At long last, a green privacy screen is on the way!

I have long since wanted to have some kind of privacy screens; particularly at this part of my garden where my back neighbour can look straight into my garden through their dining hall's window.

Not that I think they want to see me on purpose. But the feeling that someone could easily see me from the other side of those forever closed, curtainless, black-tinted glass windows without me knowing it somehow makes me feel just not that comfortable.

I had, many a time, thought of using decorative items or pots of plants or even some climber plants to cover up the fence there but never once tried to make them happen.

" Alright, I will do it tomorrow! " I used to always tell myself every time. But then, as expected of the lazy me, that tomorrow never did come.

Finally, last week, those fast-growing accidental bitter gourds and hyacinth bean seedlings that I cared very much about had me dilly-dallying no more.

Pots were rearranged to make way and a vertical galvanised iron trellis was designed and constructed in a mere one day time for them.

The trellis, when covered with the vines, would hopefully give me a bit of privacy and make me feel more comfortable should I decide to put my previously bought garden table set out there to work or have my meals whenever I stay over at the house.. 😀

A Bit About My Soil Choice.

As always, I got my soil supply from this place near our old family home this past Tuesday.

I love the soil here because it is good, natural, earth. Not chemically treated or fertilized. Thus, most rich in welcome soil creatures and microorganisms ( though it did once, almost scare me to death with a black, shiny-skinned, 2 inch-long centipede in it ). 

Also, because it is not pre-bagged in environmentally-unfriendly, suffocating and possibly toxic plastic bags.

The place is a small, home-based cow farm. Supplying soil is only a small part of the farm's business. They would only dig for the soil within ( sometimes outside ) their farm and mix it with cow manure ( often fresh one ), upon receiving orders from their customers.

They sell their soil in loads and have them transported to their customers' places in bullock carts. It cost only RM 50 per cart-full load of cow manure plus top soil including bullock cart transport within the town.

Cheap and convenient. Just a phone call to them would have the soil arrive at our place. But I took pity on those poor, old cows! So, I would go and take the soil from the farm myself every time instead, though it would mean having to clean my car a bit after that. 

The farmer was often very accommodating to my request and prepared just a manageable one bag for me each time.

This is the bag of soil ( in a recycled sack ) awaiting my collection outside their house, that he got for me on the morning I ordered this past Tuesday. It is only RM 10.

I had since used it to partially fill up eight of my newly-bought pots and had some mixed fruit and vegetable seeds sown direct onto them.

Pray that some happy sprouts would emerge from them soon! Wish me luck! 😁

 

My Little, Patio, Backyard Garden In The Rain ( August 23rd., 2020 ).

 

A Little Garden Makeover.

Bird's-eye view of my 22ft. X 11ft. garden after the makeover:

Read the little makeover story here:

The worker at the hardware shop where I bought sixty, cheap sand bricks from some weeks back could not imagine how these, to him, most ordinary and unattractive sand bricks could make a garden looked great when I told him I was going to use them for a little makeover in my small garden.

Sand bricks - ready for the makeover:

It was not surprising he could not imagine it. For after all, these bricks were not made for decoration purposes.  

But, why, you might wonder. Why did I choose these bricks and not those more decorative ones like granite or red bricks etc. ? 

Well, I had two distinct reasons. These bricks were super cheap in cost ( only RM 0.24 per piece ) and look, and they came in the colour I wanted. So, they should perfectly blend in into my ordinary looking, concrete, patio garden. Or so I thought.

I was right. The outcome was really good. To me, at least. Using them to edge the pot areas had indeed enhanced the overall look of my rectangular-shaped, concrete, patio garden.

The garden looked much more beautiful and neater than before. Not that I dislike an unorganized or a wild-looking one. But that, having it neat, just seemed most appropriate for mine. 

Before:

After:

And, with another twelve new pots added to it recently that resulted in the construction of a new pot area ( right in front of the garden's exit ), awaiting to be planted up, the garden is going to look even more fantastic and full soon! Hopefully! 

Newly-bought pots:

New pot area:

All for now! Thank you for reading this! Bye!

What To Do When Your Periwinkle (Vinca rosea) Plants Are Not Looking Good Already ....

