One of the easiest and most rewarding things to grow right at home is spring onions, and surprisingly, you can do it with a humble yellow onion from the supermarket. I recently tried this myself, and here’s how it worked for me.
The Accidental Start
It all began when I picked up a few big yellow onions from the supermarket. I left them on a tray in the kitchen, planning to use them later in cooking. After about a week, I noticed green shoots starting to sprout from the top of one of the onions. Seeing those green tips gave me an idea – instead of letting the onion sit any longer, why not try growing fresh spring onions?
Planting the Onion
My mother-in-law offered to help and transferred the sprouting onion into a flower pot on our balcony. She carefully buried about a quarter of the onion’s bottom in soil, leaving the green shoots exposed to sunlight. We made sure the soil was well-draining, as onions can rot easily if they’re waterlogged.
Photo taken on 2 October 2024
Daily Growth and Care
Every day, I’d peek out onto the balcony to see those green onion leaves inching their way up. It was amazing how quickly they grew! We watered the pot lightly every day, just enough to keep the soil slightly moist without drowning the onion. The sunlight and daily care helped our spring onions flourish.
Ready for Harvest
After a month, the spring onion leaves were tall and vibrant, perfect for harvesting. It’s about time for us to cut the spring onions and add them to our steamed fish dishes and other meals. There’s nothing like the flavor and freshness of homegrown ingredients!
Photo taken on 22 October 2024, 20 days after planting the onion.
Growing Tips for Your Own Spring Onions
Choose a healthy onion: Look for onions that have small green shoots sprouting from the top.
Plant in well-draining soil: Place about a quarter of the onion into the soil to avoid rotting.
Provide sunlight: Make sure the pot is in a sunny location.
Water moderately: Too much water can cause the onion to rot.
Gardening has a way of teaching us valuable life lessons. It’s a journey of nurturing, patience, and resilience, and it’s a journey that I embarked on when I acquired a small pot of Prosperity Flower about eight years ago from a fund-raising event at my church. This unassuming plant, with its vibrant pink flowers, has been a symbol of hope and perseverance in my life.
I remember the day I brought my Prosperity Flower home from church. It was Cass who chose the plant among all the plants and items on sale that morning. It was a modest acquisition, a tiny plant with just a handful of leaves and, notably, no flowers. But it was the beginning of a beautiful relationship. Over the years, it graced Cass and me with stunning pink blossoms that never failed to bring joy to our hearts.
As with any journey, there were hurdles to overcome. My beloved Prosperity Flower began to show signs of distress. Its leaves started to curl inwards, wither, and eventually drop. The plant was fighting an unidentified disease, and my heart ached each time I witnessed its struggle. My MIL took drastic measures, pruning the plant until only a small branch remained. She also initiated a transplant to another pot, hoping to save what was left.
Throughout the pandemic, the plant was very ill with leaves that would grow and then sadly curled inwards and withered. She stopped bearing her vibrant pink flowers. She mirrored the challenges and uncertainties we all faced during those difficult times. It was as if my beloved Prosperity Flower felt our struggles and pain.
But then came a turning point. One day, I decided to take matters into my own hands. I added organic fertilizer to all my potted plants and herbs on the condo balcony, including the beleaguered Prosperity Flower. I meticulously fed my green companions with kitchen scraps like fruit peels, tea leaves, rice water, and eggshells. I also upped the watering frequency to two or three times a day.
And then, the magic happened. My plant started to grow more leaves and the disease seemed to have been healed. The leaves no longer turn inward and wither. The organic fertilizer resuscitated the Prosperity Flower and other plants that were lacklustre.
A week ago, I noticed tiny flower buds beginning to sprout on the Prosperity Flower. My heart danced with excitement. Cass was excited too. Today, those buds blossomed into vibrant pink flowers once more. It was a moment of triumph, not just for my little plant, but for me as a new gardener.
I almost gave up on my Prosperity Flower when all that was left was just a short trunk and a branch no longer than 10cm with no leaves, no flowers and devoid of life. Luckily I gave her a second chance to prove herself.
Not only did my Prosperity Flower resurrect after I fed it with organic fertilizer, all the other plants that I fed fertilizer with suddenly grew beautifully. The pandan plant gifted to us by my mil’s friend doubled up in size with beautiful green aromatic leaves. I was elated. I have really underestimated what the food of life aka fertilizer can do to plants.
My journey with the Prosperity Flower has shown me that plants, like humans, require tender loving care, nourishment, and consistent support. They respond to our efforts and thrive when we are diligent in tending to their needs. It’s an allegory for life itself, where resilience and nurturing can lead to beautiful outcomes.
As I watch the baby pink blossoms each time I walk into my balcony, I’m reminded that life is filled with ups and downs. Just as the Prosperity Flower rebounds from adversity and an almost hopeless state of salvation, so can we. I’ve also discovered that I’m developing a newfound passion for gardening. The wish for a larger balcony to cultivate more edible plants, and vibrant flowers is now on my mind 🥀 🌺🎍 🪴
Are you looking for the top furniture upholstery shop in Petaling Jaya, Selangor? A reliable furniture upholstery shop can help to give your old furniture a new look. This will restore your existing furniture and save you money instead of buying brand-new expensive furniture.
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● Sofa Upholstery Their team has been working in this industry for many years and has experienced sofa upholsterers who can customize sofas for you. Look for them if you are looking to renew your old couch at home. ● Bed Upholstery Choosing a bed upholstery service gives a luxurious feeling to your bed and overall bedroom’s appearance and provides some support for your spine when you sit on your bed to read at night before sleeping. ● Chair Upholstery If you have old chairs that you are thinking of throwing away and replacing them with new ones, you can check if your chairs are suitable to be reupholstered. You can save money because reupholstering is often cheaper than buying new furniture.
