COVID-19 Gardening Tips

You never know what will happen and how this pandemic will affect our lives, but trying to grow what I can just in case. Here are the things I'm growing and why:

1. Beans

High in Protein, versatile, small footprint (grows vertical), grows quickly and produces a lot. I'm growing flat and string beans, but might seed some peas, since the leaves are eatable.

2. Japanese Sweet Potatoes

High in starch and sugar, long shelf life, easy to grow, grows year around, and though they take longer to grow (4-6 months) compared to yellow Potatoes (2-3 months), you can eat the leaves, so you have a constant source of nutrients in the greens.

3. Red and Green Lose Leaf Lettuce

Super easy to grow, grows fast and contains decent nutrients. I seed a new container every couple of weeks to ensure I always have fresh Lettuce. 

4. Radishes

High in nutrients, easy to grow and grows very quickly. Radishes are one of the fastest growing vegetables, they have different tastes and the sprouts can be eaten as greens.

5. Green Peppers

High in nutrients, requires a small footprint and produces a lot; however, they take time to mature (6 months).

6. Potatoes

High in starch, long shelf life and easy to grow.

7. Tomatoes

High nutrients, easy to grow and heavy producer. 

8. Cucumbers

High nutrients, easy to grow, small footprint (grows vertical), heavy producer.

9. Swiss Chard

High in nutrients, easy to grow and has a long growing cycle, which allows you to harvest the leaves as you need as the plant continues to grow.

10. Herbs (Rosemary, Basil, Oregano, Sage, Parsley, Cilantro) 

Most Herbs are quick and easy to grow and important to enhance the flavor of food should your choices become limited.  

Japanese Sweet Potato

Not sure what is going to happen with the global COVID-19 situation, so I decided the plant some more Japanese Sweet Potatoes. I put this container in the front of my house since my second floor balcony is getting crowded. I do not like the look of the container, but the vines will cover that up soon enough.

I cover the container during the day to protect the cuttings from the direct sunlight until they start to root and grow. It is important to remove the cover when there is no direct sunlight to avoid the leaves from wilting due to the heat. 

Mango Tree Blossoms (Kitsu or Keitt)

I was advised by a Mango grower to remove the flowers to promote better root growth. Additionally, I was told the tree may not produce fruit next year if I do not remove the flowers. I hope the tree grows more and I can get Mango's next years.

Cauliflower Bolting

My Cauliflower plant was so cute when I bought it, but it suddenly started to bolt. I watered it enough, but do not think it got enough direct sunlight. Anyway, I decided to let it bolt and collect the seeds. I will try and grow more plants, but intend to put the planters in the front of my house where the can get more sunlight.

Seed pods are in the center of the flowers and are noticeable as the petals fall off. The seed pods kind of look like green beans. The pods should be left on the plant until they dry and turn brown, at which time the pods can be harvested. The seeds can be planted immediately or stored for future use.

Strawberry Plants

I bought a new Strawberry plant last year and started to propagate it recently since it started to produce runners. I could not sleep last night so decided to transplant some of them.

If you recall, I bought special containers to create a Strawberry tower, but I am now using it for other vegetables, so trying these little fence planters I got from the Dollar store. Hope they work.

Passion Fruit

I have pollinated numerous flowers with no positive results until now. Today while pollinating a few flowers that had bloomed I found my first fruit. I am so pleased.

To learn how to Pollinate a Passion Fruit, visit my post on "Passion Fruit Pollination."

Orange Tree

I had two Orange seeds sprout, but clipped the smallest one to ensure all nutrients go towards the growth of this one seedling. Unfortunately, it typically takes seven to 10 years before it produces fruit, so I must be patient.

Passion Fruit Propagation

I have been trying to propagate Passion Fruit vines for over a month using common techniques I researched, but kept failing; however, I finally found the cause. I was taking cuttings from newly grown vines, which were soft and not mature. Now I select older and more mature vines and they survive. 

I cut the leaf in half to minimize moister loss.

Next I scored the end to promote water intake.

Stick in the soil, water well and shade from direct sunlight until new growth begins.

(28 March) 9 days and the cuttings are doing fine. I planted a Celery core in the Center.

Peach Tree

I could not focus well, but inside the blossom you can see a small Peach. It looks like I may get five or 6 Peaches this year. 

Kabocha Squash (Japanese Pumpkin)

I planted these Kabocha Pumpkin seeds a few weeks ago and they are growing so fast. I had them on my second floor balcony, but needed to move them to a location that would allow the vines to grow, so moved them to the front of my house where there is plenty of space and sunlight. I did not want to put them directly on the concrete because it gets quite hot here, so put some black gardening fabric down to protect them. 

Mikan Orange Tree

I planted this Mikan Orange tree from seed last year, but it has grown so fast. I transplanted it last night. I expect it to start producing fruit in two to four years from now.

Tomato Plants

I have another group of Tomato plants I started a little after the plants I have on my second floor balcony. I started these the same way, which was cut up a Tomato and plant the slice. You can see a lot of little plants sprouting. I will wait a little while and see which one grows strongest and trim out the others.

