Harvesting Taro/Cocoyam from a grow bag

I planted a tiny taro or cocoyam(as we call it in Nigeria) tuber sometime in March this year. It was staring to grow roots and leaves, so even though I'd never planted it before and have only eaten it a few times, I decided to bury in some soil that I put in a sack bag.

Over the next few months, I watched it's leaves grow bigger and bigger. I knew nothing about growing Taro and only watered it occasionally. I did ask a neighbor how long it takes to mature and she said about 6 months. She also said you would know it was ready when the leaves start to die. 

Cocoyam before harvest

Dead leaf

So, when I noticed last week that the leaves were starting to die, I decide to harvest the tubers. I wasn't sure what I would find but I was hopeful it would do better than my Sweet potatoes did. Well, I was pleasantly surprised. It wasn't a bad harvest at all. After all, it was one tiny tuber or corm that I planted.

My harvest

I made a pot of Ofe Onugbu(bitter leaf soup) from the Cocoyams, using them as a thickener. I will definitely be planting Taro/Cocoyam again!

How to Care for Your Natural Hair

So you've had your big chop and have now stepped into the world of fros. You've tried to google how to care for your new fro but you're finding all the information overwhelming. Well, let's start with the basics.

MOISTURE

Natural hair loves moisture. Dryness is the enemy. Grab a moisturizer. If you can't go to the stores just yet, mix 8-parts water with 2-parts light oil, like sunflower oil in a spray bottle. Remember to shake up whenever you want to use it. However, to moisurise your hair properly, you'd need to follow a two or three-step process. It could be LOC - Liquid, Oil, Cream , LCO - Liquid, Cream, Oil or LC and LO, whichever you find out works best for your hair.

DETANGLING AND MANIPULATION

Detangling should be done after applying products with adequate slip, so the hair doesn't break. Combing should be done from the ends to the root, always gently, as any form of manipulation should be done gently. Do not detangle or comb dry.

STYLING

It is advisable to do low manipulation hairstyles. Tight hairstyles put a lot of tension on hair follicles and can cause you to lose hair especially around the edges. If you can, go to a Natural hair salon or find a Natural hair stylist. You could also learn to style your hair by yourself. There are a lot of tutorial videos on YouTube.

CONFIDENCE

Now wear your beautiful crown with confidence. Natural hair is beautiful, styled or not. You do not have to manipulate your hair into uncomfortable styles for it to be considered beautiful. Embrace the shrinkage and frizz. Do not let anyone put to down for wearing your hair. Most of all, enjoy your hair! 

My Failed Attempt at Planting Sweet Potatoes in Bags

Sweet potatoes are a root crop and one of the easiest crops to grow. A few years ago, my family planted it in our backyard with great success. The harvest was massive. When we moved houses, I thought I could replicate the success even though I only had bags to do so. So, I got a few sack bags, got soil from around my apartment and got to planting my potato slips.

A few weeks later I had these;

And after three months, I thought it was time to harvest but was I in for a shocker?

Ready for harvest?

Apparently, not. Because I was only able to get two tiny tubers😭😭.

So, no more growing potatoes in bags for me. I'll stick to planting them in the ground or large garden beds. 

Have you ever had a gardening fail?

My New-Found Love

The past few years, I've found myself developing a love for gardening or just planting things😀. So, when I found myself living in an apartment without any space or land to plant, I made do with soil in sack bags, just so I could still garden.

When we first moved into this apartment, I was more committed to gardening and caring for my plants but lately they could do with some more TLC.

So, here are a few pictures of what my backyard garden looks like.

Turmeric and Miracle leaf plant growing from the same small container.

Ginger Plant.

Cocoyam or Taro

Malabar Spinach

My Waterleaf Plant(another variety of spinach isn't doing so well😌

Do you love gardening too?

Too Much Privacy?

Hey People! Been a while huh? I hope everyone is doing well? I am fine, thanks for asking 😊. I haven't been here much, lately. This is partly because I'm finding it hard to figure out a balance between sharing and oversharing. Overtime, I've become an even more private person than I was before. Hence, what may not seem like oversharing to others is oversharing to me.

I can't talk about how or why I've become this way...cos that would be oversharing 🤭. I kid, I kid😊. Anyways, I'm just here to say, I'm okay. See you soon?✌️

I finally Scratched the Itch

Hey Guys! I'm hair again! So it just occurred to me that the picture of me in my last post might have come as a shock to some. Yes, I finally cut my hair. Remember when I talked about wanting to do it here? I did it guys💃. Twice sef 😀.

First, I had a pixie cut. See pictures below. 

My sides have started to grow on the left. 

I went from left to right 😊

                   My sides grew in. 

    So I had to cut the crown/center-front. 

 

My hair has grown even more. I've also done something with the hair. Think major alteration 😀. That will be another post on its own, so stay tuned😁.

Who Set These Standards For Beauty?

I don't know if it happens anywhere else but in Akure, going to market with your natural hair or without some extensions might mean you'll be nearly harassed by mobile stylists  every corner. You'll hear things like "Aunty you wan do your hair?" "Come make I do your hair, I go do am fine" etc. So, just wearing my hair is not fine? It can be so annoying at times. 

We really need to change the notion that our hair needs to be "fixed" to look beautiful. Our hair is beautiful just the way it is and we(Nigerians and Africans) should learn to embrace it in its entirety.

Let's wear our hair with pride. After all, it's the one we were born with. It's also the one we're returning to God with. I don't believe anyone is going to be fixing any weaves in hell or heaven, depending on where the person ends up. I strongly suggest they make it to heaven by the way😀. The other place is not cool(no pun intended and in all seriousness). How did I get here sef🤦.

Anyways, you guys get the point. Let me come and be going😀.