Growing own food

For everyone dad is their hero but for me my mom is my hero. She raised us singlehandedly and used to do everything herself. I don’t remember if she took anyone’s help. She was a working women and she wore many hats. The one she was passionate in doing is gardening.

I remember like it happened yesterday my mom as soon she parked her two wheeler she used to give us her hand bag and gets into caring her plants. At least one hour is spent, then she used to come inside the house.

There were tomatoes,chillies,ginger,many varieties of roses, Guava,coconut,curry leaves,Jasmine few varieties,hibiscus few varieties and annuals. After she sold our house as she wants to downsize, age was catching up and she shifted to an apartment. There too in pots she had annual flowers,roses and curry leaves. Not even once she missed watering her plants.

I grew up seeing her love towards the plants and also she used vegetable scraps as a fertilizer for the plants.

The egg shells were crushed in the rose plants. She was found of Water re-cycling,Water used to wash rice/pulses we’re stored for a day and was poured in the garden. only the water which she thought is not good for plants goes into the drain and rest was poured into the garden,like the water used to clean vegetable,water used to boil egg/potatoes were too poured in the garden.

I always dreamt of doing the same. After coming to Canada my dream came true. I have been growing my own food since last few years. Since last year I am doing my own compost. Nothing in my kitchen is wasted. All kitchen scraps goes into the compost bin and all kitchen recycled water goes into my garden. But during winter I cannot pour water outside so I water my indoor plants. My house inside during winter in a mini jungle (forest). Most of the plants in pots are indoors during the winter. I may sound crazy I talk to my plants. It’s always one way communication.

This year I started doing vermicompost, thanks to the wonderful gardeners I follow on insta and YouTube.

The compost I made last year I used it this year and the results show. My plants are happy and healthy.

I am hoping for good yield as last year. I love to share my veggies to friends and neighbours and if anything is left I drop them at food banks.

Since we have a very short warmer months, I try to plant veggies which I can harvest in 90 to 100 days. Planting starts in May and I have to harvest by September.

In my next post I will share few pictures of my vegetable garden. 🪴

Happy gardening 🪴🪴🪴🪴

1 1/2 Years

1 1/2 Years

Time heals, they say time heals any pain. I was trying to analyze what is my state of mind? Accepting the fact that amma is not around ? Not choking or crying ? Recollecting our happy moments. But I am not able to come out of the trauma of watching my mother in pain. One questions always arises, maybe I didn’t put enough effort to find a solution for her pain, I would have done something else? I would have brought her to Canada? I should have stopped her while she was leaving Canada? I should have begged her to stay with me ? I know I cannot reverse anything what happened nor I have control on future happenings. 

It’s been 18 months I didn’t hear my mom’s voice. After I left India every Saturday I used to talk to Amma,argue with her,bitch about somebody and the wait for next call.

But since amma was diagnosed I used to call amma every day and when she was not able to talk due to operation and radiation I was talking to my elder sister.

Never I thought I won’t hear amma’s voice,wish I recorded our conversation.

For readers who are new to my blog, AMMA is my mom