MI CALMA: SEMBRAR, COSECHAR Y CULTIVAR LA TIERRA
I started to sow, harvest and grow plants in pots, at this time I did not have direct spaces in the ground to sow, nor any kind of garden, only a reduced space on the roof of the house, still this was not an obstacle for me, nor for my dream of having my small garden.
I started to take seeds from fruits and vegetables, I asked my friends who had gardens to give me plants or seeds, I also bought some seeds, then at home I spent a lot of time watching videos on the internet, I had a lot of gardening books that I only discovered in the library when I started to be interested in planting, I became self-taught in this subject, I even started to create manuals with photos and step by step to share my passion with close friends.
Having a small garden, a vegetable garden, a farm or even a little corner with plants gives your life a lot of peace, tranquility, love, I wanted my little oasis. At the beginning I felt very much inclined to fruit plants, vegetables and spices, I wanted to have some kind of retribution from working the land, but the floral and ornamental plants are more necessary than I thought, the oasis is not complete if there are no pollinators that are attracted to our plants.
I grabbed EVERYTHING I thought I could use for planting, I started the job of recycling inside the house, I took pots from the kitchen that were useless for cooking, I cut up all the plastic pots I could find, I used a baby bathtub I found, I used an anime tub that was useless because it had broken, soon at home I had no more to recycle. Then I started to pay more attention when I was walking down the street and saw things that I knew were going to be perfect. At this time I was living in an upper middle class area in Caracas, and in the neighboring buildings they were throwing away large wooden furniture, the same that ended up on the roof of the house 🤣, I remember taking home some drawers, and other furniture that you can see in the photos.
Agarré TODO lo que pensé que podría servirme para sembrar, empecé el trabajo de reciclar dentro de la casa, tomé ollas de la cocina que no servían para cocinar, corte todos los potes de plástico que encontré, use una bañera de bebé que encontré, use papeleras dañadas, un guacal, cavas de anime que no servían porque se habían roto, pronto en casa ya no encontré mas que reciclar. Entonces empecé a prestar más atención cuando iba caminando por la calle y veía cosas que sabían iban a ser perfectas. En este momento estaba viviendo en una zona en Caracas de clase media alta, y en los edificios vecinos desechaban muebles de madera grandes, los mismos que terminaron en el techo de la casa, recuerdo llevarme a la casa algunas gavetas, y otros muebles que pueden apreciar en las fotos.
My first experience was making a mess with some coriander seeds, I sowed all the seeds that I had been given and that same day a torrential rain fell that killed everything, I thought that all was lost, I continued with my hopes taking care of the pot, until two weeks later the first coriander sprouts appeared, coriander sprouts are really beautiful, I have no photos, but it is a spectacle. I discovered that I could make it, but being more cautious when they were just planted, give them away with atomizer and not directly from the hose or from the pot.
I also had to start buying some organic products to feed my plants, better known as worm humus, which is equal to 💩 of worms, I got people on the internet from Charallave (Miranda State) who sold me products in liquid and solid state, before buying, I wanted everything I used to be 100% organic, so I ordered all of them and even sent me pictures of their crops, very handmade and effective.
Mi primera experiencia fue haciendo un desastre con unas semillas de cilantro, sembré todas las semillas que me habían regalado y ese mismo día cayó una torrencial lluvia que acabó con todo, pensé que todo estaba perdido, seguí con mis esperanzas cuidando la maceta, hasta que dos semanas después aparecieron los primeros brotes de cilantro, los brotes de cilantro son realmente hermosos, no les tengo fotos, pero es un espectáculo. Descubrí que podía lograrlo, pero teniendo más precaución cuando estuvieran recién sembradas, regalarlas con atomizador y no directo de la manguera o del pote.
También tuve que empezar a comprar algunos productos orgánicos para alimentar mis plantas, mejor conocido como humus de lombriz, lo que es igual a 💩 de lombrices, conseguí personas por internet de Charallave (Edo. Miranda) que me vendieron productos en estado líquido y sólido, antes de comprar, quería que todo lo que usara fuera 100% orgánico, asi que pedi todos y hasta fotos de sus cultivos me enviaron, muy artesanales y efectivos.
