Monday 17 September 2018

Growing Cucumber In My Garden

Sometimes, I will buy old or yellow cucumber (loh wong kwa in Cantonese) to boil soup. There was once when I bought an old cucumber for boiling soup and I threw the skin and seeds into a flower pot where I planted some Malabar Spinach stems without any intention to germinate the seeds for planting.
 After a few days, these seedlings were found growing from the discarded seeds. I have mixed feelings of whether I should uproot them or use some of it to grow.
I finally decided to choose 2 of the bigger and healthier plants to grow and see if I can get to harvest some home grown cucumbers.
 After a few weeks, the plant grew big and flowers started to appear.
 Bees were attracted to the flowers. 
 One morning while watering the plants, I was so excited to see this tiny cucumber.
 What a beautiful sight to behold!
 A few days later, I spotted another tiny cucumber.
I was actually looking forward for more of these.
 The first fruit have grown to this size.
 It is growing in width.
 Looks like the first fruit has stopped growing lengthwise.
The 2nd fruit has dried up and there was no sign of other fruit. Then I noticed that the plant was infested with pest. There were tiny black dots on the leaves and the leaves were turning yellow.
 I left the first fruit to mature.
 The skin of the cucumber has turned yellow and there were some crack lines on the skin.
Time to harvest the fruit.
 The one and only cucumber harvested from the plant which I didn't plan to plant in the first place. 
This is the size of the yellow cucumber.
I used this cucumber, pork rib, carrot, red dates and goji berries to boil soup.
Just enough for 2 people.

So you see, it isn't enough just to have faith.
You must also do good to prove that you have it.
Faith that doesn't show itself by good works is no faith at all
- it is dead and useless.
(James 2:17, The Living Bible-TLB)

60 comments:

  1. I really like the large and vibrant heart shaped leaves. You have what we call a "Green Thumb". Meaning you can make anything grow!

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  2. So interesting. This cucumber variety is unknown to me - happy tasting.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you, Riitta! We normally use the old cucumer (yellow cucumber) for boiling soup.

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  3. Didn't grow cucumber this year..have never seen yellow variety over here..how interesting!

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    1. The cucumber is green. It turns yellow when it gets old.

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  4. First time seeing yellow cucumber... not bad leh...

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    1. Thank you, Claire! If not for the pests, the harvest would have been better. Ha ha ha.

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  5. You have a bonus cucumber. Interesting that you cook yellow cucumber. I only eat the variety we grow raw in a sandwich or in a green salad.

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    1. We also eat the young cucumber raw. But for the old cucumber (yellow), we used it for boiling soup.

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  6. Good that you choose to grow two of them instead of uprooting them.

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    1. Thank you, Mun! Yes, no regret. I am now encourage to grow cucumbers.

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  7. Amazing plants :) I love nature like this :)

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  8. Wah! Your cucumber planting was successful. I can't plant climbers because I have no space to erect a scaffold for them to climb.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you, Phong Hong! I don't have much space. I used temporary line and props for them to climb.

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  9. ...is there anything that you don't grow in your garden?

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    Replies
    1. Oh yes, Tom! There are plenty more that I haven't grew in my garden.

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  10. My first time too seeing yellow cucumber...

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    1. Thank you, Sharon! I used to buy them in the market or the mini market.

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  11. That is amazing! The blooms are pretty too.

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  12. I have not seen a yellow cucumber before, i love to drink cold cucumber soup

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    1. Yellow cucumber same as the green cucumber, just that it is an old cucumber.

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  13. Funny how I can eat pickles, but not raw cucumbers. My tummy doesn't like them one bit, but I sure do.

    Have a fabulous day, Nancy. ♥

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    1. I love to munch on raw cucumber, including the pickled ones.

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  14. Tremendous Nancy. Well done and it sure looks good. I hope that you can more then one cucumber? See ya.

    Cruisin Paul

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    1. Thank you, Paul! Hope to get a better harvest on my next cucumber project!

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  15. en esta ocasión hemos coincidido, en hace una entrada referente a las plantas. La mayoría de las mías, son mayormente para embellecer el patio, aunque también tengo la hierbabuena y albahaca, que tienen mucha utilidad.

    Besos

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    Replies
    1. I started off with mostly non edibles but now slowly converting to more edibles.

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  16. So sorry the bugs got to your cucumbers. If you try again, i’m sure treating for those bugs will mean a nice harvest.

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    Replies
    1. Will have to look out for the bugs before they take over and kill the plants.

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  17. You certainly have green fingers. Have a good week, Diane

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  18. Enhorabuena Nancy, excelente cosecha y preciosas fotos. Besos.

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  19. wow....you are so diligent.
    I like cucumbar

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  20. That's looks cool, I have never thought how does it look.

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  21. Nunca he usado los pepinos en sopa, pero si en ensalada. Un beso.

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  22. I always love your garden.. this year our garden is in ramshackle condition.. hope next year we can do well..

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    Replies
    1. Now that the rainy season is back, our plants will be happier!

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  23. It's so pretty to see that Cucumber hanging!

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  24. A whole new take on cucumber. We use it primarily in salad or for pickling when the cucumbers are still small.

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    1. The young and tender ones we used as salad and also for pickling. The old ones (yellow) we used for boiling soup. It is suppose to help cool the body.

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  25. At least you got one. Haizz all these are common problems with home-grown plants - pests, flowers that don't fruit, fruit that turn out stunted...

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    Replies
    1. That shows that without spraying pesticides, the farmer will not be able to get a good harvest.

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