Where is my jungle?

Studies have shown that people who live in nature and around animals other than humans, live longer as they have healthier lives.

If you live among trees and mountains the chances of living longer are higher.

I have lived all over the world luckily and really loved every place I had the opportunity to live in and I’m so grateful for it, enjoying each country for its uniqueness and all the gifts it had.

When you travel you have to be open and accept the beauty of each place. That doesn’t mean you have to compromise or give up some things that you like as there is always a way 🙂

The jungle lives in my blood and it calls me no matter where I go. Plants give us so much, and treating them with respect as if they are family members is part of my life.

Not all places will have a forest around or garden nearby (I know it might seem like I am asking for a lot but truly I’m not).

Living in a city can make you feel drained, especially if it is crowded sometimes. This can alter how our bodies recover and heal, as we are not longer living in a community where life happens in a different way.

To resolve my earthy need of a forest jungle, I came up with an easy solution that anyone can use.

Would you like try grow some food in your home?

When I moved to Malta it was no different. I also wanted to plant and grow some food as I have done before, so I started to grow some seeds in containers in the balcony and when the weather got colder I brought the plants inside.

It is very easy to create container gardens out of nothing. If you feel like you can handle a plant or two, I can show you how to create your own little indoor garden from your own “house seeds and produce”

Avocado, green pepper & blood orange seeds

Planting seeds by the farmers almanac is my way to go… which is to plant by the moon phases. I plant my seeds usually on the new moon or waxing moon as the sap flow is returning to earth, meaning it is a good time for planting seeds.

This way of planting is very easy, you don’t need anything but to look at the moon and see in which phase is in and if don’t know just by looking at it, there are plenty of apps that can show you the moon phases.

First of all make sure to collect all seeds from fruits and vegetables from the produce you get at the store. Like Lemons, oranges, tomatoes, peppers, anything that has a seed. Also save any chives or spring onions even if they are old as you can cut them to replant them.

I let all seeds dry before I plant them. This can take a few days depending of the type of seed. I do this to prevent the seed from rotting as it is trying to grow once is planted.

If you are not sure about using your own seeds, you may find them at your local farmers market or even at the supermarket.

Use recycled containers from home if you don’t want to spend any money. Any plastic container has potential and is suitable for container gardening no matter how small.

Once I have all the containers, soil and seeds ready, I start planting them.

It is important to know how deep you need to plant your seeds as well. As some seeds like celery like tall containers.

Use this as an easy little guide.

Little seeds don’t need much depth, 1 to 2 cm maybe, the bigger the seed the deeper you need to plant it and the bigger container for its roots but to start you can do it anywhere.

Also some of the seeds might grow a big root and some may have a tiny root, so knowing this in advance will help you into getting the most out of what you plant.

If you like coriander (cilantro) you can buy the seeds at the grocery store, they sell them in the spice aisle, as far as I know. I plant them all the time and they grow quite fast.

Once you have planted all your seeds, it can take from a week to 15 days for seeds to sprout.

While you are waiting for your seeds to sprout it is important to protect them from the cold, seeds don’t like it when the temperature drops too much.

Make sure to keep the soil moist to help them grow. You need to water them everyday, if possible with a spray.

If your container is small, what you planted might have get a bit too big and it will be left without much room, so just transplant the plant to a bigger container.