Spring is generally the best time of the year to pull out gardening tools and start planting! For most of the vegetation, this is the perfect time to sow seeds. Due to the lockdown last year I started this new hobby. Now, for 2021, yours truly is embarking on a new project, Sustainability Gardening: Garden to Table!
Gardening 2020
Just a quick recap, last 2020, we had abundant produce of zucchinis, some eggplants and we learned that our tomatoes failed due to lack of calcium in our soil. We have watermelons though the taste was a bit flat. The growth of a watermelon is such an AHA moment. At first glance, it is too small that it camouflages with the leaves and suddenly they grow so huge!
Related Article: Sustainability Gardening 2020
Also last year I started my roses flowerbed and they have been growing non stop. Red, white, yellow and pink roses. And guess what other flowers I have this year?
Let’s Eat Fresh!
This is the main theme this year. Freshly picked tomatoes, cucumbers, parsley, and onion, for our salad. Smell fresh parsley and how crunchy they can be!
Harvest vegetables and straightaway to the kitchen! With the limited space we have, a small garden produces to table food. This project needs research, note-taking, lots of work, and dedication. Geez, I am really getting serious with this!
Vinn’s Garden
As I embark the journey of garden to table, I have to keep this momentum and begin to grow several seeds.
Vegetation: Radish, Crougettes, Cucumber, Tomato, Eggplant, Sweet pepper, Chilli, Broccoli, Beetroot and Carrots
Herbs: Parsley, Dill, Thyme, Oregano, Basil, Peppermint, Coriander, Onion, Rosemary
Beetroot, Broccoli, Carrots 
Herbs: Dills and Basil
Fruits: Watermelon ; Trees: Lemon, Mandarin and Olive Tree
Flowers: Roses, Hyacinth, Tulip, Gladioli, Poppies, Dwarf Asters and other mixed flowers.
A lot?! I just realized after typing all these! And yes so much work but this is something I enjoy. My garden is my go to in the morning and I keep on checking everyday. Definitely something that keeps me alive day to by day thus, staying home is not so bad at all!
Waiting Game
As I write this, spring is almost over. Most of the seeds I have planted are already transplanted as per my layout, following the co-plant system. I hope this all works! Germinating sweet pepper and chili is quite a challenge for me. So many times the seeds did not sprout. This time I succeeded with the sweet peeper growing indoor first. While the chili is still a waiting game.
For the time being, all are adapting to their surroundings and growing. I really hope I will have a good produce this season. My herbs are all doing well and my coriander just beginning to grow. I can’t wait to get all my salad ingredients from my backyard!
I diligently take notes of everything like an old school. Certainly it helps a lot and I am able to measure a lot of factors. Yes, I am really dead serious with my gardening. How about you?
Gardening in Cyprus
Agriculture is one of the major sources of livelihood in the country. These are farming spaces of families in the villages and mountains. Each part of Cyprus grows different crops according to the altitude and climate conditions. Visiting villages and residential areas, one can easily observe that gardening is at the heart of their daily lives. In apartments, potted plants decorate the exterior. Almost every house has trees and various plants which are ornamental, fruits or vegetables.
Cyprus’ climate characterized by long summers and mild winters allows one to grow a variety of vegetation, flowers, and trees. Before starting on a project, it is essential to check if the plants are in season and the conditions for growing.
Grow Green Challenge
One of the many things we have learned due to the pandemic is to start being sustainable. I encourage everyone to grow at least one pot of plant wherever you are and preferably a certain crop which you can eat soon. There are options for potted plants, low maintenance and easy to grow plants. It all depends on your location, space, resources and time.
Get those hands dirty and promote for a greater cause.
With my garden-to-table project, how about having a pot-to-table?
Further Reading: Urban Gardening
Lastly, don’t wait for your thumb to be green, it will become green with lots of love and dedication!
Calling all garden enthusiasts, let me hear from you!
Anyone joining the go green challenge? What are you waiting for!
48 Comments
Add Yours →Growing your own fruit, vegetables and herbs is so fun and so rewarding too! We normally grow a handful of various veg in our garden – leeks are always the most successful for us haha! Good luck with your crops!
Thanks, Charley for sharing your gardening. Crossing fingers for abundant produce. 😉
Oh fab work! I’ve got sweetcorn, tomatoes, cucumber and courgettes growing on my offic window sill. I’ve learned to grow what we’ll eat and I keep on trying with tomatoes even though I never do we’ll with them.
Oh my that is awesome Pea! Is corn easy to grow? Tomato can be a challenge. I put some calcium to the soil and hoping for good results.
Corn is dead easy, just needs lots of water. I don’t have a green house and it’s not warm here so tomatoes struggle.
Ahh… I haven’t thought about corn. I’ll give this a go soon.
How i wish I have a yard to plant veggies and herbs. And no cats that kill them ???
Maybe some training might work for your cats. If you can try one potted plant. 😉
You can do loads on window sills and balconies. Maybe not corn, but tomatoes and peppers and herbs.
Great job done, really a lot of planted but sounds
awesome. love the fresh food..
Hi thanks for dropping by. It is really fun and most of all rewarding. How about you?
Wow! What an amazing array of plants you have on the go this year! That’s so fantastic that you’re passion for gardening has grown this way. I just planted my little garden–litterally little as I only have a foot of space ? I can’t wait to see what grows and to learn from the experience.
I realize I am a bit ambitious this year. But I’m excited about this project. Great to know that you are growing something. With minimal space, there is always room for nurturing plants. This is a learning experience, keep going! Cheers!
How lovely to grow your own food! ?
