Avocado Tree

Had a nice surprise today when I was trimming the Red Cucumber (Moi) plants in the front of the house. I found an Avocado tree. I'll keep it trimmed so it does not overgrow the palm trees.

Galic Chives (Nira)

Garlic Chives (Nira) flowers are so beautiful. I will not let them go to seed since I do not use the seeds to propagate, instead I'll add them to a salad and eat them. Garlic Chives are best propagated by digging up the roots, breaking apart the bulbs and replanting. 

Garlic Chives can be propagated every two or three years.  

Bitter Melon (Goya, Nigauri)

The Bitter Melon (Goya, Nigauri) in the front of the house is doing fine and starting to flower, but I have not seen any female flowers yet.

The second floor balcony plant is really productive with over ten Goya on the vine and still flowering, plus the fruit that ripened and fell have created new vines that have started to climb.

Papaya

I took a handful of seeds from a Papaya I recently ate and planted them and was surprised how many saplings sprouted. When they get 6 to 8 inches tall I will choose three or four of the strongest and transplant them.

Tomato

Quite a few Tomato plants sprouted from fruit that dropped last season. I suspect these are Cherry Tomatoes. It has been quite hot and humid, so was surprised to see one of the plants flowering.

Okawakame (a kind of Madeira vine)

My wife and I bought a bag of Okawakame seeds from a farmer's market. The seeds were sold to eat, but I decided to plant them. The seeds look like small Ginger root. I planted this particular seed about a week ago and it has already started to sprout.

Okawakame is a vine, so I planted it with the Bitter melon (Goya), right side, and Bush Beans (String Beans), left side. There is a white net against the wall to allow them all to climb.

Okawakame Seed

Okawakame Sprout 

Okawakame Vine

Green Peppers (Piman)

I picked the last of the rip Green Peppers (Piman) today. I generally leave the peppers on the plant until they turn red because they tend to get sweeter, plus they add color to your dishes. But, as I picked the last pepper I noticed new buds and one small pepper. I thought this plant was spent since it has been producing peppers for nearly four months now and started a new crop, but I guess you can never have too many peppers. 

Bitter Melon (Goya, Nigauri)

I decided to make Goya Campuru tonight so picked one of the large Goya in my side yard. If you recall from my previous posts, this plant has grown wild for the past two years and this year it has produced some really nice Goya (240 grams / 8.5 ounces). See the picture below.

Just as a side note, my second floor balcony plant is doing well and has about 10 Goya. Some have ripened and fell off, and have created more plants. I added some fertilizer and nutrients last night and suspect I will get many more Goya for months to come.

Avocado Tree (Transplant)

I will walk you through how I transplant my Avocado trees. Now I intend to keep this in a pot rather than planting it in the ground, but you can use similar soils and just increase the amount.

 

Just a note for those transplanting a tree in poor soil, like red clay. Okinawa is notorious for it's red clay. In this situation plant your tree on a raised mound. If the primary root grows into the red clay, it will most likely die of root rot.

 

Avocado trees need the following nutrients for healthy growth:

• Nitrogen — for growth and development.
• Potassium — for growth and fruit bearing.
• Boron — growth.
• Zinc — fruit.
• Phosphorous — healthy metabolism.
• Calcium — roots, good structure.
• Magnesium — photosynthesis.
• Sulfur.

 

Well, lets get started...

This is the sapling I've been growing in water for months. It did not start to grow until recently, but when it started to grow it grew quickly. Normally, I cut the tip off when it gets 8 to 10 inches tall to promote more branches, but I waited too long, so I'm transplanting it now before it gets any taller. 

High quality flower and vegetable potting soil. 

Red soil beads. I use this soil to help keep the mix loose. It adds space and helps the roots breath and water drain. 

Fertilizer pellets. These pellets really charge the soil quickly. I will need more Potassium later, but will add more nutrients when I feed the tree, which I will do about every two weeks using liquid fertilize.

• Nitrogen 5
• Phosphate 4
• Potassium 1

Standard potting soil for fill. 

Straw, grass cutting or mulch for bedding. 

Some people use pebbles or some sort of screen at the bottom of their pots, but I typically use mulch, straw or grass cuttings.

I add one third part of each soil, plus throw a handful of fertilizer pellets in the mix. 

Mix well.

Fill the planter halfway. Hold the tree and gently sit the roots on the soil without letting go and slow add soil around the tree. The roots are super sensitive, so it is critical to take your time. 

Water well and place in a location that does not get too much direct sun or wind until the roots settle. I usually sit it inside near a window for a week or so before moving outside.