Why Should You Choose Top Sofa Repair Compared To Other Sofa Repair Companies? ● Great Customer Satisfaction They have many great customer reviews which makes them thrive in the furniture industry providing sofa service at affordable prices. They are definitely a recommended choice for customers who are looking for a quality furniture repair shop in Ara Damansara, Selangor.
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Covid-19 has changed the way most of us purchase our necessities. In a short 1.5 years ever since the start of the pandemic, many of us have now switched to online shopping as many physical retail outlets all over the world are closed due to lockdown measures. Ever since the authorities imposed a movement control order in our country in March last year, more than 50% of my purchases have been switched from physical shopping to online shopping. Initially I didn’t really enjoy online shopping as I wasn’t familiar with how I should go about to get free shipping and cashback. But after I’d finally figured out that by just spending a couple of minutes several times a day on the shopping platform, I could collect free shipping vouchers, cash back vouchers and other freebies. The prices of the items in my shopping cart sometimes go down too. These vouchers have helped me save quite a bit from my online purchases. Besides, I get to save on petrol and parking and most importantly, my time, through online shopping.
Ever since we fostered Haru, a stray kitten, I have to do quite a bit of shopping for her. From cat litter to wet food, cat snacks, cat milk powder, litter tray, cat toys, catnip to scratch board, I never knew that having a cat involves so much shopping! Thankfully I can get all of Haru’s essentials from pet shops online without having to leave the safety and comforts of my house. The next on my shopping wish list for Haru is an enclosed covered cat litter box. Haru’s current litter box is not covered and she, who’s an OCD cat (just like her human mom!) sometimes causes a mess with sand strewn everywhere with her obsessive digging and covering up after she’s done with her deed .
On my wish list – a covered cat litter box for our cat.Cat interactive toys for our cat who loves interacting with moving objects. Haru always makes us laugh whenever she chases and catches light moving things like a piece of unwanted plastic bag.
Online shopping has helped me keep my sanity in check throughout the lockdown. Many of my friends are finding the same thrill scouting and shopping for cheap stuff like house plants for sale and cheap household storage products during the lockdown to beat the cabin fever. One friend even bought cheap condoms during a sale and was tickled pink with her cheap finds that she posted about her purchase on social media.
Sherilyn will surely love this beautiful succulent. I love this indoor hanging planter shelf. Throw in some indoor plants and the living room will instantly look transformed and livened.
Analysts and e-commerce companies like Aoin predict that the growing trend of online shopping is here to stay even when the pandemic is over. As I have now mastered the art of online shopping to save money and time, I prefer online shopping over mall shopping. Of course, I do miss mall shopping but I think I’m going to stay safe at home for some time until the pandemic in our country is under control and it’s safe for us to venture out again.
Carpet cleaning is never anyone’s favourite job. It involves a lot of hard work, and bending up and down to vacuum your carpet for a long time may also cause body aches. However, although it is really tough work, it is true that your home carpet cleanliness is important.
The beauty, performance, value and sustainability of carpets makes it the right choice for your home. Hence, do engage a carpet cleaning service in Kuala Lumpur.
Why choose a professional carpet cleaning service?
Professionals clean efficiently
Cleaning carpet can be a difficult process unless you are a professional carpet cleaner. Besides, they are well-trained and able to clean your carpet fast and with the right way, comparing you to clean it yourself.
More effective cleaning methods and odor and stain removal
If your carpet is seriously stained and you cannot remove it by yourself, it’s time to look for the professional cleaner to remove it for you as they have years of experience in dealing with stubborn carpet stain and odor.
Extends carpet useful life
Carpets are usually not cheap and you will want to use your carpets and rugs for many years. You may accidentally damage them. Hence, with the help of a professional carpet cleaning service in Selangor, you can count on the life of the carpet to be extended by several years.
Saves you time and hassle
Things go much easier when you hire someone to do the work for you. Try to imagine if you are deciding to DIY, you must handle all the movement of the furniture, vacuum the carpet, and then move back the carpet to its place. Therefore, leave everything to the carpet cleaners, you can just relax or save your time up for other house chores. Performing the cleaning chore yourself requires a few hours of energy to clean your carpet.
Know your carpet specifications
An experienced carpet cleaner has a certain understanding of the characteristics of each carpet and knows the proper and safe cleaning products for your carpet type. This can greatly reduce risk of damage to your carpet by determining the type of cleaning technology to suit your carpet.
Last but not least, sit back and relax, and leave it to a trusted carpet cleaner for effective house carpet maintenance and carpet wash service. They have the appropriate cleaning tools to create a hygienic working environment. Don’t stress yourself out, always do enough research and engage a reliable carpet cleaning service which can suit your needs.
Planted from just stems after we ate the leaves, these Malabar spinach are finally ready for harvest after 5-6 weeks. They are grown on a pot on our condo’s tiny balcony.
Such a bountiful harvest! But the girls ain’t big fans of slimy vegetables. Only the adults eat them. But the mil is replanting the stems again for another round of harvest. Why waste something that can be replicated for free and it’s organic, right?
Tonight we’re going to have Malabar spinach egg drop soup again. Don’t care about the girls. They don’t know what they’re missing out when they don’t eat this wholesome veggie. But I believe that one day they’re grow to like this vegetable, just like yours truly who used to hate this dish each time my late maternal granny cooked it🤭
