Papaya Tree

This Papaya tree is now six months old and has five Papaya fruit buds with one flowering. 

Mikan Orange Tree

I bought this Mikan Tree in June 2019 and harvested the fruit in December. Today I noticed new leaf growth and buds. I could count about 10 buds, but hope it develops more. I transplanted the tree to a larger pot and was worried it might have root shock, but the transplant did not seem to bother it at all. 

(4 March) I counted about 20 blossoms. I got about 15 Oranges last season and hope to get the same or a few more this season. Not bad for a small fruit tree in a planter.

(10 March) My Mikan tree has so much new leaf growth and more blossoms than a week ago. I got about 15 Mikan last season, but have counted over 30 blossoms so far. It is going to be super heavy, so I will need to prepare a trellis.

Chili Peppers (Togarashi)

I planted this Chili Pepper (Togarashi) plant in November 2019 using seed from my mother-in-law. Today I noticed it starting to flower.

Now I was not sure this plant was going to survive. The leaves started to wither at one point and I cut them all off. Soon after new leaves grew and the plant started to grow. I have had this experience with nearly all my Pepper plants.

Guava Tree Fruit

I found a few Guava flower buds. I hope they pollinate.

Passion Fruit Pollination

My Passion Fruit vines are growing so well and flowering, but the fruit are not developing. It is cool in Okinawa and there are a few bees, but I suspect they are more attracted to the roses. The bees visiting my second floor balcony are doing a fine job, because I now have Bitter Melon (Goya) flowering and growing. Anyway, I decided to start pollinating them myself. 

Each flower has five Anther, three Stigma and an Ovary (fruit). To pollinate a Passion Fruit pull off an Anther and rub it on the bottom of each Stigma. You can see the pollen easily, so if it is not enough, just pull off another Anther to ensure all the Stigma are well pollinated. Passion Fruit flowers open for a day or two and you will be able to tell if the pollination process was successful in a few days. If the flower is still on the vines three or four days later, you were most likely successful; otherwise it will fall off when you touch it.

Beans (Bush Beans and Flat Beans)

I planted a mix of Bush Beans (String Beans, Ingen) and Flat Beans (Helda beans, Romano beans, Gavar Thali, Bikkuri Jumbo beans) yesterday. As soon as they start to sprout I will plant Lettuce or something else to take advantage of the lower part of the planter.

Flat Bean

Bush Bean

Potato (Jagaimo)

(1 February) I planted Potatoes (Yellow Potatoes) about two weeks ago (18 January) and they are starting to sprout.

(4 February)

(16 February) - This is the growth from the time I planted the Potato spuds to 16 February, which is roughly a month. Now I would like to note the Potatoes had pretty developed roots about 2 cm long when I planted them. I'm excited to see how many Potatoes I get this batch.

(12 March) Still growing. I see the flower buds, but not flowers yet.

Beets

I planted Beets about two weeks ago and they are starting to sprout.

Potato (Jagaimo)

I planted Potatoes about three weeks ago and they are starting to sprout. I dug up some Potatoes a few days ago from a different planter and was disappointed with the yield. I hope this container does better. 

I used two 100 gram Potatoes and cut them up around the eyes that started to sprout. A good harvest should yield between 1 Kg (2.2 lbs) to 1.4 Kg (3 lbs). It takes Potatoes 2 to four months to mature, depending on the weather, and I'll know when to harvest when the stock dies away. I sometimes leave the Potatoes in the ground until I need them for as much as a month after the stock dies away. They stay fresher that way. 

Tomato

These Tomato shouts are from Tomatoes I planted that the birds picked at. I transplanted them about a week ago and they are doing fine. They are determinate plants, which means they will not grow like a vine and will have a finite height, but I added trellis to support them as they grow since it is quite windy where I live. I have had plants break due to the wind and wish to prevent it, if possible. 

However,  if a Tomato plant does break, its not a total loss. You can simply remove the leaves and branches, except for a few leaves at the top and plant the stock as deep as possible. The tiny hairs on a Tomato plant are actually roots. Sometimes you can get an even healthier plant from a broken plant or clipping.

I have Tomato plants popping up everywhere due to bird droppings. I am curious how many Tomatoes the birds actually got (haha!).

Pakuchi (Cilantro, Coriander)

My Pakuchi (Cilantro, Coriander) is staring to bolt, so I planted another planter using seed from last year. I will let the first planter go to seed and collect what I can. Plus, Pakuchi flowers are pretty and good to eat. 

Valentine Sweet Orange

I'm trying to grow a Valentine Sweet Orange. I believe it is a domestic Okinawan Orange variety, but not sure. It was juicy, sweet and had the flavor of an Orange, but not the sour citrus taste. Very nice for children. 

Asparagus

I purchased one Asparagus Crown (root ball) last weekend for about $5. 

Asparagus is a perennial, which means it dies back in the winder and sprouts again in the spring year after year. It is a slow growing plant with a life span of roughly 20 years. You should not pick the Asparagus the first year and only half the second year, so I need to be extremely patient and wait a few years for any real results. 

(5 February) Growing quickly.

(16 February)

Bush Beans (String Beans, Ingen)

I planted Bush beans (String Beans, Ingen) and Green Lettuce two weeks ago and both are starting to sprout. To the left you can see Lettuce and to the right and in the middle, Bush Beans.