Harvesting tomatoes, lettuce, cucumbers and pimans

Harvesting the veggies

Vegetables & cheap freehold land

Just harvested the brinjal, piman (green pepper) cucumber and cherry tomatoes for our meals. Always dream of having a small piece of land in Singapore to grow some vegetables and flowers but couldn't afford it as land is very expensive. Here, in Japan, the land is relatively cheap. You can buy a piece of freehold land (1,200 sq ft) in Fukuoka (where I am living) for about 10 million Yen or S$122,000.

Two types of tomatoes

Last season we grew only one type of tomatoes i.e. cherry tomatoes. This season we grow two types, the cherry and large tomatoes. Still waiting for them to grow bigger and riper before we pluck them. Another month perhaps.

Growing tomatoes in our garden

It may take another month or more for the cherry tomatoes (topmost pic) and the normal tomatoes to grow bigger and riper before we can harvest them. It sure is exciting to see them grow. Gardening is good for the overall health.
The spring weather is comfortable but the tomatoes need slightly warmer weather with plenty of sunshine.
Will post again when the tomatoes are ripen.

Planting summer vegetables

It is an exciting time for we have now planted the summer crops like cherry tomatoes, tomatoes, cucumber, bitter gourd and other vegetables. In about 3 months time, weather permitting, we should start to see the fruits of our labor.

Hot dry summer, smaller tomatoes

The weather is very hot and dry that the cherry tomatoes are stunned in size. There is a heat wave going on with temperature soaring to over 40c in the Tokyo area. Over here, the average top temperature is 33c which is about the same as in SG.

Our Japanese friends who have been living for many years in the older estate near our place grow many types of vegetables and fruits. Above are just 2 types of vegetables in their farm. They have peaches which they promised to give us when they are ready before the fall. Last winter, they had a lot of kakis or persimmons.

The cherry tomatoes do not ripened at the same time. Most are still green and so we have to be patient. The topmost picture is me holding a fully grown cucumber which I've plucked for my lunch. There are more cucumbers but are not fully grown yet.
For a Singaporean who has spent my whole life in an apartment, living in Japan has given me a chance to live in at least a small house with a some spare land to grow vegetables and flowers. 

Cherry tomatoes ready for picking

These are the cherry tomatoes we've successfully grown in our garden. A few are ready for picking. It gives us satisfaction to see the fruits of our labour.

Growing tomato cherries and parsley

We are trying to grow cherry tomatoes as well as a few parsley plants. As you can see the tomatoes are still green and may take a month or two before they are ripened. The last picture is the parsley plants.

Breakfast