MOMI LEARNS/ how to grow your own organic plants

Let me tell you something about me.

I am one of those moms who would love to have her own small garden of herbs and vegetables. That each morning, I would harvest my own eggplants and squash or anything I prefer to prepare for my family. That I could ask my little boy to pick for me some calamansi or tomatoes at our small garden anytime I please. And that I need not buy dried and bottled herbs as I could always have them readily available in our own herb pots.

Sadly, we do not have a big yard for that dream. Despite that, though, I have tried a dozen times to grow some onions and calamansi and even tomatoes. We have a tiny space in front of our small house to grow some.  I even tried the mongo experiment of my boys, but all to no avail.

I kept on buying seeds despite that. I even bought a small calamansi plant so I could just continue at home. And yes, got a number of flowers as well to welcome in butterflies and help me with my gardening. Again, everything to no avail.

I simply watched them slowly die.  This does not discourage this momi to still hang beautiful plant baskets at our front porch.  I have a picture of what I would want our front porch to look like–

Then I see hope. I chance upon what I believe is the fulfillment of that dream. (And I take this dream seriously. I guess we all have our own funny or hard-to-get dream).

It says-

A practical, simple, humble, and downright awesome organic grow-kit that has everything you need to feel happy, fulfilled and connected with your inner self and with Mother Nature.

My first Sow and Grow Organic Grow Kits.

I open the cute box containing the following-

The kit also has an easy-to-follow guide on how to prepare, grow, and sustain my very own plant.

Afraid to make mistakes, I carefully follow the instruction.

1st stage: Prepare

After transferring the soil to the environmentally friendly coconut pot, one needs to slightly press the mixture to eliminate stubborn air pockets then dampen it with water to provide the right environment for seeds to germinate.  For my tomato plant, I drop a minimum of five seeds into the pot and cover it with soil, the thickness not exceeding its diameter. I water the pot very lightly then seal it with plastic. I also spray water on the plastic (moist side inside) and seal it with a rubber band. It is explained that this will help retain the moisture that the seeds need to germinate properly. Regularly, I remove the wrap to moist the plastic then seal the pot again. By the way, aside from the tomato seeds, I also requested for sunflower.

I feel like an expectant mom once again as I regularly visit my pots to see if sprouts start to emerge.

2nd stage: Grow

And on the third day, the first tiny stems begin to show up. I remove the wrap; this also signifies that the germination is over.  Leaves are starting to form and the soil needs to be kept moist to aid the growing plant. I water my seedlings very lightly in the morning and in the late afternoon. This is to maintain its moisture.

There are about five seedlings in each pot and inasmuch as I would love to see them all grow, I need to pull out the weakest of all (this is called thinning). Why? Plants need space, too! It is advisable to have one seedling per pot only. And the strongest and healthiest of all is the true leaf.

How to differentiate the true leaf? When seedlings sprout, often there are two sets of leaves that form first. They look almost four-leaf clover-like. A few days later, a third single leaf will emerge that does not look like the first two. That is the first true leaf.

3rd step: Sustain

Two important things to do are hydrate and fertilize. It is crucial to keep the soil damp but not soaked. Tomatoes grow best in a well-drained soil and same with sunflower.

 

Frequent watering tends to wash out nutrients from the pot’s soil. It is best to apply fertilizer 14-21 days after the emergence of sprout and every 15 days. For its nutrient requirement, the soil needs about five to 10 durabloom pellets only. One needs to crush the pellets and sprinkle them indirectly around the tomato. It is a must as well to water the plant after each fertilizer application.

I am yet to see my tomatoes grow some flowers ( 45-50 days after thinning) and reach about six feet tall. The wait is still long and it is teaching me patience. I would want to harvest my own organic tomatoes and taste the fruit of that passion. That finally, after so many attempts, I have grown some vegetables and flowers, too.

I plan to order more seeds and grow basil, eggplant, and hot pepper.  I am more confident now to grow my favorite vegetables and spices.  Before, I did not even know what over watering was.  I always wet the soil for fear that the plant would get thirsty.  Now, I learned that soil constantly wet will not have enough air pockets and the roots cannot breathe. And roots that cannot breathe are stressed roots.

I also learned that I just need to pour some love, passion, warm sunshine and enthusiasm to grow plants and herbs.

My thank you to Sow and Grow Organic Grow Kits for guiding me.  Seriously, I take planting seriously.

Want your own Sow and Grow Organic Grow Kits? Call them now and share your dream with them.  They, too, have a dream of a more emotionally connected Manila, the kind of city where plants are grown by its dwellers. A city where every plant and greenery has a story.

What is your dream?  Share us your story.

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