My disasters did not stop me, but not at all, I became a fan of planting, I had organized a schedule of activities to do: planting, watering, weeding the bush, I wanted to have all the plants on the small roof, I even started to put bushes in the window of the room, I felt very comfortable planting, my heart very happy and excited, besides all the colors and flavors that I began to experience were a thousand times more delicious than fruits and vegetables from the supermarket.
Having a small garden, a vegetable garden, a farm or even a little corner with plants gives your life a lot of peace, tranquility, love, I wanted my own little oasis. At the beginning I felt very much inclined to fruit plants, vegetables and spices, I wanted to have some kind of retribution from working the land, but floral and ornamental plants are more necessary than I thought, the oasis is not complete if there are no pollinators that are attracted to our plants.
Mis desastres no me detuvieron, pero para nada, me volví fanática de sembrar, tenía organizado un cronograma de actividades para hacer: sembrar, regar, deshierbar el monte, quería tener todas las plantas en el pequeño techo, incluso hasta empecé a poner matas en la ventana del cuarto, me sentía muy cómoda sembrando, mi corazón muy contento y emocionado, aparte que todos los colores y sabores que empecé a experimentar era mil veces más deliciosos que las frutas y vegetales del supermercado.
Tener un pequeño jardín, una huerta, una granja o hasta un rinconcito con plantas proporciona a sus vidas mucha paz, tranquilidad, amor, yo quería mi pequeño oasis. Al inicio sentía muchísima inclinación a las plantas frutales, vegetales y especias, quería tener alguna clase de retribución de trabajar la tierra, pero las plantas florales y ornamentales son más necesarias de lo que creía, el oasis no está completo si no hay polinizadores que se sientan atraídos por nuestras plantas.
It is NOT easy at all, because plants are like people, they have similarities but they are all different, some prefer a lot of sun, others a lot of shade, a lot of water or little water, big spaces to be planted or small spaces, it is very important that you investigate well what each of the plants you want to have needs, it is also important that you know which are the plants that grow ideally in your country, mainly because of the climate, for example: I love apples, and it would be great to have an apple tree and eat apples in a few years, but in Caracas, Venezuela, in the tropical climate I will not get apples, so to not feel distressed you should know what types of plants will grow in your climate and above all, they will give you fruits.
Personally I planted hibiscus flower (surely you have heard something about it), it is a little stick that does not require too much space to give you its fruits, and best of all, you can do many things with it: infusions, chocolates, food, it is very very versatile and also gives a lot of flowers from a single plant. WARNING: remember that up to this moment I only have limited space on the roof of the house, so I can only plant in pots, but if you have the opportunity to plant this in the ground, you will have a giant hibiscus flower tree.
I became a real tomato expert, I love tomatoes and in my country because of the climate from February onwards it grows very well, I say that I became an expert, because I suffered too much with tomatoes, many pests fell on them, or rot, it is a black - brown spot that appears on tomatoes due to excess of water, besides tomato plants are families of "sativas" which means wild, but they are super delicate, you have to take care of them too much. If you are going to plant tomatoes, I recommend that you have a lot of patience, because one day you have 20 tomatoes growing, but the next day they are withered, fallen, rotten or some pest fell on them, it is important that you monitor your plants and control that they are not too dry or wet, because if this happens the plant is stressed and is very vulnerable to some evil. Personally I rely a lot on a natural pesticide taken from a seed called neem, with this they make oils that you dilute in water and it helps you to control pests.
