page here. Start your own vegetable and herb garden, no matter how small your gardening space is, you will be rewarded with the satisfaction of harvesting your own homegrown veggies from the garden pot to the kitchen pot, and be assured of the quality of veggies that you are feeding your family. 

Next post coming up : Roma Tomatoes (Lynseed Organics)

Though the seeds have been sponsored by Lynseed Organics, the reviews are entirely my own.

Happy Gardening !

Chilli Plants Goes Chop Chop!

Tall and lanky chilli plant, it is not doing good at all. 

There are however, lots of chillies, but they are not turning red like they are supposed to, not like the last few months when I have gorgeous red chillies to harvest daily.

Most of them are rotting and wilting instead of turning red, eventually they will dropped off.  And all thanks to the mealybugs! They are killing the chilli plants, sucking the life out of the plants. 

Mealybugs...found them under the leaves of the chilli plant, and the whole plant is infested. I really hate these little creatures. Mealybugs can cause severe damage to plants by sucking the juice from the plants, and eventually the leaves will turn to yellow and drop off. The fruits and flower buds will prematurely dropped off too, and that was exactly what happened with my two chilli plants. The leaves dropped off with the slightest touch. Same thing with the chillies, obviously the plants are getting weaker.

I have done all the necessary, used the organic neem spray and other organic sprays. I sourced from the internet on ways to get rid of these insects, and even made my own sprays, none of it work! I have even resorted to clean the leaves, manually with water, it works for a while, but I got tired of cleaning the leaves one by one, it is a tedious and time consuming job. 

I can actually see them flying around in my garden when I was watering the plants, and have spotted them at my tomato plant, which I quickly wiped them off from my precious tomato plant!

The best thing to do is to cut off the chilli plants, making sure the stems that are left behind, are free of these bugs and hopefully the plants will thrive again, though I have not made up my mind whether to rid of these plants entirely. Most likely, I would get rid of them and use the pot for other plants. For the meantime, I have given these plants another round of neem spray, and I'll leave them as they are until I decide what to do. 

sigh.....!!!

The last of the chillies! Now I got to buy my daily dose of chillies from the market!

Happy Gardening !

Habanero Chilli Peppers (Scotch Bonnet Variety?)

Have you seen or eaten Habanero Chilli Peppers before? My first encounter with Habanero Peppers was more than a decade ago when I was at Cameron  Highlands for a holiday with the family. I was at the farmers' market and was pretty excited when I spotted a few stalls selling these chilli peppers, as I was looking for it for quite a while, and have not seen it being sold anywhere. I bought 2 peppers, and tried to grow these peppers from the seeds, which unfortunately, I failed miserably! The seedlings all died.

A couple of  months ago, when I was at a nursery, I saw these Habanero Chilli Plants, and immediately bought one home. I was wondering about the variety of these Habanero Chilli, and the seller could not provide any help at all, as she does not know that these are called Habanero and only known it as Chilli Plant!

Habanero Peppers are among the hottest chilli peppers in the world. It was once listed as the hottest pepper in the world in The Guinness Book of World Records, back in 1999, and since then has been displaced by a number of other peppers. To view the latest "Top 10 World's Hottest Peppers", refer to the link here.

There are many different types and varieties of Habanero Peppers, ranging from long shaped to round, oval and bell-shaped. And different colours too, from orange, red, yellow, dark brown and white.

It has been growing well, and there's lot of new flowers popping at the stems all over.

The green young chillies will turn to red when ripe. I did a search from the internet to find out the variety of the one that I bought, and the closest that I can find is, these are similar to the Scotch Bonnet Peppers . These peppers are extremely hot, and is a member of the Habanero Peppers, has a scale of 100,000 to 350,000 Scoville Units. Just to compare, our local red bird's eye chillies has a scale of 50,000 to 100,00 Scoville units. 

Some of the new flowers. It's a wonder that these dainty flowers would turn into "powerhouse" peppers!

More flower buds forming.

Are these Scotch Bonnet Peppers? Does anyone know? Harvested these and planning to make some hot chilli sauce with it. 

These chillis are really cute!

Cute but "deadly"!  

I am a chilli lover, I would eat about 3-5 red birds eye chillies almost daily with my meals, but not these Peppers! I chopped one of these and mix with my usual condiment of soy sauce and squeeze of lime, and I could not even finish half of it! These are REALLY SUPER HOT!!! Definitely not for the faint hearted. On the next day, I chopped half a pepper and I could not finish it too! So from the next day, I chopped only a quarter. So one chilli pepper can last me four days! And got to be careful when handling these peppers with your bare hands, the hotness can sting your hands for hours. A word of caution, do not touch any part of your body with your hands if they are burning hot from the Habaneros! Especially your eyes!!! So to be on the save side, wear a pair of gloves, especially when you have to take care of young kids at home.

Left the first two chillies to dry, for the seeds.
I'll be sowing these seeds and hopefully this time, I'll see some success.

Happy Gardening !