Zahrah Nasir offers tips on growing fruit and vegetables

Q: I am a 16-year-old girl living in Karachi and have developed a craze for planting things. I sowed chilli seeds, like five to six of them, about three weeks ago but there is no sign of them growing. Please suggest what I should do and tell me which vegetables can be easily planted and grown.

A: This is the wrong time of the year to grow chillies as they need high temperatures. Try again from May onwards and use only seed from dried red chillies not fresh green ones as these are not ripe. You can try lettuce and tomatoes, both are easy and tomato seeds can be taken straight from the tomatoes you eat. The thing to remember when sowing seeds, in pots/trays of specially prepared compost or in seed beds in the garden, is not to plant them either too deep or too close together. Small seeds are planted just under the compost surface, any deeper and they are unlikely to have the strength to germinate and reach necessary sunlight. Planting distances vary from species to species but, if seedlings are suitable for later transplanting, then an inch apart is perfect to get them started. Chilli, lettuce and tomato seedlings can all, when at the four- to six-leaf stage, be transplanted. Keep an eye on this column for more details and ideas.

Q: My chico tree was attacked by white, soft bodied insects. I followed your advice and sprayed a mixture of soapy water daily at sunset. This controlled the insects. The fruit turned black and I removed it from the tree. What do I do now? Should I discontinue the spray? Should I add fertiliser or organic manure or wood ash?

A: I am delighted to hear of your good results. There is no need to spray anymore unless the insects reappear. A top dressing of old, well rotted, organic manure would be a good idea right now.

Q: I planted a papaya tree in my garden and it was doing well and full of fruit. Then, suddenly it fell over. I got someone to help me pull it back up and put supports on all its sides to make it stand. It is still flowering and fruiting but I would like your expert opinion as to whether it will survive or not.

A: Its chance of long-term survival depends on how much damage was done to its roots. I suggest that you leave it be, with supports firmly in place and keep your fingers crossed but, to be on the safe side and if it produces good fruit, collect seeds and start off some more plants.

Q: I enjoy gardening even at the age of 76 and am happy to say that my fruit trees are doing well in Karachi. I planted papaya seeds from Bangkok three months ago and the trees are about five feet tall now. One of my trees has about 10 papayas on it and another 10 are flowering. My banana tree, planted four months ago, has given five children but no fruit on the mother tree yet. I need advice as to what kind of manure I should give them all. The soil had manure added when the trees were planted. I water them all twice a day. I have a 20-year-old sharifa tree and a lime tree in the same area and they are doing fine. I use kitchen waste water on the sharifa tree and it is very happy.

A: A top dressing of organic manure just twice a year, spring and autumn, is quite sufficient for these species. The banana will fruit when it is ready but feeding it with your kitchen waste water should help.

Q: I am curious to know if water hyacinths, these are a very beautiful species, are available in Karachi.

A: Water hyacinths, an introduced species, are a major pest in certain areas of Karachi and their cultivation is certainly not recommended. This species blocks drains, canals and runs rampant in empty plots, especially in coastal locations and is extremely detrimental to all indigenous species of flora and fauna alike.

Q: I live in Karachi and about five years back a friend gave me two potted plants. She said that the original tree is from Bengal and grows a delicious small fruit. It turns out that these are amla fruit trees. I must admit that I did not pamper them as I would have done if I had known earlier. Each bore about a dozen fruits last summer. Any suggestions on how to care for them so that I get a better harvest.

A: Your amla trees are doing just fine. They have reached fruiting size and, as a general rule, bear only a small crop the first time. The coming summer should see them producing more fruit and so on until they are about eight years old when, all going well, they will reward your patience in fine style. A top dressing of organic manure/organic compost just once a year, early March is a good time, should keep them happy.

Please send your gardening queries to zahrahnasir@hotmail.com. Remember to include your location. The writer will not respond directly by e-mail