Papaya (Fruit)

I picked a Papaya the other day that was starting to turn yellow. This fruit is still pretty firm, so I will slice it and eat it as fresh fruit like I would a melon. If I let it ripen for a week or so, I will scope it out and place it in a fresh bag and freeze it. This next day I will make ice cream. Papaya ice cream is super easy to make and super good. 

Papaya Ice Cream: https://okinawagardener.blogspot.com/2020/11/papaya-ice-cream.html

Acerola Cherry

It's May and that means it's the season when Acerola start to bloom and I've gotten tons already.

I pick Acerola a little early once I see a red tint and place them outside in a cool dry spot to ripen. It just takes 1-2 takes to get bright red. I do this to prevent snails, birds and Mealy bugs from damaging them too much. I've collected around 2 kg (4.5 lbs) in the past week and placed them in the refrigerator to stay fresh. I now have enough to make jam. Stay tuned...

 

Mango (Kitsu)

It looks like three Mango made it, but the two fruit at the top are quite close and do not think both will make it. On a positive note, the tree is flowering again.

These are some of the new flowers. I noticed many black flies on them, so hope they successfully pollinate a few of them.

Pests (Wooly Gray Lycia Moth, Caterpillar)

Found two Wooly Moth Caterpillars on my Guava tree. This is the second season I found them on this same tree. They are quite destructive and difficult to find, but easy to know if they are on the tree. 

They drop reddish brown pellets on the ground that are easy to find. 

Wooly Moth Caterpillar.

Wooly Moth.

Banana Tree

This Banana tree was planted last May. It is growing slowly and has four pups, and looks healthy. I tried to transplant two pups previously, but they did not make it. They were two small. The pup should be at least a foot tall, but I was impatient. Anyway, I expect this tree will produce Bananas next year. 

Mikan Orange Tree

This is a very young Mikan Orange tree and the first year it has produced fruit. I found 5-6 fruit that has actually set.

 

Guava (Strawberry)

These Strawberry Guava bushes were planted from seed about two years ago. They produced some fruit last year, but are full of buds this year. I have 7-8 bushes and now considering how to use all the fruit I expect them produce. However, I must say, of the three verities I am growing (Red, White and Strawberry) these are my favorite, so a nice problem to have. 

Guava (Red)

Birds love these Guava.

The last Guava of the season. They were exceptionally sweet.

Though there were fruit on the tree from last season, new buds have started to blossom.

(05/01) These white Beni Imo slips were planted on 1 October.

Step 1: Remove the vines.

Step 2: Set the vines aside to make new slips.

Step 3: Lay down a plastic sheet to keep the area clean.

Step 4: Flip over the container.

Step 5: Check the soil to ensure there is no disease or infestation. If healthy, add fertilizer and nutrients to the soil and put the soil back in the container.

Step 6: Using the vines set aside earlier, make new slips and plant as deep as possible. Water often for the first 10 days. 

Step 7: Weight the tubers to gage how productive the crop was. These Sweet Potatoes were seven months old. They were a decent size, but I believe I could have left them 1-2 more months to get a little bigger.

Step 8: Place the tubers in a cool dry place to cure for 10-14 days. I actually cooked two just to check them. They were deep purple and sweet.

White skinned Beni Imo. Beautiful!