 

 

 

Kiwi

The new Kiwi leaves are coming out nicely. I’m so pleased.

Red Cucumber (Moi)

Finished eating the previous Moi and picked the last Moi yesterday. It was 26cm long (10 inch) and weighted a little over 1.3Kg (2.8 lbs).

Front Yard

Pineapple

The Pineapple on the second floor balcony is doing well and growing. I also have lettuce (top right) growing in the same pot and a mysterious plant (left) that I cannot recall what I planted, but it is growing well. Curious to see what it turns out to be.

Kiwi

I transplanted my Kumquat trees a couple of weeks ago, but the leaves turned brown and feel off, so I went to the local nursery and discussed it with the professionals. I told them I used standard potting soil, fertilizer and plant food, but was told that the potting soil and the fertilizer I used was not good for Kiwi since it contained too much Nitrogen. Instead they recommended potting soil for flowers and red dirt pellets for better drainage. I replanted both trees with the new mix and they started to rebound immediately. Just in a few days I can see new leaves buds starting to grow. They look like little yellow fluffy buds. I hope they make it.

Kumquat Tree (Kinkan Tree)

(22 Aug) My Kumquat tree (Kinkan) is flowering again.

(27 Aug) My Kumquat tree (Kinkan) is flowering again and I've found about 20 fruit. It looks like it will be super productive this year.

Tower

Well, I made this tower to grow strawberries, but the strawberries did not do well due to the heat and wind, so I'm re-purposing the tower to grow other stuff. Here is what I'm going to try on each tier:

• First Tier - Bottom (Basil)
• Second Tier (Lettuce) - Just planted the seed
• Third Tier (Celery and Tomatoes)
• Fourth Tier (Green Peppers)
• Fifth Tier (Strawberries) 

Lantana Camara ”Pink Caprice” Flower

These Pink Caprice bushes grow all over Okinawa. The flowers are so cute, they last so long and constantly bloom.

(18 August) One day while at the park I picked some flowers that went to seed and planted them. Now I have my very own Pink Caprice bush. Now where do I plant it.

(23 September) My Pink Caprice flower is growing well.

Kiwi

The male Kiwi is doing a little better than the female plant after transplanting; however, the leaves on both plants are starting to wither a bit, which makes me worry. The female plant looks like it has some sort of bloom (yellow) at two spots, which gives me hope. I need to find a permanent location to plant these before they die.

Bitter Melon (Goya, Nigauri)

My second floor Bitter Melon (Goya, Nigauri) vine has seven fruit. I found Goya hanging on the side on my air conditioning units and on the back. As I mentioned previously, the seeds from fallen fruit have sprouted and started to climb already, so expect a lot more Goya this year. 

I added some more soil, fertilizer and plant food to keep them healthy.

Green Peppers (Piman)

These are the last of my Green Peppers (Piman), so I've started new seedlings. This particular plant has produced over 30 peppers.

Kumquat Tree (Kinkan Tree)

My Kumquat Tree (Kinkan Tree) has some many fruit and it is flowering again. This will be six times it flowered this year and each time it flowers a few fruit develop. A very productive year.

Papaya (Present) Update

If you recall, I received this really nice Papaya from my boss a few weeks ago for my birthday. I set it on my kitchen counter and it ripened nicely, so my wife and I ate it today. 

The skin turned yellow, with some green spots, but the fruit was soft to the touch and had a fruity aroma. I cut the end of to see inside. 

This Papaya was full of seeds, unlike my own. Of course, I cut the fruit in half, removed the seeds and planted them already. That's me! The taste was interesting and kind of tasted like a cantaloupe. I'm gone to try more ripened Papaya.

Bitter Melon (Goya, Nigauri)

Well, I planted what I thought was Okawakame against a wall, but as it grow I realized it was Bitter Melon (Goya, Nigauri). I have Goya growing in four locations. Now that is a lot of Goya! I hope my co-workers really like Goya :)

Bush Beans (String Bean, Ingen)

Not all the Bush Bean seeds matured, but a few have and doing well. They have started to wrap around the banister rails.

Mango Tree

My Mango started to sprout the beginning of August and it is still growing.  

Bitter Melon (Goya, Nigauri)

The last typhoon really damaged many of my balcony plants, but the vine has recovered. Plus, the fruit that dropped previously has created many new vines and they are starting to climb. I expect a lot of Goya this year.

This Bitter Melon (Goya, Nigauri) turned yellowish-orange, so I picked it. Remember, this is still editable, so enjoy the beautiful color it will add to your dish.