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Calling all green fingered expats
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saharastars



Joined: 30 Sep 2009
Posts: 107
Location: Wonderland
PostPosted: Thu Dec 31, 2009 11:37 pm    Post subject: Calling all green fingered expats Reply with quote
There are just too many bored , frustrated and depressed people out there - or at least on this board, the Polly Anna side of my personality thought it would be fun to solicit ideas for a typical compound garden. keeping a garden will no doubt soothe the soul....

ANY ADVICE ON PLANTS, PLANTING, SUPPLIERS AND TIPS WOULD BE GRATEFULLY RECIEVED. Very Happy
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Stephen Jones



Joined: 21 Feb 2003
Posts: 4124
PostPosted: Fri Jan 01, 2010 1:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I would suggest Qat. You can commercialize it and it will enable you to meet people you wouldn't normally come across, and if you can get your husband into the habit, you'll find you will have finally succeeded in keeping his mouth shut.
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trapezius



Joined: 13 Aug 2006
Posts: 1670
Location: Land of Culture of Death & Destruction
PostPosted: Fri Jan 01, 2010 2:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I can't offer any real advice like Stephen did, but the best thing is to go to a big proper garden center to get all your supplies and advice/information.
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scot47



Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Posts: 15343
PostPosted: Fri Jan 01, 2010 4:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Most "expats"in KSA leave the gardening on compounds or elsewhere to those from South Asia who do all the gardening work !
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johnslat



Joined: 21 Jan 2003
Posts: 13859
Location: Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
PostPosted: Fri Jan 01, 2010 5:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Dear scot47,

Perhaps the expats you refer to have the same philosophy as Villiers de L'Isle Adam:

�As for living, our servants will do that for us!"

Regards,
John
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Mia Xanthi



Joined: 13 Mar 2008
Posts: 955
Location: why is my heart still in the Middle East while the rest of me isn't?
PostPosted: Fri Jan 01, 2010 10:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Quote:
I would suggest Qat. You can commercialize it and it will enable you to meet people you wouldn't normally come across, and if you can get your husband into the habit, you'll find you will have finally succeeded in keeping his mouth shut.


Oh, dear Stephen...just when I'd started to think you had no sense of humor at all. Best wishes of the season to you! Laughing Laughing Laughing

In the Dhahran/Khobar/Dammam tri-cities area, you can go to Sultan Garden Center (out near the Extra and Giant stores) and they will deliver large plants, pots, and bags of soil for you.

I found that it was even cheaper to do garden-supply shopping in Bahrain...some incredible buys on bedding plants there. There is a lovely nursery on the right hand side of the road going from the Marina restaurant to Al Osra supermarket. (Sorry, but I can't remember the name of the road itself right now.)

I know that several of my colleagues saved their sanity through gardening in the winter. Forget about the summer - it'll all die anyway - but in the winter you can grow basil, lemongrass, mint, cilantro. Bougainvillia and succulents will grow almost year-round. Pansies, petunias, marigolds will work during their various seasons, but die quickly when it heats up.

Never tried growing qat myself, nor any indoor plants that might require a grow-light, but maybe St. Stephen will give you more info on that.
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007



Joined: 30 Oct 2006
Posts: 2684
Location: UK/Veteran of the Magic Kingdom
PostPosted: Fri Jan 01, 2010 11:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Mia Xanthi wrote:
Never tried growing qat myself, nor any indoor plants that might require a grow-light, but maybe St. Stephen will give you more info on that.

Well, Teta Mia, growing Qat in the Magic Kingdom is punishable by 70 lashes for women, and 170 lashes for men. Shewing Qat in the Magic Kingdom is, theoritically, punishable by death in the Chop-Chop square of Riyadh!! Laughing

Teta Mia, do you agree that growing Qat should be legalized in the Magic Kingdom? Laughing
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Mia Xanthi



Joined: 13 Mar 2008
Posts: 955
Location: why is my heart still in the Middle East while the rest of me isn't?
PostPosted: Sat Jan 02, 2010 12:42 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
007, when you see what qat-chewing can do to a society such as Yemen, I would never think that qat-growing or use should be encouraged. Tell me, is it specifically prohibited in Islam, or is it one of those gray areas?
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ntropy



Joined: 11 Oct 2003
Posts: 671
Location: ghurba
PostPosted: Sat Jan 02, 2010 8:35 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Qat grows on a large TREE.

Myself, I had so many potted plants inside my place when I lived in the Magic Kingdon, I was in danger of having Brazilian aboriginals clear cut the place for crops.
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Asda



Joined: 01 Jun 2008
Posts: 231
PostPosted: Sat Jan 02, 2010 10:38 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Mia Xanthi wrote:
007, when you see what qat-chewing can do to a society such as Yemen, I would never think that qat-growing or use should be encouraged. Tell me, is it specifically prohibited in Islam, or is it one of those gray areas?


Hi Teta Mia, how are you? I hope things are OK.

Sorry for butting in, but I couldn't help overhearing...

Generally, anything that intoxicates is forbidden in Islam. Verses in the Quran talk about wine but the majority of scholars have extrapolated that to mean intoxicants. One school of thought, however, took it literally and said that beers and spirits are allowed! These people are still regarded as Muslims but with an extremely anomalous opinion...
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