@remona 22 September 2022 more from that month

Garden update: Some new addition to my balcony garden with hope! The title would be about 'winter preparation' but I have no guilt approving that I was being lazy taking care of the garden for the last couple of weeks. There were guests in my house, my son was sick, and so on. When I finally got some time to take a look at my balcony garden, it upsets me.

*I know I can turn this and plant something new but what is gone will always be remembered.* Moving on... I was hoping to see the **bottle gourd** plant so passionately that I planted it 2 weeks ago! In the upcoming winter that would be a great addition to my balcony. But alas! It died because of the recent rainstorm, probably it was waterlogged I couldn't check on. *To make myself feel good and give a little hope I decided to plant some papaya seeds and some cucumber as well. Although I know that it was not a good time but I couldn't resist. My mom gave me some seeds as a gift. What a thoughtful present, no?*

*Preparation for planting Culantro* Moreover, there were some leftover **Culantro (an alternative herb for cilantro)**. Before throwing them away I thought why don't I just plant them in a pot? As I was not very present in my garden so a few other plants died over time and I got a few empty pots. I planted the Culantro there a few days ago. They are growing so well till now, I'm hopeful.

*Papaya plants after a week* And look at the papaya plants! I will separate the best one in another pot in a few days.

*Butterfly pea flower, planted a month ago, growing pretty well.*

*Moss rose/purslane* Finally, these moss roses! They are the best thing on my balcony. I got five of them; yellow, magenta, white, red, and orange. They bloom almost every single day and bring pure joy to my peaceful corner. *There is a lot to do in the upcoming days. I have to add nutrition to my soil, have to clean the pots as well as the balcony. Winter is coming, I need to prepare my balcony garden. Hopefully will make some time and will do that gradually next couple of weeks.* Have a good day, everyone.