Happy Days Plants

05/20/2023

Princeton Plaza Farmers' Market
1375 Blossom Hill Rd San Jose

Tomorrow - Sunday May 21st 9-1

Please drop by and tell your gardening friends.

05/14/2023

Grow your own. You get organic (if you choose), sweet and tender beyond imagination, the freshest they can be, way more nutritious, and so much more cost effective (considering the food prices today)

My one bottle gourd plant gave me 13lb+ a week. Bitter Gourd - 6-7lbs. The rest, we ate without weighing but it was plenty and then some more for our family of 5 at the time.

I grow completely organically and provide growing support over email throughout the season.
[email protected]

The shop is open. Order using this form.
https://forms.gle/X6AQMC4m7j2BcThM9

I 💚💚💚

05/14/2023

How do I separate and grow my beans (all kinds including papdi) and okra.

At pickup:

Night time temperatures should be consistently 55 degrees or more for transplant. The pot can handle the plant for next two weeks easily. Keep the plants next to a heated house wall, away from the wind.

At transplant:

Choose a sunny spot. Dig a hole bigger than the root ball and plant. Water right after transplanting.
Sun protection and cold protection is required till the plant is established in its new spot. I use a thin cotton sheet for the purpose.
Use a trellis for vining varieties.

To separate the beans and okra plants, soak the pots in lot of water till they are really soggy and dripping with water. Lay them down flat on their side and gentle tear the fabric. Very gently peel out plants one by one without causing root damage. They should easily separate if the soil is soaking wet.

Gently put each separated plant n its spot and fill with soft soil (Free of big chunks or wood or rocks). Gently press down. Water well but do not use a hose. hand water with a soft gentle stream. ****Provide Sun and cold protection till they establish****

Growth: Apply (organic) fertilizer according to package instructions.
Train the vines in the desired direction on the trellis.
I like to water in the mornings. Just my choice.
Cut / prune / clean spent branches or damaged leaves.
Pollination: Not required.
Disease Control: Beans are usually pretty resistant.

Always remove damaged branches or leaves etc.

Harvest: Harvest often. Harvest Okra almost every day or every other day to get tender pods. Enjoy the fruit of your labor.

05/07/2023

How do I grow my Gourds and Squashes?

Care Information:

Bottle Gourds, Bitter Gourds, Snake Gourds, Ridge Gourds, Apple Gourds, Sponge Gourds, Cucumbers, Pumpkins.

At pickup:

Night time temperatures should be consistently 55 degrees or more for transplant. The pot can handle the plant for next two weeks easily. Keep the plants next to a heated house wall, away from the wind.

At transplant:

Choose a sunny spot. Dig a hole bigger than the root ball and plant. Water right after transplanting.
Sun protection and cold protection is required till the plant is established in its new spot. I use a thin cotton sheet for the purpose.
These plants need a trellis to climb on. (Except pumpkins) My netted trellis is nailed to the fence and attached to the ground using U shaped garden staples.

Growth:

Apply (organic) fertilizer according to package instructions. Train the vines in the desired direction on the trellis.
Water at the bottom of the plants and avoid getting the leaves wet as much as possible.
I like to water in the mornings. (So they are hydrated for the sunny day and the leaves don't sit wet on a relatively cooler night. Reduces the chances of powdery mildew)
Cut / prune / clean spent branches or damaged leaves.
There are videos on 2g and 3g cuttings, however I have never done that.

Pollination:

Use a flat paintbrush to collect pollen from male flowers and transfer to the female flower. Hand pollination increases yield.
For smaller flowers like cucumbers, simply rub the male flower onto the female flower.
The Best time to hand pollinate is when the flowers have freshly bloomed.
Planting pollinator friendly flowers helps a lot and looks good as well. Dahlias, Zinnias, Marigolds and a variety of Basils are my favorite.

Disease Control:

Check for powdery mildew regularly. If spotted, immediately remove the affected leaves.
Make a solution of 1 part fat free milk to 3 parts water. Spray top and bottom surfaces of the leaves and stems. Repeat as necessary. Plants can recover from powdery mildew if spotted early.
Watering at the bottom reduces the chances of powdery mildew.
Always remove spent flowers, damaged branches or leaves etc.

Harvest:

Harvest often and when the fruits are young. Enjoy the fruit of your labor.

05/07/2023

Oh Yay! Happy Days Plants is going to a farmer's market.

Tell your gardening friends and come by to say hi. Looking forward to tomorrow.

05/02/2023

Hi. Here is the order form for the 1st round. Pickups begin May 5th onwards. More vegetables in round 2.

https://forms.gle/X6AQMC4m7j2BcThM9

Pumpkins may be another week out. I will keep you updated if they are ready sooner.

Thank you 🙏

04/29/2023

They are here!!!!

Thank you for patiently waiting for these little guys to grow up and strengthen. They look wonderful. I will publish an order form soon and the pickups start next weekend onwards. All plants may not be ready at once, please watch this space for updates.

I will have the following available by end of next week.
Bottle gourd
Bitter gourd
Snake gourd
Ridge gourd
Apple gourd (tinda)
Indian cucumber
Armenian long cucumber
Indian green pumpkin
Orange sugar pie pumpkin
Surati papdi
Scarlet runner beans (few)
Long beans
Dahlias (awesome pollinator friendly)
Zinnias
4’o clocks
Marigolds
Wheatgrass
Blue butterfly pea / shanku

And shortly after that I will have the following in addition.
Amaranth
Indian eggplants - small purple, bharta green and purple, long green, striped, purple and white
Indian sour tomato
Cluster beans / guvar
Moringa
Okra
Indian hot peppers
Tulsi - Rama and Krishna
Basils - Thai, Italian, Sweet and Purple
Watermelon
Cantaloupe

As always, feel free to email your questions about growing, watering, trellising, fertilizing, pruning, temperature fluctuations protection or disease control.
[email protected]

Wishing a fruitful growing season 2023 to all of us.

04/13/2023

Hello! My favorite plant people!

Welcome to the 2023 growing season.

An unexpectedly long covid made me start the season a little late but we are all caught up in good time.

We bring to you Bottle gourds, Bitter gourds, Snake gourds, Ridge gourds, Indian cucumbers, Surati papdi, Indian pumpkin, Sugar pie pumpkin, Gawar, Long beans, Green beans, Indian tomatoes, Tinda, Okra, Watermelon and Cantaloupe. Indian hot peppers will follow them a little later.
A bunch of pollinators friendly flowers to accompany these wonderful vegetables - Dahlias, Zinnias, Cosmos, Sunflowers and Marigolds.

As always, all our plants are completely organically grown without the use of any sprays. They all come with detailed growing instructions and support through the growing season. If I know the solution, I will definitely share with you.

Keep an eye on this space for growth updates and plants readiness. I will post an order form as and when the plants are ready. 🪴🌺

06/24/2022

06/19/2022

Happy Father's Day!

Great Green-Gift for all the amazing dads in your life. Or just for yourself!!!

Father's Day Special : Bitter Gourd + Ridge Gourd COMBO with extras (While stock lasts) for $15.

Order today, pickup at your convenience. I hold only upon payment.

Order Form Link
https://forms.gle/whSNFsjuAxViVw3J7