Do you take before and after pictures with your garden?

I haven't been posting as much because I've been outside and away from my computer and it's been kind of nice.

My renter's term ended and a new renter wanted to rent the house that we've been in for the last 3 years so we moved to the other house. It's nice to have 2 bedrooms now and a full kitchen after living in a studio for 3 years. I thought I'd miss my other house because it has beautiful views and feels like a tree house, but this house is even better!

The gardens by the front house got a little overgrown because I wanted to give the renter some space and privacy. It feels good to be able to tame the jungle again. I have my work cut out for me, but I'll do what I can!

This was very overgrown:

Before by Alanaana posted Apr 13, 2023 at 20:10

That's better!

That's better! by Alanaana posted Apr 13, 2023 at 20:12

How are your gardens and what are you growing?

 

Time to clean up the citrus grove! There's a rock wall under all of those weeds, but it's hard to tell. I had enough of my own weeds, but the neighbor's weeds started jumping over the wall. Luckily, he's a friend of ours so we can probably get the weed situation under control.

Another_before by Alanaana posted Apr 14, 2023 at 20:10

In_Progress by Alanaana posted Apr 14, 2023 at 20:11

How do you keep your weeds under control?

 

@Hanzo They sound really nice at the Countryside Cafe. I still haven't gone yet. Haven't eaten out since we started our diet 60 days ago. Bacon is definitely < spam! When we first moved here it was a novelty for me to see all the different spam flavors on the shelf. Also the pandesal and ube pandesal is exciting to have access to!

Lava Thai is SO good and I love that it's easy to get to. I'm trying to think of other good places... Hilo Bay Cafe has really good cocktails and dessert and the view, but it is spendy. Pineapples in downtown hilo has the Pineapple Pow and really good burgers and decent outside seating right by the farmer's market, but I haven't gone since before covid.

There's no 24/7 diner on this side of the island?! Ken's Pancake House was 24/7 before covid, but has limited hours. They're also kind of spendy for what you get. I'll let you know if I think of more good places. I have heard that the food in Oahu is better. I'm sure there's lots of good places here, it will just take some time to discover them.

 

Coconut Grill has nice folks and tasty food, as does Hilo Burger Co. Bite the Eye on the way to Pahoa is good too. Cash only though. And Taco Aina street tacos sometimes on Paradise.

 

You can use roundup or some similar weed killer. Round up has a bad reputation now as being a suspected cancer agent if you get it on you. non Hodgkins lymphoma I use it on poison ivy wear gloves and a mask.

 

@johnbb I wish that I could torch the area, but it's too close to power lines and I don't want to damage the good tree roots. Yes, I think that I may need to use something stronger like that.
I've already tried weed cloth, mulch, and other options. I'm glad you suggested it.

 

Two up of 4 ..
The farmer girls have the seeds in the grow houses , eggs in the incubator , 4 kits of rabbits , a few lambs droped ..
Busy here !

 

@Cruisin Sloth Wow! You have been busy! Your greenhouses look great! What are you planning on growing? I was hoping to see some of your updates once the snow melted. Thanks for sharing!

 

Let me get back to you on that .
I'm the tech here that builds stuff, the girls do the growing , 2 ladies the last 12 years , this year 4 woman..
My next hoop house is huge , 40 x 60 and tall .
Last year all the fruit trees dropped most of the fruit, not just on my ranch , but the island never had a apple juice mash press truck meeting anyplace .
I'm the guy who has the trailer that hauls all the mash away and puts in on the ranch in compost piles with dirt and fir shavings ( 2 tons 3 years ago).
Two years ago half a trailer , last year SQUAT !!
The chem drops are killing my trees.
I have underground watering from a drilled well, cleaned the trees with vinegar over winter on the bark and removed the silver fungus .
Sloth



@Alanaana
That's the seed grow area I made. It's in the warm zone.
Peppers , plus many many more,,
Then the girls told me to DON'T touch and just take a picture !
S

 

@Cruisin Sloth I can't wrap my mind around why you're name is "Sloth." Did you choose this with irony because with everything that you and the ladies do on your ranch it sounds like you're the opposite of slow and lazy.

I'm so sorry that your orchard was so badly impacted by the chemicals. That is heartbreaking. I experience a similar thing here because there is a fungus that attacks the mango trees and I have to treat them with copper, but there are many trees that are too big to reach so I have yet to receive good fruit. This property was really suffering when I bought it and it is taking some time to revitalize everything. Additionally there is an ant problem so that's another thing to deal with, but my fruit is starting to stick better this year. I even have some coconuts for the first time!

This is a really cool setup that you have for your seedlings and starts! Also, your newest hoop house sounds like it's going to be enormous! How exciting!

 

My bougainvillea really enjoyed the pruning. I'm glad I was able to do it well before the rain returned.

I accidentally stepped on a buried branch and 6 thorns went through my boot! Thank goodness for thick soles! I barely felt a poke.

Sunshine by Alanaana posted Apr 19, 2023 at 13:30

 

I have SO much weeding to do, but "taming the jungle is a fulltime job" and I'm trying to find a balance.
Sometimes this means more weedy flowers for the Bee's. I can live with that, but I'm looking forward to sharing some progress in this corner.

Trying_to_balance by Alanaana posted Apr 25, 2023 at 15:30

 

It's Guava season! I currently have lots of Strawberry guavas and Lemon Guavas. The coconut guavas should show up soon.

Strawberry_guavas by Alanaana posted Apr 26, 2023 at 9:58

I always like to plant flowers close to the fruit trees and veggies.

Lemon_Guavas by Alanaana posted Apr 26, 2023 at 9:59

The Plumago is in bloom too!

Plumago by Alanaana posted Apr 26, 2023 at 10:01

How is your garden?

 

Never tried or even heard of lemon and coconut guavas.

 

Got these from a neighbor

IMG_4119 by Hanzo posted Apr 25, 2023 at 18:07

 

@Hanzo The lemon and coconut guavas also grow throughout HPP. When we first moved here we were so thrilled and we would drive to the dead end roads with a basket and collect them. The Lemon guavas look like lemons and taste tart. The coconut ones are a little bigger than the strawberry guavas. Yellow and taste sweeter.

 

This is SO Gorgeous! Is it a type of hibiscus?

 

I've had yellow strawberry guava before. Wondering if it is the same one you are talking about.

 

Yes. A HPP neighbor, forgot what street was giving away cuttings a few months ago. Our first flower.

 

Yes! I think that's the coconut one.