Me convertí en una verdadera experta de los tomates, amo el tomate y en mi país por el clima a partir de febrero se da muy bien, digo que me convertí en experta, porque sufrí demasiado con los tomates, le caían muchas plagas, o podredumbre, es una mancha negra - marrón que le salen a los tomates por exceso de agua, aparte las plantas de tomate son familias de las “sativas” que quiere decir salvajes, pero son super delicadas, hay que cuidarlas demasiado. Si vas a sembrar tomates, yo te recomiendo que tengas mucha mucha paciencia, porque un día tienes 20 tomates en crecimiento, pero al día siguiente están marchitos, caídos, podridos o les cayó alguna plaga, es importante que monitorees tus plantas y controles que no están demasiado secas o húmedas, ya que si esto pasa la planta se estresa y está muy vulnerable a algún mal. En lo personal me apoye mucho en un pesticida natural sacado de una semilla llamada neem con esto hacen unos aceites que diluyes en agua y te ayuda para el control de las plagas, trata de comprarlo orgánico.
There are plants that are much easier to grow than others, for example the strawberry, mint, and lettuce; the first two I got from cuttings, which means that from a mother plant I get other small plants, since it is super easy. Let's start talking about the strawberry, from a single strawberry plant that was given to me I got to have 17, they are constantly reproducing, what you have to do is to clean the leaves that dry and wither, they will naturally give children, When you want the strawberry to bear fruit, the only thing you have to do is to separate one plant from the other, it will bear a white flower stick and from each one of them you will get a strawberry. Mint is a real delight, it smells wonderful and you can use it in any preparation, I even made rice with mint. And last but not least, my favorite, lettuce, it is so easy to have lettuce, and best of all, it is so nice that you can plant it in the same pot with other plants.
Hay plantas mucho más fáciles de cultivar que otras, por ejemplo la fresa, la menta, y la lechuga; las dos primeras las obtuve de esquejes, lo que quiere decir que de una planta madre saque otras pequeñas plantas, ya que es super fácil. Empecemos a hablar de la fresa, de una sola planta de fresa que me regalaron llegue a tener 17, ellas constantemente se están reproduciendo, lo que tienes es que ir limpiando las hojas que se secan y se marchitan, ellas de forma natural van a ir dando hijos, sacan tipo un brazo y tu lo que haces es que la metes dentro de otro matero y ya entonces tienes otra planta, cuando desees que la fresa té de frutos lo único que tienes que hacer es separar una planta de otra, ella va a sacar un palito con flor blanca y de cada una de ellas obtienes una fresa. La menta, es una verdadera delicia, huele maravilloso y puedes usarla en cualquier preparación, yo hasta el arroz lo hacía con menta. Y por ultima, pero mi favorita, la lechuga, es demasiado fácil tener lechuga, y lo mejor de todo, ella es tan agradable que la puedes sembrar en la misma maceta con otras plantas.
Tapirama, this is a venezuelan been, it is a very productive plant (it gives many grains) and with high nutritional value, the flavor is bitter, but if you use enough seasonings you can improve the flavor.
Tapirama es un grano venezolano, viene de una planta altamente productiva (da muchos granos) y con alto valor nutritivo, el sabor es amargo, pero si usas suficientes aliños puedes mejorarlo. Los aliños son el resto de otros vegetales que usamos para darle sabor a nuestas comidas: cebolla, cebollin, aji dulces, picantes o cualquier otro que funcione.
In one of my many visits to the gardens I found a peculiar plant that I did not want to stop having, it is called Yellow Electric Flower, it comes from Brazil, its official plant name is Spilanther oleracea, and it is a "natural anesthetic", a few leaves in the mouth and it puts you to sleep momentarily in a sensory way. I took it home with the purpose of preparing infusions that would allow me to have a more restful sleep. As part of my experience I must tell you that it helped me a lot with my bruxism (teeth wear while sleeping). It does not have any kind of hallucinogenic properties, it is a wonderful plant, it can help you with stress, sleep better, repair any kind of minor ailment, its anesthetic effect is super mild, it is not potent at all (I know you are probably wondering).
En unas de mis tantas visitas a los viveros encontré una peculiar planta que no quería dejar de tener, se llama Flor eléctrica amarilla, proviene de Brasil, su nombre oficial de plantas es Spilanther oleracea, y es un “anestésico natural”, unas hojitas en la boca y te duerme momentáneamente de forma sensorial. Yo la lleve a casa con la finalidad de preparar infusiones que me permitieran tener un sueño mas reparador. Como parte de mi experiencia debo contarles que me ayudo muchisimo con mi bruxismo (desgaste de dientes mientras duermes). No tiene ningpún tipo de propiedad alucinante, es una planta maravillosa, que puede ayudarte con el estres, dormir mejor, reparar algun tipo de dolencia mínima, su efecto anestésico es super leve, no es para nada potente (sé que seguro te lo estás preguntando).