Hope these simple tips could help beginner Periwinkle gardeners or lovers! Happy growing your Perwinkles!

 

Mulberry (Part Five)-How I Prepared My Mulberry Tea Leaves In Tea Bags For Future, Easy Consumption.

I don't like to waste good stuffs. So, after I pruned my little potted Mulberry tree some two to three weeks back, I saved all the removed leaves. I dried, dry-fried and stuffed them all into two big, handmade tea bags given by a good friend so I could just add hot water onto them and enjoy anytime I want to without having to cook and sieve them. This video is all about how I prepared them so. 

Thank you for watching!

Mulberry (Part Four) - My Little, Potted Mulberry Tree Update (18 Days After Pruning).

Here is how my little, potted mulberry tree looks like 18 days after I had it pruned. Can you spot all the newly-formed little fruits?

Finally, you can watch the previous pruning video here if you have not yet:

And my other mulberry videos here:

Do stay tuned to see what I did next to the pruned off leaves the other day in the coming video!

Mulberry (Part Three) - How I Pruned My Little, Potted Mulberry Tree.

Every time, after I have all my mulberry fruits harvested, I would give my little, potted Mulberry tree a good trim to keep it in shape and short, and also to encourage more fruit formation in the future.

Watch the less than two minute pruning in the video below or on my YouTube Channel.

Finally, do stay tuned for more update(s) about the tree and to see what I did next to the pruned off leaves in the next video!

Mulberry (Part Two) - How I Made My First Ever Delicious Jam In Life With The Mulberries I Picked.

Having picked the little mulberry fruits from my little, potted Mulberry tree  ( Morus rubra ) at my small, patio, backyard garden, I headed straight back to my little kitchen which is just a few steps away and started playing with my first ever jam-making! 

It was as much fun as picking the little fruits!  I was especially curious and excited about how my very first one would turn out to be. Would it turn out spoilt and have all my precious little fruits wasted? Or how would I like it if it did set? 

Find it all out here in the video below:

Finally, hope you have enjoyed watching the video! Do stay tuned to see what I did next to the now fruitless tree. See you soon!

Mulberry (Part One) - Simply Enjoying The Little Fruit Picking From My Little, Potted Mulberry Tree.

I had two days of sheer joy, picking those little fruits from my little, potted Mulberry tree  ( Morus rubra ) at My Small Backyard Garden the other day. The little fruits had yet to fully ripen on the tree so I couldn't just shake them off the tree. So, I picked them from the tree one by one with my hand and who knew, it was so much fun! And guess what, there were approximately 90 fruits altogether, which was quite an incredible number given the size of the tree. Do stay tuned to see what I did with the fruits and tree in the next and next, next videos!

How I Plant Up Four Fist Size Pots With Four Small, Dwarf Snake Plants.

GINGER - from Harvesting, Cleaning and Replanting to Preparing, Cooking and finally Enjoying IT.

Composting - How I Usually Make My Compost [ The Easy, Lazy Way! ]

Sometimes I just love to slow down and enjoy the flowers @ My Small Backyard Garden

Harvesting and drying Mugwort ( Artemisia vulgaris ), AND making the herb throw pillow.

Sorry for being so absent!

HI ALL,

I am so sorry for being so absent lately. The reason being is that I have been and will be busy with work again.

Also partly because I have taken on a new hobby, like video-making in the garden. I will be posting them here soon.

I am afraid it will be quite a while before I would return to actual blogging.

Meanwhile you can find updates from my garden here:

1. https://www.facebook.com/MySmallBackyardGarden/

2. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6O6_2ozkksvnu7sUHwD5UA

See you all there!

Odd, difficult time, but I am loving it!

The birds and the neighbouring cocks are already long awake these days when I get up from my bed. I have plenty of time to laze as there are generally little matters that need immediate handling, if any. Work wise, I mean. 

There has been very few orders received on my online shop eversince I had all my item selling prices adjusted back in early February after our local post had their postage rate increased. In addition to that, the current Pandemic situation has all parcel sending to Europe and the United States become impossible. Since most of my orders are from these countries, I am often left with no choice but to have them all cancelled, thus leaving me with almost nothing to do or handle.

