Emergence of Edamame pods

I love to eat edamame so when Mutters friend grew them in their garten, I asked for some pods to start them off in my own garden.

I was given a few pods which I ate up... and had to ask for two more. As instructed, I sunned them really hard, before growing them. Only two succeeded, tiny twisty twiney things that climbed up my balcony and pole (in the L-shape).  One died later, after I forgot to water for days. That was very regrettable, because it started having flowers already, so it actually needed more water. I was set back for quite a while, because the one outside the apartment did not get as much sunlight so took a much longer time to climb and grow. 

And for a while, Mutter and I were debating over whether the pods were actually edamame or another plant which blue flowers were used for coloring in Peranakan cakes. Thankfully I was proven right, because finally the other plant started sprouting tiny pretty purple flowers.

Then I became worried and wondered if I needed to pollinate the damn things.

I am pleased to announce... I don't have to. This week I was very excited to discover that the edamame pods have finally started growing.

Now it's a question of when they become big enough to be harvested. I shall try very hard to restrain myself from eating them. Instead, I will use this harvest for seeds. Too bad edamame is an annual plant. Sigh. I think I will have to wait like bloody months again... before I can get a bumper crop from my new growth.

Mr Bunny Ears Cactus

This little guy was rescued from the corner of Mutters garten. Yes, he was one of the aloe vera + cactus grown by the predecessor who rented the garden, and was very lucky not to be chucked out by Mutter and gang when they took over. He, together with the crazy aloe veras, were hauled home by me. 

When he was sitting in time-out at a corner of Mutters garden, he seemed to stop growing. So I was shocked when he started sprouting a new green growth at the top of his head after being put by me at the balcony. At first I was sure it was a flower, but slightly disappointingly, it was a new ear(?).

After living me with for about 1 year (I moved into the apartment around the same time, even though I bought it 2 years ago), he started to grow another two more ears. And now I have a bunny eared cactus.

Recently looking at it carefully, one of the ears seemed to be growing a new growth again. This is quite alarming because he is starting to be too tall for his pot already. Mutter said I should just break off the ears and replant them. She also said to chuck him outside at the L-shape because it is apparently bad fengshui to have a cactus in the house. Mr Bear also agreed about this.

Finally a flower from my edamame

Patience isn't really my thing. I have been very upset that my mom's edamame plants have grown pods and died and my 3 haven't even sprouted flowers. Just loads of leaves. 

Check out the purple flower!!!

Then I saw this little side sprouts that look suspiciously like new leaves (argh) or flower buds. I was holding out against hope that it was a flower bud because  I can't eat the bloody leaves *damnit*. 

Anyway it turns out they were flowers. phew. I am pretty excited, at this point, even if it doesn't translate into flowers I will still be happy.

Just now I went home for dinner. As I was walking out, I look up into Mutter's nightmarish container garden (I will take a photo. I don't mean the one she rents). I was like wtf, that whole mass of green that I have been ignoring was actually all edamame with loads of purple flowers. Some people just have green fingers I guess.

Also note to self: I shouldn't tie my plants so tightly to the stake. Yesterday, grumbling, I was trying to scrape off white fly larvae from my edamame (I have 3) and the poor top snapped off. I thought I was going to have a coronary there and then.

two balls on a stick

The L shape garden started when we moved to the apartment. You see, when Mutter took over the garden that she rents with her friends from the previous renter, there were loads of aloe veras grown there. Mutter und gang threw out most of them and replanted the rest in pots, which they put at the edges of the garden, neglected.

Unfortunately the apartment has a lot of windows facing the common corridor. So the logical step was to carry some of these unwanted aloe veras and put them outside our windows. We had three pots of them and over time, one of them grew many babies out because there is more sunlight (same corridor but due to the angle of the building, the two that are at the other side of the door don't get direct sunlight at all). So I had more and more aloe veras.

Mr Bear pointed out that my aloe vera "mother" probably get a lot of water from me that's why it is able to proprogate so many babies. He advised that if I want to stop this (it has sprouted 6 babies already), I'd better water it lesser.

Anyway today I was moaning over my sweet potato cuttings, because it has been raining HEAVILY everyday for the last five days. So there hasn't been any sunlight at all, until the strawberry plant has mold in its mulch (despite me watering it only 1 time in 3 days). Then I happened to look sideways, and was stunned!

The "mother" has two weird green knobs growing out. My god, it looks like 2 balls on a stick. What a lovely present for Chinese New Year! :D

According to the internet, the aloe vera flowers look like this:

[source: nicholasalvarado.wordpress.com]

Given the shape of mine, I don't think they will look like that. Stay in tuned and see the development!