Daylilies

(9/30) I have wild Daylilies growing all over. At first I thought this was a type of grass, but then noticed the beautiful yellow flowers. 

 

Malabar Spinach

(9/30) I am finding many Malabar Spinach berries. The berries are a deep purple, have no taste and generally used as a food coloring; however, I will pick them and keep the seed for future planting. 

Kale

(9/30) On the left side I have a few Kale plants that I snip when making salads, but I wanted more plants; therefore, I sniped off 15 leaves and planted them directly in the soil (right three containers). 

I tried to plant Kale leaf cuttings by first placing them in water and letting them grow roots before transplanting them and I tried planting them directly. Both worked. Above is a leaf cutting I planted directly about two months ago.

Peanuts

(9/30) I am not exactly sure when I planted these Peanuts, but I believe it was last October or November, but by the beginning of January the plant was well established and was 10-12 cm (4-5 inches) tall. 

I read that Peanuts can be harvested once the plant starts to turn yellow. Just a week ago the plant looked fresh, but last night it was quickly starting to die and the leaves were becoming dry, so I decided to harvest. 

I could see the Peanuts as soon as I started to pull out the plant. They do not grow very deep. This container had about a foot of soil, but the Peanuts were very near the surface.

I was a little disappointed. I only got 200 grams (7 oz) of Peanuts. I will eat a few just to try them, but most I will use for new planting.

ZZ Plant

(9/29) I have a large ZZ Plant downstairs and was thinning the plant to give it better balance, but did not want to just through away the cuttings, so I stuck them in soil and sure enough they survived. This one is about three months old. I have another outside and it has already produced a new sprout.

Vegetable Tower

(9/29) I have a second tower I used to grow Strawberries, but am now using it for seasonal vegetables. The top tier has a Pineapple plant, so cannot do much with that space since it is so large, but the bottom two tiers I can plant a lot. I planted these items about a week ago (Beets and Sunny Lettuce).

More Beets and Mesclun

Green Pepper and Italian Parsley

Strawberry (Ichigo)

 

(9/29) I placed my Strawberry (Ichigo) tower in the shade during the summer and most made it through. Now they are starting to produce runners. The runners are short and I do not want them growing in the same tier; instead, I want to move them to a location with no or few plants.

So, I filled up a little ziplock bad with soil and placed the runner in it. Once it has a stonge enough root system, I will cut it off the mother and replant it.

Sunny Lettuce (Red Leaf Lettuce)

(9/29) I sewed Lettuce seed in these containers twice, once about three weeks ago and again about a week ago. I am not sure if my seed stock is poor or it is just the weather, but some are finally starting to sprout.

 

Seeding Tray

(9/29) I prepared this Seeding Tray on 24 September and Beets and Green Onions are starting to sprout. Seeds for most vegetables take 10-14 days to sprout, but Beets, Radish, Basil and Onions sprout quickly.   

 

Thailand Basil

(9/29) I picked up this Thailand Basil plant at the Nago Aguri Park greenhouse for 100 Yen ($1) about 10 days ago and immediately planted it. I selected a Basil plant with lots of flowers so I could harvest the seeds and sure enough the seeds have already started to drop and seedlings are starting to sprout. I love the aroma of this Basil and the flowers smell like Licorice.

I loved this Nago Aguri Park greenhouse because they seem to have plants that the typical farmers market does not sell, like Malabar Spinach.

    https://goo.gl/maps/Ltbdg3ZoMpp5y9KWA

    なごアグリパーク 〒905-0012 沖縄県名護市字名護４６０７−１ 0980-43-6010

Japanese Sweet Potato (Purple Satsumaimo)

(9/28) I harvested White Satsumaimo (Japanese Sweet Potatoes) today, but replanted Purple Satsumaimo slips in the container instead of White Satsumaimo, because the Purple verity are sweeter. The soil looked healthy and the tubers had no issues, so I used the same soil, but I added about six handfuls of fertilizer and 14 letters of new potting soil. 

Japanese Sweet Potato (White Satsumaimo)

(9/28) I planted these Japanese Sweet Potato (Satsumaimo) slips (cuttings) on 23 March, which was over six months ago. I had them sitting in my driveway, which is hotter than my balcony, so was not sure how they would turn out. 

The first thing I normally do is cut off all the vines at soil level. I usually cut 6-10 inches off the ends of each vine to make slips for new planting, but decided not to grow this verity anymore; therefore, I just tossed them in my mulch pile. 

I turn over the container.

I loosen the soil to find the tubers.

Decent size.

This container produced a decent harvest.

I got 2.1 kg (4.7 lbs).

I lay the tubers outside in a cool dry place to let them cure for 10-14 days. This allows the skin to dry and any scares to heal over before I store them. I do not wash them and do not let them touch each other during the curing process.

