Japanese Sweet Potato

White Beni Imo (2020.07). I have eight Japanese Sweet Potato containers and this bucket. I like the leaves of the White Beni Imo, so planted them in a bucket and built a stand for my garden. The vines grow quickly, so I just trim them once in a while. I planted these vines last July and wonder how big the tubers are. I check the soil once in a while to see if I can see any tubers popping out, but so far nothing; however, I suspect I will have to harvest them soon and start the vines again.

Purple Beni Imo (2021.01.01) on my second floor balcony. I typically get about 1.3kg (2.8lbs) of Japanese Sweet Potatoes from each container after six months, but I am going to leave these grow 7-8 months to see if I can get some larger tubers.

Purple Beni Imo (2021.01.12) on my second floor balcony.

Purple Satsumaimo (2021.02.02) on my second floor balcony.

White Satsumaimo (2020.11.26) on my second floor balcony.

White Satsumaimo (2021.01.12) on my second floor balcony.

Purple Beni Imo (2021.01.24) in the front of my house.

White Beni Imo (2021.01.21) in the front of my house.

Purple Satsumaimo (2020.09.28) in the front of my house.

Tomato

All my Tomato plants are healthy and flowering.

As I previously mentioned, these are plants from last season. Some are flowering again, while some have pretty decent sized Tomatoes on them.

Celery

I planted a Celery core about two weeks ago. All the Celery in this picture have been planted in the same way. When I finish a stock of Celery, I simply plant the center core. In fact, the plant on the left has been regrown three times.

When I initially planted the core it was lite green, but the leaves have become more full and dark green.

Surinam Cherry Tree (Brazilian Cherry Tree) Fruit

I planted Surinam Cherry (Brazilian Cherry) tree seeds in June 2019 and kept four saplings primarily as ornamental bushes. They do not grow that fast, the leaves are lush green in the summer and bright red in the fall, but I was not excepting them to flower so early. 

Surinam Cherry blossom.

 

Paprika (Red Peppers)

My Paprika (Red Pepper) plants are full of Peppers and still flowering.

 

Dragon Fruit

The Dragon Fruit branches I planted late last year are growing and producing new branches. The plant on the right side had 8-9 small new branches, but I pinched them all off except the top one. I only want the top branch to grow to the top of the trellis, at which time  I will only leave three new branches to grow per branch. 

Radish (Salad)

I planted Salad Radish seeds on 7 February and they started to sprout.

The Radishes started to sprout 3-4 days after planted and growing quickly.

 

Beets

I had a Beet in my refrigerator that went bad, but instead of throwing it away I decided to plant it. In just three weeks it has grown so fast. I'm curious what I will get.

I planted these Beets from seed on 10 December. The Beet plant in the first picture is a standard Beet, which grows to the size of a baseball, but the Beets in the second picture are called Salad Beets. Salad Beets are smaller and sweeter and can be eaten raw or cooked.

Bush Beans (String Beans, Ingen)

I have a planter with Bush Beans (String Beans, Ingen) that I neglected, but the other day I have to move the planter and found a few beans I did not notice.

 

Dracaena

I added another Dracaena to my collection. I believe I now have 18 different types.

Swiss Chard

The Swiss Chard I planted in early October is doing well.

Corner Garden

The plants I placed in my corner garden are starting to come together. I cannot coordinate well and am constantly moving them around to try and make it beautiful. I like how everything is coming together now, but the Biwa tree in the front is starting to get too tall, as well as some of the Dracaena plants in the back. I think I will cut the two Dracaena plants in the back and find something else to replace the Biwa tree. Also, I was thinking to get rid of the Papaya tree on the left, but think I will cut the top off just above that side growth. Because it is in a planter, it will not get too tall, but it might become more bushy if I cut the top off. Let's see. 