I’m looking forward to a good harvest this season! Thanks, Rachel 😉
Vinn, this is amazing, you are growing so much this year! I love that you’re trying so many different things. You’re absolutely right about thumbs growing green by just having a go. Everything in my garden has come about as a result of trial and error. If it doesn’t work, try again or try something new. Gardening (even for sustainability) needs to be fun too! Your roses are beautiful by the way – good luck this year too!
Thanks, Lisa! Yes, I am having fun. Though it’s a lot of work, especially pulling out weeds. But I don’t consider it a chore. All the hard work and even back pains are forgotten once we start seeing the results. All the best for us!
I really enjoy having vegetable and flower gardens and there is nothing quite as joyful as picking something you’ve grown to eat at your next meal. I wish you much success! Thank you for sharing!
I’m happy to know that you are growing food too! It’s a wonderful feeling and a sense of contentment. Thanks for dropping by Jodie 😉
Gardening is a very good hobby and also for mental relaxation. And I know nothing about this. So tomatoes need calcium? We have long summers here too. Winters is very short lived but severe. Good read I enjoyed learning a few names that could be done in a house. Thanks for sharing and coming across ur page. Xx
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Me too, I’m not into gardening. If not for school projects I wouldn’t even touch a pot or soil. Now, I understand and realize the countless benefits of this hobby, especially on mental health. I become more motivated and have that sense of never give up attitude especially when there is a failure. I find the cause of it and do it again. Just like the tomatoes! I didn’t know it needs calcium. I hope this season will be ok! Thank you Isa for sharing your thoughts! 😉
This is such a refreshing post, and so inspiring too! I’m not that great in the garden, so it’s always nice to see what’s possible if you put in the work. This has definitely motivated me to give it another go, I really love the idea of growing your own food. What an accomplishment! Great post ?
Anika | chaptersofmay.com
Thanks, Anika. I hope you can give it a go… you’ll never know you will be growing your own food soon. 😉
Unfortunately, I do t have access to any kind of space where I could create any sort of garden. But my parter does and they love gardening, so I’ll be sharing this post with them
Hi, thanks for dropping by, and appreciate it sharing this article. Take care and be safe!
I know that farm to table is not practical for everyone, so your creativity here is delightfully inspiring! Pot to table is both useful and easily doable in more urban environments. There is nothing like homegrown fresh herbs too, to add flavor to a dish.
Thanks for sharing and best of luck!
Hi Jaya! Thanks for the kind feedback. I am experiencing several challenges, but I keep going. At least I can grow a few veggies and some herbs. Fresh herbs are really a plus in every dish. 😉
Can’t wait until we’ve got our own garden and I can get stuck in, thanks for sharing!
All the best to you! I hope you will enjoy it and reap a good harvest. Thanks for reading 😉
Nice that you got into gardening. I realized that if I didn’t in 2020 I probably never will. Weather in Germany is not as forgiving as weather in Cyprus anyways 😉
Same here… all because of 2020 during the lockdown. Weather can be challenging but you can always find something to grows with it 😉
You ARE dead serious about gardening, Vinn, I’m impressed.
Tracking down the tomato fail to lack of calcium, sorting out germination…
In my twenties I lived in a shared house in Brisbane for a year and we all did some gardening there and enjoyed it, but other than that it’s just been a nostalgic thoughts to me. Your post made me think I should pick it up again. As it happens, a friend of Ellie just rented an allotment, so might visit and help out a little bit there.
Yay! Go for it. At the end of the day it is very rewarding and what a sight to see the flowers and the produce. I keep on investigating problems with the hope for good results 😉
I love this post! And I love gardening.
For peppers (hot or sweet) they need lot of heat to sprout and lot of water while producing. The best is that you let them sprout inside and then move them outside.
I totally feel the same about watermelon and cantaoups, they have great camouflagel.
DId you know that zucchini, cucumber, watermelon and some other plants you can fertilzie manually? If you want to know how DM me!
AMAZING POST !!!
Looking forward for that tomatoess!
Whooa! Thanks a lot, you are so helpful. Yes, the sweet and hot pepper are sprouting, now it’s summer here. I will surely DM you about manual fertilizer. High five! 😉
We plant a garden every year and it is a nice outdoor activity that saves money and gives us fresh veggies. Great idea
Hello! Thanks for sharing your feedback. Definitely agreeing that gardening is a good outdoor activity.
Your roses are beautiful. We try to grow a few herbs, onions, carrots, chillis, and capsicums.
Hello Wendy, me too, this season I am growing carrots and peppers. I am excited since it is my first time. All the best for us! Thanks for dropping by.
This was such a great post! Love how much more your gardening this year and planting a lot more, at home we started planting tomatoes and peas in pots and some herbs as we don’t have a garden and it’s great and so motivating to manage to eat what you grew! Can’t wait to see an update ?
Hello Cristina! Thanks for sharing your potted plants. This is very inspiring especially for those who have limited spaces. I wish you a good produce on your tomatoes and healthy herbs! Cheers ❤
I’m so in! We are starting a little herb garden so that we can skip all that wasteful plastic when you just need a touch of parsley. Looking forward to all of your tips!
Awesome! Love to hear that many of us have started this green project. At the end of this season I may have some tips and we can share notes. Thanks!
This all looks amazing ? Plant village looks so cool too! My favourite things to grow are cucumbers, lettuces, carrots, broadbeans and peas x
Hi, thanks! Unfortunately, my cucumbers didn’t grow well this year. I’ll try again next season. Just harvest baby carrots this weekend. 😉
Aw no, I’m sure the carrots were tasty tho!
I definitely want to do this too! We have a small backyard where we’ve planted plants. But I also want to plant vegetables in our garden that we can harvest when the time comes rather than buying everything from the market! It can be so expensive to buy even from wet markets these days so I’d love to grow my own veggies. Some veggies at least like tomatoes! I tried last year but I wasn’t so successful. I’m looking to try again.
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