Swiss Chard

(9/28) I woke up early this morning and planted some Swiss Chard. 

 

Tree

(9/27) I repotted a few of my citrus trees. 

Grapefruit (top left)

Sweet Valentine Orange (top right) 

Mikan (bottom left)

Orange (bottom right)

Shikuwasa

 

Watermelon (Suika)

(9/27) I planted these Watermelon seeds about a month ago.

I planted these about two weeks ago.

 

Beets

(9/27) I planted quite a few Beet seeds, but only six made it through the hot summer; however, I planted a few more in my seeding tray a few days ago and will transplant them when they sprout.
 

Carrots (Ninjin)

(9/27) The Carrots (Ninjin) I planted in mid-August are growing well.

 

Passion Fruit

(9/27) I transplanted three Passion Fruit clones to the front on my house a few days ago. I plant to train them to climb the fence that runs around my house in hopes of producing many more fruit next year. I have one more container I placed on the side of my house that will climb the same fense, but the clones I prepared for that location is not ready for transplant. This will make four locations I have purple Passion Fruit vines. I also have three Yellow Passion Fruit clones that are ready to transplant in the back of my house and need to find the time to do that. 

Soybean (Edamame)

The Soybean (Edamame) seeds I planted at the beginning of September from my seed stock are doing well. I'm planting a few seeds every week or so so they mature at different times so I do not have to harvest everything at the same time. Though we got a few pounds during the last harvest, we ate them quite quickly while they were fresh. This time I want to stagger them. Also I learned I can put way more plants in the container, so will double the number of plants I had last time. 

Eggplant (Nasu)

(9/27) The Eggplant (Nasu) I planted on 2 August are looking healthy and growing quickly now that it has cooled down. 

I added Italian Eggplant seed I collected from this plant to my seed stock and plan to start them soon. This plant made it through the typhoon and is flowering again.

Tomato

(9/27) I starting these Tomato plants from seeds in early August. It was quite hot, but the seedlings did not grow quickly, but now that it is starting to cool down they are striving. I transplanted 8 plants in this container, but one did not make it.

I transplanted six plants on my second floor balcony and one did not make it. In total I have 12 plants, which will produce more than enough fruit for our needs.  

Santan Flower (Jungle Geranium)

(9/27) I see these Santan shrubs (Jungle Geranium) all over Okinawa and love the flower's share and color. 

There are many verities and colors, but I prefer the bright orange. 

Yesterday (9/26) we found one at a famers market for 498 Yen ($4.50) and I had to have it. I brought it home and immediately transplanted it. It grows in most tropical and sub-tropical regions and is of the West Indian Jasmine classification.  

Most people that follow my blog know I do not like growing anything that is not edible. The Santan flower can be used as a garnish and is edible, similar to the Nasturtium and Hibiscus flowers.

Dragon Fruit Trellis

After the last typhoon I found a few of my Dragon Fruit broken and laying on the ground, so thought to build a proper trellis for them and this is the result. I have two planted, but will add two more. I anticipate they will reach the top next year and fill the top by the second year. Stay tuned.
 

Seeding Tray

It is starting to get cooler here, so decided to get some seedlings going. I planted these last night, left to right:

    Shiso (Crispa - store seed)

    Scallions (Naganegi - my own seed stock)

    Pakuchi (Cilantro - my own seed stock)

    Italian Parsley (store seed)

    Scallions (Naganegi - store seed)

    Yellow Squash (store seed)

    Beets (store seed)

    Okra (my seed stock)

Pakuchi usually sprouts in March here, but going to give it an early go and it is a little late for Squash, but what the heck.

Peanuts

This is a Peanut flower. It will grow a long stem, called a peg. At the end on the peg is an ovary, which will penetrate the soil and develop into a Peanut. 

Here is the Ovary that I pulled from the soil.

And here is the Peanut a few weeks later.

 

Myoga (Japanese Ginger)

(9/10) My Myoga (Japanese Ginger) is starting to produce a lot of Ginger. I picked these today, but there are many more.  

Japanese Pumpkin (Kabocha)

(9/10) I threw a few Pumpkin seeds in this container from a Pumpkin I ate a few days ago and they are starting to sprout. In fact, you can actually see some seeds just laying on the top of the soil. I wonder if these will produce fruit. Let's see. 

 

Peace Tree (Blossom)

(9/10) My Peach Tree had a few buds and they bloomed, which is strange for September; however, I read that if certain fruit trees get stressed, like with a drought, they may go into survival mode and the buds may prematurally start to bloom. I moved this tree under my balcony to protect it from the last typhoon and just moved it back today. It has been about a week since I watered it, so suspect that is the cause. Anyway, the tree itself is looking great, so no worries.

Passion Fruit (Yellow)

(9/10) The Yellow Passion Fruit I started from seed are starting to grow runnings. I need to transplant them to their permanent location soon.