Eggplants have survived but are not producing, so though known as heat loving I think they are not great admirers of our heat.
The sweet potatoes I planted a few months ago as an experiment are growing. I know I should have taken the sips and replanted them but I didn't so we'll see how it turns out in a few months.
As an experiment I also planted pineapple crowns a few months ago. I got them from carrefour, from the fresh pineapple juice section, the guy happily gave them away to me (after all they go into the garbage). I got them late season so I planted them in pots. Out of 6 plants 4 survived so it's a good result. I'm planning on replanting them into the ground later and wait 2-3 years "patiently" till I get fruit (hopefully).
I have lost a few trees to the heat, mostly citrus (I didn't plant them early enough, lesson learnt).
September is approaching and I am in the planning mode already. This year Inshallah I'm intending to grow more edibles, expand the growing area and replace the sand with sweet sand which I intend to buy from Dubai Municipality as I want a huge quantity (I wish I'd done that before, I know I got good results with normal sand and addition of manures, but I want better results).
Below are some pics from the garden.
Can you please tell us what you do about blight here? It is terrible, attacks and kills almost everything sooner or later. I am in Abu Dhabi, planted tomatoes, basil, lettuce. Cucumbers, squash, died through blight, all planted on the roof of our villa. The balcony has bougainvillea, purslane, portulaca, and some reduced plants we got at ace hardware for 1 dirham - no idea what they are. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteIt's difficult to answer as there are many factors. Try changing the soil as this can be potential cause of many problems (in order not to waste your current soil use it for something that doesn't get affected and get fresh one for cucumbers and squash), companion planting (I randomly plant radishes all over the garden) and planting at different times. I also plant close together but don't plant too many similar plants together, this way there's less chance for insects finding your plants. When I started, cucumbers and squash would get attacked and die before setting fruits. I have tried different varieties, planted in different locations and changed the soil (of the potted plants). I noticed some plants are just stronger than others. From courgettes my best performers were Virginia Blanche and round courgettes. Cucumbers are my weak spot, I was only able to grow Parisian pickling cucumber. Others would not set fruits (well I got one fruit lol).
ReplyDeleteAlso watering methods play a role as well.
Otherwise you can try neem fertilizer which is available from Shalimar, link can be found on this page ( http://mylittlegardenindubai.blogspot.ae/p/blog-page.html?m=1 )
Also when you say blight do you mean blight or just an attack by some insects? It would be helpful of you would post pics to our Facebook page ( https://www.facebook.com/pages/My-Little-Garden-In-Dubai/377361065773234 ) or to the gardening group ( https://m.facebook.com/groups/473458279467665 ). This would help identifying the real cause and help with finding a solution.
I would also add that we need to start squash pretty early here. Though they like the heat I noticed planting too late is a bad idea. Based on the guide for planting in UAE (first link on this page
http://mylittlegardenindubai.blogspot.ae/p/useful.html?m=1 ), you can start planting squash in August, though I would wait till September cuz you're growing on the roof.
If you still have any more question please don't hesitate to ask.