The way to Boost Philippine Vegetables

Philippine cooking relies on a number of exotic vegetables paired with more trivial vegetable varieties. Paliya or bitter melon is eaten with meat and other vegetables. Pechay or pak choi, which can be a mild flavored cabbage, is served in stews and soups. Sitaw, a type of long string bean, and Talong, a type of eggplant, are typically eaten with fish, meat and other vegetables. Other Philippine vegetables comprise squash, taro, sweet potatoes, spinach and white radish. Start growing Philippine vegetables by obtaining seeds or starter plants.

Choose a location to your garden in a place with at least eight hours of direct sunlight. Many Philippine vegetables such as full sun exposure such as talong (Solanum melongena), that grows best in temperatures above 65 degrees Fahrenheit. The dirt must have good drainage. Flat areas are greatest, but vegetables live well on sloping areas in case the rows operate across the slope to decrease rain runoff and soil erosion.

Dig up the dirt to the depth of 12 to 18 inches with a scoop. Break up dirt clods with a garden hoe. Don’t work the soil although it is wet. Add a 2- to 4-inch layer of organic material like compost or well-rotted manure to the ground. Work it to the top 6 to 12 inches and rake the surface smooth.

Plant the seeds and starter plants at the prepared soil. Find tall or trellised vegetable varieties on the north side of this backyard so the shade the plants toss falls beyond the planting area. Both bitter melon (Mormodica charantia) and sitaw (Vigna unguiculata sesquipedalis) develop best on supports such as trellises or fences. Use the recommended spacing on the packages for each vegetable variety. For example, the perfect spacing for sitaw or even yard-long beans is 6 to 12 inches apart with rows 4 to 5 feet apart.

Water the lawn when the ground starts to dry outside. Don’t allow the soil become bone dry or remain too waterlogged. Water the lawn in the morning so the leaves have the time to dry out before evening. Water the soil to encourage the growth of strong roots, which aids the vegetables withstand drought conditions.

Spread mulch around the seedling when they are a couple inches tall. This reduces moisture evaporation from the soil and grass development. Use clean organic mulch, which provides the plants a source of slow-release nutrients.

Weed around the vegetables so that the plants do not need to compete for moisture and nutrients. Hand pull or chop down with a hoe before the weeds develop seeds. With no spread of grass seeds, the grass population falls.

Examine the vegetable crops for lawn pest infestations. Many Philippine vegetables belong to the tomato and cucumber family, which are favorite foods of lawn pests. Hand choose any big bugs such as cucumber beetles and dump them in a jar of soapy water to drown. Spray smaller pests like aphids off with a strong jet of water. Release valuable insects, which eat garden pests, in the infested area.

Decide on the vegetables as they become ripe. Sitaw takes only nine days to go from blossom to harvestable bean. Talong fruit could be selected when little or mature-sized. Harvesting most vegetables promotes the plant to create more vegetables. Once root plants are harvested, they are done for the season. Some Philippine vegetables could be reseeded for a continuous harvest for the majority of the year at a mild winter place.

Clean up the summertime garden by removing plant debris. The majority of the odd and ends left over compost well, but do not compost vegetation infected by plant disease or infested with pests. In the fall after harvest, plant the cool weather plants such as pechay (Brassica rapa var chinensis). Plant these plants in full sunlight with end protection.

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