Latest news with #MyGarden
Daily Mirror
15 hours ago
- General
- Daily Mirror
Tomatoes grow better and taste sweeter if planted next to flower
Gardening expert Ellen Mary explains why you should plant marigolds near your tomatoes Cultivating tomatoes is an incredibly fulfilling experience, yielding an abundance of fresh, nutritious produce that surpasses the flavor of anything found in the supermarket. Recently, I planted tomatoes alongside basil, hoping to enhance the flavour of my harvest. The plant has already begun to produce an impressive amount of fruit, showing no signs of damage. Eager to expand my tomato crop and with June being the last opportunity to plant, I visited my local garden centre to get another tomato plant. This time, I also picked up some marigolds, renowned for being one of the best companion plants for tomatoes, particularly in deterring pests. Not only do marigolds provide vibrant, prolific blooms that add colour to any area, but they also offer numerous benefits. According to gardening experts Jim and Mary Competti of This Is My Garden, marigolds are "pure gold", helping you "grow your best crop of tomatoes ever". Marigolds are exceptionally resilient, withstanding drought, pests, and heat. They attract beneficial insects that enhance the flavour of tomato plants while repelling unwanted pests, reports the Express. The potent scent of marigolds is particularly effective in repelling whiteflies and, even more impressively, mosquitoes, ensuring a safer gardening experience. While some green thumbs prefer to pot their marigolds and position them next to their tomato plants, I decided to plant mine directly in the soil near the plant. Both methods are acceptable - the objective is to situate those marigolds as close as possible to your plants to optimise their advantages. I initiated the process by planting my tomato plant, which had already begun to bear fruit in its original pot. I selected a sunny, sheltered location in my garden with soil enriched with ample well-decomposed homemade garden compost. During planting, I ensured the hole was sufficiently deep and that the plant was almost entirely buried up to its crown in the soil for stability. Moving to the marigolds, I made certain to plant these vibrant blooms within 20cm of the tomatoes. This proximity ensures they provide all the benefits of companion plants and makes watering straightforward when hydrating the tomato plants during the summer months. Once planted, I watered both the tomatoes and marigolds deeply. Deep watering encourages plants to develop stronger and deeper root systems, enhancing their resilience to arid conditions as these roots can access moisture buried deeper in the soil.
Arab News
14-04-2025
- Health
- Arab News
A young Saudi's glass universes – and the unbreakable will behind them
RIYADH: In Saudi Arabia's eastern oasis city of Al-Ahsa, Safeya Al-Khalifa, owner of the terrarium store My Garden, crafts miniature worlds inside glass bowls. These self-sustaining terrariums thrive in confinement, echoing Al-Khalifa's resilience in overcoming her physical disability and societal restraints. 'These are tiny, self-sustaining universes nestled within ours,' she told Arab News, cradling a sealed ecosystem where moss blankets the soil and succulents reach toward softened light. 'Terrarium-making isn't just art; it's creating life cycles. Like Earth, these worlds maintain themselves. Some need water just once a month, or even less.' Terrarium globes, shimmering orbs that adorn many homes and offices, harness a delicate balance of biology and physics to sustain miniature ecosystems. Inside their sealed glass walls, a self-regulated water cycle prevails: moisture evaporates from soil and foliage, condenses into droplets on the curved surface, and trickles back to nourish plants — an elegant loop mimicking Earth's natural hydrology. Decades ago, a school refused to enroll Al-Khalifa as a child, saying her wheelchair was a hindrance. The rejection laid bare a truth she vowed to undo. 'This isn't about me — it's about a system that doubts the capabilities of people with disabilities,' she said, her tone unwavering. Society frames disability as a 'sickness' or weight, she argued, a mindset that breeds its limitations. To rewrite that story, Al-Khalifa turned to terrarium-making, a craft demanding meticulous care and unshakable belief. 'It starts with blending soils for the right texture and choosing plants suited to each tiny world,' she said. Her terrariums vary in size and theme, depicting diverse terrains such as misty forests, rugged mountainous landscapes, or serene lakesides. Some pieces take 15 minutes while others can take three days. But the real wonder unfolds as life adjusts. 'When a plant moves from the open air into a closed space, it might wilt or shed leaves. But most survive — even flourish.' For Al-Khalifa, this mirrors her truth: 'We're all shaped to adapt, no matter the odds, if we hold the courage to try.' The school's rejection did not faze her — instead it sparked defiance. 'That day taught me to find strength in struggle,' she said. That resolve carried Al-Khalifa through years of trial and error with plants, soil and glass. Terrarium-making became her stance against prejudice: a space where limits only honed her inventiveness. 'Every step forward is proof I've outgrown another barrier,' she said with a smile. Key to the survival of these terrariums are humidity-tolerant plants such as Fittonia or Pilea, paired with meticulous design. Layers of gravel and activated charcoal act as a filtration system, wicking away excess moisture to prevent root rot, while indirect sunlight sustains photosynthesis without overheating the enclosed environment. Al-Khalifa's vision extends far beyond her studio. 'I started this business in 2019 and now I have a whole team of women managing My Garden,' she said with pride. Together, they have built her passion into a thriving enterprise, collaborating with distribution partners to meet soaring demand. 'From our small to large ones, we've hit around 8,000 terrariums since we've worked with companies that handle orders in the hundreds.' To those sidelined by society, Al-Khalifa offers no empty comfort, only action. 'Awareness must be relentless,' she said. Prejudices, she said, are learned — not innate. Change begins with presence: 'We have to live visibly, so others see we're simply different, not broken.' The work is exhausting, Al-Khalifa admitted, but vital. 'Only then can old ideas fade, making room for a kinder world.' Today, Al-Khalifa's terrariums — sold through her store — grace homes throughout Saudi Arabia, their glass walls misted with the pulse of the life within. As urban dwellers increasingly embrace low-maintenance greenery, these glass ecosystems symbolize a fusion of art and science — proof that even in confined spaces, nature's ingenuity can thrive. Their enduring appeal lies in their simplicity: a self-contained world where life persists, quietly defying the need for constant human intervention. 'This art has no limits,' she said — and neither does she. The plants, Al-Khalifa said, never beg forgiveness for growing where they're planted. Neither does she.
