Summer Vegetable Gardening Activities - Capsicums, Eggplants, Beet Roots, Curry leaves, Taro

This summer I planted capsicum, eggplants, curry leaves and taro.Let me share my vegetable produce during this summer. Find various tips for summer gardening these vegetables.

Before planting, I mixed lots of composted cow manure in the soil. I also applied liquid fertilizer including comfrey tea (how to grow comfrey) during the growing period.

Capsicums (Bell Peppers)

To add colours to my garden, I grew green, purple and orange capsicums (grow chilli peppers from seeds) in containers and a wheelbarrow starting from seeds. I collected the seeds from the capsicums that I had bought earlier from the market and used those seeds to grow plant seedlings. Some of the plants are still producing capsicums.

Orange and Red Bell Peppers Growing in Pots

The colour of some of them are so attractive that I do not want to remove them from the plants.

Capsicums Growing in a Wheelbarrow

Eggplants

Purple Eggplants, pollinated by hand

This year I grew long purple eggplants starting from seeds (how to grow eggplants). The plants had a large number of flowers, but they were not getting pollinated initially. Then I learnt and started pollinating them by hand. I shall be reporting the technique of hand pollination of eggplants in a future post. The technique of hand pollination of eggplant is different than that of cucumber.

Taro (Hindi name Arbi)

Taro Roots

Growing Taro
I had planted 3 taro roots about 5 years ago. Every year the plant gives about 3 kg of edible taro roots. The taro plant leaves are used in making vegetable curries and a snack called as "Patod or Patra" in India. This plant is perennial and requires little care.

Once the taro roots are sprouted and form plants, then they require little care. The plants need lots of water, actually standing water.

We do not eat taro leaves so we give them to our friends.
How to grow taro root youtube video
How to grow Arbi at home in Hindi video

Curry Leaf Plant Fruits

Curry Leaf Plant seedlings

I have a 10 year old curry patta plant in a 12 inch pot, grown from seed. Last year I collected the seeds of this plant, some of which I sowed in early summer. Three seeds sprouted and produced seedlings which I put in separate pots. Growing Curry Leaf Plant

I usually propagate curry leaf plants after every 2-3 years and give it to my friends, specially Indian ones who use them in a variety of dishes.

I did had some beet roots (growing beets) to enjoy, but most of the beets were eaten by an animal, I do not know which animal? May be possum, bats or rates?

Details of summer activities in growing cucumbers, tomatoes and bitter gourd; and spices and herbs have been reported at growing cucumbers, tomatoes, bitter gourd and growing activities in spices and herbs respectively.