Purple basil is one of the many essential plants you need to have in your garden, its care is very basic, but I had an accident planting this, and I also had white basil, and all mutated and became purple, so if you have both, I recommend having them far enough away so they do not cross each other, although some types of pollinators can also cause this, so do not panic if it happens to you and you have them at a considerable distance, nature will not be stopped by humans.
La albahaca morada es un de las tantas plantas esenciales que necesitas tener en tu jardín, sus cuidados son muy básico, pero tuve un accidente sembrando esto, y es que también tenía albahaca blanca, y todas mutaron y se convirtieron en moradas, así que si tienes ambas, te recomiendo tenerlas lo suficientemente alejadas para que no se crucen entre ellas, aunque algunos tipos de polinizadores también pueden causar esto, así que no te asustes si igual te ocurre y las tienes a una distancia considerable, la naturaleza no será detenida por el humano.
Onions are great, but when you plant your own onions you will realize that the taste is 10000 times better than the ones from the store, it is amazing to see its evolution and growth, I had two types: red and white. In many places it is known as purple onion, but actually its classification is "red bermuda", so it is red by definition. Red onion is a delight, it is my favorite, it is soft, sweet and special, you can make it any way you want and it doesn't leave that taste in your mouth when you eat it raw.
There are three kinds of onion: yellow, white and red.
Las cebollas son geniales, pero cuando siembres tus propias cebollas te vas a dar cuenta que el sabor es 10000 veces mejor que las de la tienda, es increíble ver su evolución y crecimiento, yo tuve dos tipos: la roja y la blanca. En muchos lugares es conocida como cebolla morada, pero realmente su clasificación es “red bermuda”, así que es roja por definición. La cebolla roja es una delicia, es mi favorita, es suave, dulce y especial, puedes hacerla de la forma que desees y no te deja ese sabor en la boca cuando la comes cruda.
Hay tres clases de cebolla: la amarilla, la blanca y la roja.
After taking care of my corn plants for months they gave me ears without teeth, they were missing a lot, this happens because she needs enough sun and enough water, I had not told you before, but planting in Venezuela is a real uncertainty, sometimes no water comes to your house for a week and you have no way to water the plants, there is barely enough water to wash and cook, but just in this area of Caracas, the water came once a week.
Después de cuidar durante meses mis plantas de maíz me dieron mazorcas sin dientes, les faltaban un montón, esto ocurre porque ella necesita suficiente sol y suficiente agua, no les habia comentado antes, pero sembrar en Venezuela es una verdadera incertidumbre, en ocasiones no llega agua a tu casa por una semana y no tienes cómo regar las plantas, apenas y hay agua suficiente para asearte y cocinar, pero justamente en esta zona de Caracas, llegaba el agua una vez a la semana.
THIS HISTORY WILL CONTINUE
In future posts I will tell you how my love for planting continues, I will tell you in advance that I had the opportunity to experiment with two of the strongest spices in the world according to the Scoville scale: Habanero Chocolate and Carolina Reaper, and I was also lucky enough to create some gardens for my friends and work on a large plot of land, where besides cleaning it and recycling everything I could, I left a garden of love for my second family: Rios Valencia.
ESTA HISTORIA CONTINUARÁ
En próximos posts les contaré como continua mi amor por la siembra, les adelanto que tuve la oportunidad de experimentar con dos de los picantes más fuertes del mundo según la escala Scoville: Habanero Chocolate y Carolina Reaper, y también tuve la suerte crear algunos jardines para mis amigos y trabajar en un gran terreno, donde además de limpiarlo y reciclar todo lo que pude, deje un huerto de amor para mi segunda familia: Rios Valencia.
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