The Quotation of the Week (September 17 - 23, 2017)

A quotation of Joanna Lumley on 'learning from nature,' compiled by Jerome D'Costa

Photo (A summer garden in Scarborough area of Toronto: Sept. 5, 2017) © Jerome D'Costa

The Quotation of the Week (June 5 - 11, 2016)

A quotation of J. K. Rowling on 'freedom of speech,' compiled by Jerome D'Costa

Photo (A lawn with garden in Toronto: July 9, 2012) © Jerome D'Costa

The Summer Gardening in Canada Can Be Vegitably Enjoyable -- 3

Here are more samples of produces from our garden:

Water spinach (called puishak in Bengali) can be grown in pots, too (Photo: August 7, 2010)

Okras (or lady's fingers) also can be grown in pots (Photo: August 7, 2010)

Five okras just picked from the garden (Photo: September, 2002)

Cucumbers make a salad more palatable (Photo: September 3, 2002)

Oval-shaped eggplants (Photo: August 8, 2011)

Long eggplants (Photo: August 7, 2010)

Bitter gourds (or bitter melons) (Photo: August 8, 2011)

Pole beans grow aplenty (Photo: October 10, 2011)

Swiss chard (Photo: October 10, 2011)

Sweet potatoes (Photo: October 10, 2011)

Chinese gourd almost as long as a young boy (October, 2001)

The same boy with another Chinese gourd ten years later (Photo: August 10, 2011)

A green pumpkin with three Chinese gourds (September 18, 2011)

A good harvest of vegetables (September, 2003)

Zucchinis can be so large and heavy! (September 3, 2010)

First 14 Photos (Toronto: 2001-2011) © Jerome D'Costa

(The End)         

The Summer Gardening in Canada Can Be Vegitably Enjoyable -- 2

The attention, love, patience and work that go into gardening are rewarded with yields of a variety of vegetables.

When you get the first crop of these vegetables, grown by your own hands, you receive the same pleasure, satisfaction and pride in seeing your child immediately after its birth! Those who gardened before know it too well. You still don’t believe it? I bet, you do it first and see how you feel about it.

A few samples of our crop yields in the last decade are shown below:

Vegetable plants in full growth in our garden (Photo: August 5, 2003)

Juicy red tomatoes (Photo: August 7, 2010)

More red tomatoes and cherry tomatoes (Photo: August 10, 2010)

Different types of tomatoes (Photo: August 10, 2011)

Zucchinis grow prolifically (Photo: July 25, 2010)

(Top row) Zucchinis, (bottom row) five cucumbers and two tomatoes (Photo: July 25, 2010)

A squash (we can call it 'pumpkin') hanging from a vine (Photo: August 15, 2009)

An edible flower of the same squash plant shown above (Photo: August 15, 2009)

Two different types of pumpkins grown in the garden (Photo: October, 2002)

A green pumpkin of another variety (Photo: September 18, 2011)

Four pumpkins, five bitter gourds (also called bitter melons), five okras (also known as lady's fingers or gumbos), and five eggplants (also called aubergines or brinjals) (Photo: August 8, 2011)

The same four pumpkins, as shown above, turned to reddish yellow colour with more aging (Photo: October 5, 2011)

Red and white onions (Photo: August 24, 2010)

Hot chillies (Photo: September 3, 2010)

All photos (Toronto) © Jerome D'Costa

                                                                                                                   (Continued)

The Summer Gardening in Canada Can Be Vegitably Enjoyable -- 1

The summer is still one month away;  it officially starts in Canada on June 20 this year. Yet, it’s usually the Victoria Day (May 21) weekend that is taken as an unofficial start of summer in Canada, especially by farmers and gardeners.

In this weekend, gardeners are busy cleaning their gardens, turning soils and planting vegetable seeds and/or plants.

Some call the vegetable garden family garden, some others kitchen garden, and the rest backyard garden.  Whatever the name, the bottom line is the same – a patch of land, adjacent to the house, is used to grow vegetables. A garden, receiving a minimum of 4 to 6 hours of sunshine, is the best for growing vegetables.

Usually, after the colder snowy winter and cold spring, the garden first needs proper cleaning. There are debris – dead plants and leaves and newly-grown weeds – to be cleared of the garden. Secondly, the soil needs to be turned upside down with spades and pitchforks. Clumps of earth also need to be broken into small pieces and then the garden is to be leveled with rakes.

After this, one needs to decide, where in the garden, plants are to be placed. We have been gardening in Toronto since mid-2001 using our experience that we gained when we grew up in the village in Bangladesh. Not too long ago, here, we came to know of the “companion plants.” Seasoned gardeners have seen from experience that certain vegetables can avoid bugs and other problems as well as grow extremely well when planted with certain other plants. You may check the following for such companion plants: Companion Plants: What Grows Well Together.

Gardening can be of real fun and meaningful if the whole family chips in. When, after their efforts and toil, they see the results in the yielding of a variety of tasty vegetables, they achieve a special satisfaction and pride.

For better fitness and health, we need to give more importance on eating more vegetables . You may read the following for more information on the subject: Nutritional Values of Vegetables and Vegetable Nutrition Facts.

A garden that needs to be cleaned for growing summer vegetables (Photo: May 30, 2004)

The same garden, in another year, is being cleared of debris (Photo: April 9, 2005)

After the cleaning, soil needs to be turned upside down and land needs to be leveled (Photo: May 30, 2004)

Then comes the transplanting and/or seeding (Photo: May 30, 2004)

Transplanting and/or seeding (Photo: June, 2002)

Regular checking of plant and plant growth is important (Photo: June 18, 2002)

Weeding is important, too (Photo: July 4, 2001)

Growth of vegetables provide a special satisfaction (Photo: July, 2003)

Picking of vegetables for cooking (Photo: July, 2002)

A partial picture of a full-grown garden with different vegetables (Photo: Sept. 3, 2010)

(Continued)