But come to think of it, it is not too bad a thing after all. I have more time to pamper myself with more sleep and doing things I do not usually have much time to do.

Being stranded here at our old family home where My Childhood Garden was, ....

1) .... I have been spending lots of time outdoor ....

.... enjoying walking meditation and chanting Amitabha Buddha's name amidst a variety of bird songs and sounds of nature ....

.... under our decades-old rambutan tree when the sun is up ...

.... and round our whole garden when it is breezy, not hot and not raining in the evening .... 

.... on most days.

I must say I am loving this kind of life now. It makes me wonder why I have not realised this kind of peace and pleasure before.

My only regret is not being able to travel to my own house, so could not see and tend to my plants at My Small Backyard Garden as and when I wish.

2) .... I have finally been granted with a temporary permit by Big Bro to grow a small patch of vegetables at the far end of our, now, under his care, sandy, fruit tree garden. 

I am hopeful it will be a success though for now, it seems a long way still to be considered so.

With a snail spotted near it today, I think I can only expect for a miracle to happen.

3) .... I have found new joy in growing my own food without having to dig a garden.

See picture below ....

Yes, I have been sprouting mung beans in a glass jar like this. Twice a week.

And have since used them ( the sprouts ) in my cooking. They are so very good to eat. Crunchy, fresh and yummy!

Mung Bean Sprouts - Stir Fried With Eggs

Mung Bean Sprouts - Stir Fried With Chillies

4) .... And I have been spending plenty of time reconnecting with my other siblings ( except Second Sis and Third Bro who prefer total social distancing ) who are locked down at their respective homes in Kuala Lumpur via WhatsApp every day. A lot of things have been shared so far but I am sharing just three here ....

.... Jane - For the first time in her life, grew something! See what she has got here ....

Yes, This is a soya bean sprout! Ha ha, perhaps she can be a soya bean sprout farmer after this lockdown!

.... Fourth Sis and her daughter, Jia Ying - All they are looking forward to everyday are no other than baking, cooking and eating! Here are some pictures of the food they had made and enjoyed ....

Cheese Bread

Milk-Sago - Sweet Potato Sweet Dessert

Vegetarian ' Nasi Lemak ' ( Coconut Milk Rice )

They look yummy, do you not think so?

.... Big Sis - ( Shhhh, please ....  and do not laugh .... I know I am bad for not asking her permission before sharing this picture of her! )  

She created this face protector last week and has since worn it many a time to the market. She has attracted quite some attention. People approached and asked her where she bought it from. She has thought of making and sending one to her son who is now studying in Singapore but I doubt he will want to wear it at all. Unless if everyone else in his campus is wearing the same.

All for now! Thank you for reading this! Bye!

-------+++++++ -------

P.S. : (Whatever your religion is, let us all pray that this Pandemic be resolved and all those suffering from it will recover soon and the world at large be at peace. ) Stay safe, everyone!

My beautiful Periwinkles were made " Skeletons " - Guess who the Culprit was?

My Periwinkles had been ever-beautiful, ever-flowering and ever-happy for as long as I could remember. 

It never failed to be the first of all my plants to happily greet and cheer me up every time I stepped into My Small Backyard Garden.

But not until sometime last week. When I had the " shock " of my life to be greeted by two " crying skeletons " instead.

Poor me! All I could hear were sounds of pain, " Ouch, Ouch, Ouchhh ...... and Ouchhhh! " blurting out from my very mouth as I tried to figure out what had happened!

There were lots of round, dark green, small bead-sized thing everywhere around the pot of " skeletons". But I had no idea at all what creature that could be, that was capable of gobbling up and turning all my Periwinkle leaves and flowers into something like that, almost overnight!

The silliness in me, had me imagined that pregnant, wild cat, which I had chased away days before for fear she would give birth to and raise her kitties at My Small Backyard Garden, coming back and destroyed them out of revenge. 

Silly indeed! As when I later stopped by to admire and smell one of my sweet-scented Jasmine ( Jasminum sambac ) blooms , .... 

