Garden Blessings: January 2026

All bad things will pass, right? So will the various difficulties in the garden. And, I believe the more we learn, the more blessed we can be.

I've been focused on the garden for a while, so I've had little time here. I apologize for that. I'd like to invite you to see the first harvest of 2026 from my small garden.

It's a colorful harvest. I'm so happy to be able to go through with the plants recovering from the dry season after I abandoned my garden some time ago. Although some didn't survive, the percentage that did is much higher, and I'm grateful for that.

From this, I believe that every living thing, and even nature, can heal itself in its own unique way. That's amazing!

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Well, starting with the water spinach, which is ready to harvest. The water spinach is already 25 days old after planting.

I always grow this quick-growing vegetable because it doesn't require transplanting. I just need to keep the seeds in the same container until harvest.

I only harvest a few; I don't harvest all the water spinach to stock up for cooking another day.

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On the other side of the garden, I have super-strong purple eggplant plants! They can survive both drought and continuous rain. With regular fertilization, the eggplant plants eventually bear fruit abundantly.

I only use organic fertilizer, in the form of powdered eggshells and fermented goat manure that has a fine, soil-like texture.

Even though they're planted in polybags, each eggplant plant can produce more than one eggplant. That's good growth. After harvesting, I also prune the tips of the shoots so they re-sprout and grow healthier.

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To ensure healthy purple eggplant growth and minimize pests, I also plant basil among the eggplant plants. I find this very effective. It also prevents the eggplant leaves from becoming hollow due to pests.

If basil isn't available, I usually plant shallots among other plants that are susceptible to pests. It works great in the garden!

Plus, I put in brightly colored flowers to deter pests. Plus, of course, it makes my garden look prettier.

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Finally, I've reached the highlight of my garden. The start of the year is a bumper crop of chilies! My husband loves chilies, so he took the initiative to plant a lot of them. It's true that chilies can be expensive during certain months, so it's better to grow them at home.

The most important thing is that the chilies are organic. The chilies sold in the market usually contain a lot of pesticides. This is because growing chilies is tricky and susceptible to disease.

Not all the chili plants I planted in my garden were healthy. Some were infected with a yellowing virus on their leaves, which shortened their lifespan.

But overall, I have many chili plants bearing fruit abundantly. So, I've had a bountiful harvest this time.

After sharing with my neighbors, I still have plenty of chilies in stock. So, I preserved the chilies by making chili sauce with onions, then I stored them in sterilized glass jars.

My husband was very happy to have a supply of chili sauce from the organic chilies harvested in my garden. He was proud, too, because he also helped care for the chili plants in his spare time.

What have you harvested in your gardens? Or, have you started gardening for the new year? Stay healthy!

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Best Regards,
Anggrek Lestari

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