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Rick - no the hunting done here has not kept the feral animal populations under control (not the humans, weren't really sure which you were going for on that questin..)...& the hunters added deer in the last few years, against all practical advice, as they are a terrible nuisance & cost over on Maui... & having met a blast faced feral cow on a field study I was on last fall...they are not at all what you would expect....sorta like a widdle bitty feral kitty that goes whacko tiger on you....which you will also meet here...
As to "how common are these feral animals" there are a population of goats on the highway IN hilo, a cross the street from a shopping center, most years the highway dividing greenspace between Hilo & Keeau has feral pig families, cats, mongoose... turkey are out & about, mostly visible on the Kona side, but are becoming more of occurrence on this side, having feral pigs nearby is a fairly common issue, even in town...herds of goat & mouflon sheep, packs of piggies, flocks of quail, pheasant, turkey & doves are very abundant & present on Saddle Rd (up near the saddle of Mauna Loa/Mauna Kea)
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the Vegans don't do a lot of hunting
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And just wait until the deer really start to take off...they're already up around Waimea, so it looks like eradication isn't working.
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Lots of great info here and opinions... let me add my own. I'm a mainland transplant, but have lived in Puna for 13 years and almost that whole time have been involved with growing food in one way or another. I've definitely learned lots by trial and (many) errors.
A few good general rules to growing here:
The jungle is wet, and has lots of bugs. Therefore, any crop that is think skinned or that takes a long time to ripen is vulnerable. Zucchini and other summer squashes, large tomatoes and sweet peppers, and most conventional lettuce fall in this category. They are simply just too easy to be attacked. What works better is winter 9hard) squashes like kobocha and acorn, cherry tomatoes (which ripen much faster and don't have as long to be attacked), and thicker cooking greens like arugula, kale and kai choi.
Beans, peas and other legumes are usually happy. So is the long thin kine eggplant (but not the big one), and beets and radishes.
All kinds of basil are happy here... pinch the flowers to keep the plants leafy, but eventually let them completely go to seed. Pull them out and turn over the soil and very soon you will have "volunteers" that you can thin out. My current garden is 5 years old and I've only planted basil once!
If you really want to grow thin skinned stuff, consider a screened-in greenhouse or even a screen "tent" that you can put over sensitive veggies to keep out the white flies. If it has a solid but clear top to keep out the rain but let in the sun - even better!
Citrus works pretty well here, except for oranges which tend to get root rot. All citrus are susceptible to root rot here, so if you have a drier or well drained soil that's where to plant them. My Meyer Lemons and Tahitian Limes are CRAZY all year!
Open yourself up to growing more crops that are adapted to the tropics. Sorry, you simply just can't grow many things that you are used to on the mainland, but tru some pineapple, papayas, bananas, lychee, mango, avocado... well, the list is long bit it's much easier to grow things that already want to grow here as opposed to things that YOU want to grow here!
UH Hilo sells many of their seeds that they have developed especially for Eastside Hawaii conditions. You can buy from them directly or from Garden Exchange. Most are hybrid, but some are GMO, so choose wisely.
Above all... EXPERIMENT! So many things that I never thought would work have, while others fail... find what works for you and your garden... and ENJOY!
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I am sure I will have failures because I do not understand what I will be dealing with when I get started, I use raised beds here in Iowa, and think I will also do that in Hawaii. I understand about the greenhouse being the best way, I have a small one here that really helps too.
Just being able to be outside 12 months out of the year is a big deal to me.
If what I plant grows, great! I am sure I will over produce and give most of it away anyway no matter what I end up growing.[  ]
I started out with nothing and I still have most of it.
Mahalo
Rick
I started out with nothing and I still have most of it.
Mahalo
Rick
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Pigs ate EVERYTHING in my garden! They ate leaves, stems, roots, and all. Or maybe it was deer..... However, the last couple of days I have seen pigs on my neighbor's property less than 100' away so it was probably the pigs.
I know I should have been expecting this but it is still a shock. I had sweet potatoes, taro, and a couple of squash-like plants going. Now there is not even a trace of these plants left. I would have expected a real mess but it almost looks like someone took the time to clean up.
Eden Roc, about 1/3 of the way down from rt 11. Could the lava be displacing pigs from the forest preserve?
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Happened to us down here in Kapoho about 4 years ago.I walked out on the deck and thought someone had roto-tilled the garden !
So much for living off the land,I guess we would have starved that year.
We now grow everything in planters that sit on the railing of our second story lanai .
I sat here and watched a cardinal eating my tomatoes the other day !
You can't win !!!!
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All I see is yet another political disconnect -- our "representatives" like to say things like "food basket for the state" and "reduced dependence on imported food", but they don't actually do anything to support those activities (feral pig/deer eradication, subsidized fencing program for famers, useful infrastructure to process/transport the produce, etc).
Better fence off that garden, because you're on your own...
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quote:
Originally posted by MarkP
Pigs ate EVERYTHING in my garden! They ate leaves, stems, roots, and all. Or maybe it was deer..... However, the last couple of days I have seen pigs on my neighbor's property less than 100' away so it was probably the pigs.
I know I should have been expecting this but it is still a shock. I had sweet potatoes, taro, and a couple of squash-like plants going. Now there is not even a trace of these plants left. I would have expected a real mess but it almost looks like someone took the time to clean up.
Eden Roc, about 1/3 of the way down from rt 11. Could the lava be displacing pigs from the forest preserve?
I think we all share your pain brother!!
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quote:
Originally posted by MarkP
Pigs ate EVERYTHING in my garden! They ate leaves, stems, roots, and all. Or maybe it was deer..... However, the last couple of days I have seen pigs on my neighbor's property less than 100' away so it was probably the pigs.
I know I should have been expecting this but it is still a shock. I had sweet potatoes, taro, and a couple of squash-like plants going. Now there is not even a trace of these plants left. I would have expected a real mess but it almost looks like someone took the time to clean up.
Eden Roc, about 1/3 of the way down from rt 11. Could the lava be displacing pigs from the forest preserve?
Sorry to hear of your loss but the cleanliness is suspicious. Have you gone on Youtube and entered "pahoa gleaning foraging"? There are several videos of people "living off the land" in Puna and it is pretty obvious these are guys robbing farms and orchards. This is just another example of the mainland tourists that come through here and their new doublespeak for "eco friendly", meaning you are the eco and they are the friendly (more like frienemies).
"This island Hawaii on this island Earth"
*Japanese tourist on bus through Pahoa, "Is this still America?*
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