.... my eyes suddenly happened to dart on this green, green guy ( a caterpillar ) with monstrous eyes clinging onto a stem not too far off! 

Immediately, I suspected it to be the culprit of the whole disaster. How right I was! Some googling later that day confirmed my suspicion! 

I did feel like throwing it far, far away. To an infinity place, if possible. But no. I could not. My garden was supposed to be a wildlife ( pests included )-friendly place. Moreover, knowing this guy would eventually morph into " an angel ", a beautiful butterfly or moth that I would love, I had to let it be where it was.

As for the " skeletons ", I had them trimmed in a way so they could grow back nicely! Hopefully!

Celebrating Chinese New Year AND Enjoying Some Harvests FROM My Small Backyard Garden.

That Thursday, the day before the eve of the Chinese New Year, Me, Third Bro, Fourth Sis and Fourth Sis's daughter, Jia Ying traveled back to Ipoh in Fourth Sis's car.

We exited to Gopeng from the North-South Expressway and stopped by at a friend's house there to take five of this homemade ' Nian Gao " ( Sticky Rice Cake ) which we had earlier ordered from her through the phone, before we headed north back to my home in Ipoh.

' Nian Gao ' in Banana leaf wrap. Photo credit : Big Sis ( Wen Sim )

For those who do not know, ' Nian Gao' ( translated as ' Year Cake ' ) or Sticky Rice Cake is a type of traditional Chinese cake made from glutinous rice flour and lots of sugar, mostly eaten during the Chinese New Year.

Now, does anyone of you remember these sweet potatoes which I had harvested back in early January? Which I had specially kept aside inside the refrigerator ( at our old family home in Batu Gajah where Big Bro and Second Bro stay ) for our Chinese New Year sweet soup-making use?

Well, let me tell you, they did not eventually make it to the pot of sweet soup that we had. Instead, they went into the frying pan. Because Third Bro suddenly came up with the idea to have them and all the " Nian Gao ' sliced, dipped in plain flour batter and deep-fried to make fried sweet potato- ' Nian Gao ' ' sandwiches '. It was quite a brilliant idea. The ' sandwiches ' turned up, oh, just so heavenly delicious! It is a shame their look in the picture do not do them justice.

We have had lots and lots of wonderful times together everyday with our other siblings that came back to and long time no see relatives that visited us at our old family home. 


We might have had the simplest of foods on all days compared to most celebrating Chinese families in the whole world during this festive season but we were all most contented and happy.

One of our set of simple, home-cooked vegetarian dishes. Photo credit: Jia Ying

How time always flies when we are happy! Very soon, it was time for everyone to go back to their own homes. 


Second Sis went back to Kuala Lumpur alone in her own car.


Third Bro, Fourth Sis and Jia Ying went back in the same car as we came back.


While I decided to stay back in Ipoh.


Fourth Sis loved to eat some of the vegetables that I grew at my small backyard garden. So, I had some harvested for her to bring back to her home in Kuala Lumpur on the morning she was to leave.


They were the ...


Ginger ( Zingiber officinale ),

Daun Kaduk ( Piper sarmentosum ), Red Stem Malabar Ceylon Spinach ( Basella alba ), Spearmint ( Mentha spicata )

and the Thai Basil ( Ocimum basilicum ).

She disliked ....

Ginseng Jawa ( Talinum paniculatum ),

Mugwort ( Artemisia vulgaris ),

Mulberry ( Morus alba ) leaves

and many other that I had aplenty in the garden.

So, I had some of them harvested and cooked for myself to enjoy after she ( they ) had left! ( Sometimes I do like to pamper myself a bit. Ha ha! )

The...

Ginseng Jawa leaves were lightly stir-fried with garlic,

and the Mugwort leaves were mixed with egg to make omelette for a fine noodle soup treat,

while the Mulberry leaves were used to brew a mug of cooling and nourishing, sweetened tea.

All of them tasted oh just so good! Beyond words! Yum yum! 

Finally, I hope it is not too late to wish all Chinese readers here, a very, very Happy Chinese New Year! And to everyone else, Stay Happy, Healthy and Safe always!

All for now! Thank you for reading this! Bye!