Shikuwasa and Avocado Trees

I planted a few Shikuwasa seeds last November. I have one tree on my second floor balcony that I started in a large planter, but just got around to transplanting this one yesterday (left planter). The plant on the right is an Avocado tree. You can see a picture of this tree on the table from my Featured Post "My Balcony Garden". It has really grown.

Papaya Fruit

I have a few very large Papaya and wanted to remove them to make room for the smaller Papaya, so picked this yesterday. My scale only measures something up to 2 kg, so I do not know how much this actually weights. A 12 oz can of soda weights 340 grams and guess the Papaya is seven or 8 times larger, so estimate the Papaya to weight around 2.5 kg  (5.5 lbs). It will produce too much as a vegetable for a stir fry, so I will let is ripen and eat it as a fruit. I'll keep you updated.

Japanese Pumpkin (Kabocha Squash)

The Kabocha plants are growing quickly and the Tomato plants are also keeping up.

Beans and Lettuce

The latest Beans and Lettuce planter is doing fine and I should be able to start picking the Lettuce soon. I have two other planters of Green Lettuce, but this planter contains Sunny Lettuce (Red Leaf Lettuce).

Swiss Chard

This is the Swiss Chard I have in the back of my house. I've harvested from it twice and it is still going strong. I have it in a deep planter so the wind does not damage it, but because it does not get a lot of direct sunlight the beautiful rainbow colors of the stock is not strong, but the leaves grow large and remain super tender.

Mango (Flowering)

The Mango tree I planted last October is flowering.

Bitter Melon (Goya, Nigauri)

Bitter Melon (Goya, Nigauri) growing wild in the back on my house.

(5/1) Have a few pretty nice Goya on this wild Goya plant in the back of my house.

Papaya Tree

One of my 3 meter Papaya trees still producing. I have picked several 3 kg fruit from this tree and see two that are about that size.

Beans (Bikkuri Jumbo, Bush, Flat, Helda, Romano, String)

The Beans are starting to grow, but it is difficult to see them with all the lettuce sprouts, but they are starting to pop up. I like to grow Lettuce with my Beans and Tomatoes. I find they grow well together and compliment the soil.

(12 March) The Lettuce has ready grown and three String Bean plants appeared.

This is the second planter I have with Beans and Lettuce. I've already started to harvest the Lettuce and two Bean spouts finally popped through. At lunch I suspended some ropes for the Beans to climb.

(12 March) Beans starting to climb. I've eaten a lot of the Lettuce.

(10 April) Well, beans are starting to mature and they are all Bush Beans. None of the Flat Beans grew. I'll keep trying. 

Strawberry Guava Tree

I planted some Strawberry Guava seeds last year, hung up the pot and basically forgot about it. The seeds started to sprout late last year 2019.

I have so many seedlings and transplanted a few. I intend to transplant the rest in the back of my house to create a natural barrier between the property next to mine.

(5/1) I transplanted these two seedlings around the beginning on May and they are growing well.

(6/6) I went to a famer's market that had many vendors selling trees, flowers and other various plants and found this Strawberry Guava tree. They are fruiting now. My plants are too young, but suspect I will get fruit next year.

Japanese Pumpkin (Kabocha Squash)

(3 March) After nearly three weeks, the Pumkin (Kabocha) plants started to sprout. When I was thinning the Tomato plants I stuck some of the larger plants in the dirt since the Kabocha had not yet sprouted, but surprisingly all the Tomato plants survived. Next I have to figure out how to route these vines. Kabocha are crawlers and they will not do well on the hot tile of my balcony, so I need to think of what to do. I may take them down stairs to grow in the yard. Stay tuned. 

(12 March) In just 9 days the Pumpkin plants have grown so much and amazingly the four Tomato plant suckers I planted seemed to have made it and growing as well.  

Green Peppers (Piman)

(10 March) My two Pepper (Piman) plants are producing a lot of Peppers. I leave some on the plant until they turn red since they are sweeter, but I find that as soon as I pick the Peppers the plant starts flowering again. 

(12 March) Picked a few more Peppers. I saw five more of the plants and have tons of blossoms. It seems every time I harvest Peppers the plant immediately starts to bloom.

Tomato Plant

This Tomato plant popped up in one of my Kumquat planters. I suspect it was from bird droppings, but looks super healthy.

Kumquat Tree (Kinkan)

My Kumquat tree (Kinkan) is not doing so well since I transplanted it. I'm sure it is experiencing root shock, but surprised to see blossoms. I'm thankful it survived. This tree flowers five or 6 times a year, so believe it will have a full recovery soon and start to produce more fruit.

Papaya Tree

My six month old Papaya tree is over 6 feet (2 meters) tall and full of flowers. In fact, one flower has matured into a fruit (see white arrow).

Iris Flower

I transplanted my Iris plant a few months ago to a larger planter and most certainly caused some root shock, because I only have one flower this year. But overall the plant is doing fine, so I expect many flowers next year.

Potato (Jagaimo)

I have many Potato plants growing around the house and one recently turned yellow so I pulled it and got this cute heart shaped potato. 

Peach Tree Blossom

My Peach Tree did not look so good, but I found many blossoms on it today. Yeah!

(4 March)