Nasturtium Flower

(2/13) My Nasturtium plants are starting to flower and grow over the wall (see left side). They will be so beautiful in a few weeks. As I mentioned many times, Nasturtium are not only beautiful, every part of the plant is eatable. When I'm outside I snack on the seeds, which tastes like spicy mustard or radishes.  

Paprika (Red Peppers)

My Paprika plants recovered from pests and now starting to flower and produce Peppers.

 

Tomato

I've got Tomatoes growing all over. This post is not all the plants I have, but a majority. The left side is primarily beefsteak Tomatoes and the right side are Cherry Tomatoes. I planted these in mid-November, which makes them around two and a half months old. They are doing well with no health issues or pest problems so far.

These are plants I planted in an extra container on my second floor balcony. They are doing well, but a little crowded.

These are plants I planted in an extra container in my driveway. They are doing well, but like the plants in the other container they are a little crowded.

These are plants that continued to grow from last season. They are flowering and have some Tomatoes developing.

Starting to get little groups of Tomatoes all over the plants from last season. These are beefsteak Tomatoes.

Passion Fruit (Yellow)

I planted seeds from a yellow Passion fruit that went bad a few months ago in a planter on the side of my house and they finally started to sprout. Honestly, I forgot about them and never watered them, but it rained so much in December it must have spurred them to sprout. Each little group has 10-15 seedlings. 

I dug up one group of sprouts and transplanted them. I got 15 seedlings. I now have to figure out what to do with the rest. I will only keep 3 vines in the planter, so will most likely thin them out when they get a little taller. I will plant these 15 seedlings in the back of the house in the near future.

Strawberry Tower

My Strawberry plants are starting to blossom.

Japanese Sweet Potato (Verities I'm Growing)

I am growing four types of Japanese Sweet Potatoes. Each has it's own flavor, texture and use. 

The standard purple Satsumaimo, often referred to as "Japanese Sweet Potato", is perhaps the most well known. It is usually steamed or baked. When cooked the inside turns light yellow and is sweet and creamy. 

The standard Beni Imo is indigenous to Okinawa, Japan. The inside is deep purple. It is sweet but a bit dry, so it is often used to make pastries.  

I have not had the chance to eat the White Beni Imo, but I suspect it is similar to the Standard Beni Imo. Stay tuned for updates.

The White Satsumaimo is a little sweet and the inside remains white when cooked. I use it like I would a regular potato. In fact, I prefer it is stews since it is a little sweet, but it cooks quickly.

Japanese Sweet Potato (Purple Satsumaimo)

I planted these Japanese Sweet Potato slips on 8 August, so they were almost six months old.

I placed the planter on a blue tarp and cut all the vines off at soil level and set them aside to make slips from for replanting.

I flipped over the planter and sifted through the soil to find the tubers.

I added three handsful of fertilizer, a handful of nutrients and 5kg (11lbs) of fresh soil to the soil on the tarp and placed it all back in the planter.

I made about 20 slips from the vines I set aside, planted them and watered them well.

I got 1.3kg (3lbs) of decent sized tubers from this planter, which seems to be average. I will leave these in the soil for seven months this time and see if I can get larger tubers. 

I placed them in a cool dry place to cure for 10-14 days.

Here are all the Japanese Sweet Potatoes I got in the past month. I believe it amounts to roughly 3.5kg (7.7lbs) of potatoes.

 

Powder Puff (Calliandra) Tree

 

The Powder Puff (Calliandra) tree is a fast growing tropical and subtropical flowering plant with over 140 verities. It can grow 5-6 meters tall and is part of the Pea family. The Powder Puff flower blooms throughout the year and is round, fluffy and colored red, white or pink. 

I was able to pick a dried Powder Puff flower the other day. 

I planted a few seeds the other day and hope to get a few sprouts. I would love to keep one it a planter and would like to put one or two in the back of my house. Because the tree flowers throughout the year, it would be a go source to draw pollinators. The Powder Puff flower is a favorite of Humming birds, but we do not have Humming birds in this region, so still good for other pollinators.