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Merry Monarch seems to have captured everyone else's attention. No one but me around and I have been lazy all weekend. However, before the weekend, we managed to get the corn in, the trellis up and a few peas in and some peppers too. Despite the heavy rain, our design is working well, drainage is going where it should and the plants seem happy. Spots of sunshine between rain floods are saving us and them!
The first thing we planted was squash in a raised bed before we had the fence up. A few days ago some giant yellow flowers popped up and now there are tons of little baby squashes everywhere. There is a zuchini the length of my thumb and half a dozen inch long babies. There are a dozen crook necked squash on those plants and even a few summer squash... the kind that look like they could be little munchkin feet with toes all around... hehe...
I get a big ole' chest full of joy each time I look at them. If a few weeks we will begin harvesting squash an cooking it right up. Will any of you be joining us? It's all really beginning to be something to see.
May you live in interesting times.
I want to be the kind of woman that, when my feet
hit the floor each morning, the devil says
"Oh Crap, She's up!"
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Sounds like you might be having squash in days rather than weeks...
What corn did you plant? I've heard there is a special BI variety.
David
Ninole Resident
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There probably is a special variety but I just bought white sweet corn at the local ACE seed display. We will have to see how it goes. I have batdch number # sprouting now; figure it will go in the ground in 3 weeks, give or take. I am planning to do this every two or three weeks till the corn field portion of the garden is filled. The hope is to extend the harvest season.
We'll find out
May you live in interesting times.
I want to be the kind of woman that, when my feet
hit the floor each morning, the devil says
"Oh Crap, She's up!"
Posts: 2,189
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Joined: Sep 2004
Having a great week with the land. Alex, my wonderful worker, has finished his part in the garden and is doing the second clearing under the fruit trees. Now that the tender roots are a little more mature I figure they can take some stress, so we retilled, removed new grass, used some weed & feed then mulched with about 6 inches of mulch and finally sprayed the new surface with grass killer. The trees are looking great. Some have flowers on them. The citrus area smells of a sweet lemon. It is the smell of success!!!
More seelings are getting ready to be put in the garden soon. First they are sprouted in a table top greenhouse indoors, then acclamated to the outdoors, then to nights and after about a week of acclamation they get to be transplanted. So far the newest pea plants and squash are doing fine in the garden, standing right up and seeking sunshine.
On the down side, the excessive rain has made a mud bog out of the fields. Even the 4 wheel drives are getting stuck so we are parking on my lovely road and walking in unless we are hauling equipment or mulch. Then we struggle and make a muddy mess and hope... so far we have gotten through.... but I am sure glad I invested in a pair of those cheap $15 rubber boots at Ace Hardware!
May you live in interesting times.
I want to be the kind of woman that, when my feet
hit the floor each morning, the devil says
"Oh Crap, She's up!"
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Joined: Sep 2004
I just read thru these logs for the first time in a long while. Wow, what progress I have made. It is exciting. as the recent rain is burrying us in a mudbog I am reminded of the 6 hours a day I was spending hauling water in buckets and then the joy of reducing it to 3 or so with a portable tank in my jeep. Definitely no water hauling now.
Good sense of progress because my focus has had to shift to finances, budgets, permits, flooring, counters, tile.... It's nice to escape to the garden for a few hours at a time. All I can say is that hubby and I made an excellent decision not being together during this building time. Stress of the process is a pain I would rather handle alone. He is not "feeling" it so when I share the issues he is clear headed and has good things to say.
The carpenter, Randy, and his family who are living in the little cabin on the land are wonderful to have around. He helps out with lots of little stuff at all the right times. This weekend he is fitting in a tune-up on the old Ford truck we use to haul mulch and supplies and stuff.... yay!
Having good people around has made this project doable. Having all you readers and responders here is also extremely encouraging. You give me good ideas, keep me thinking and most importantly focus me of the successes rather than the failures. MAHALO to you all... keep in touch both email and on here.
Pam
May you live in interesting times.
I want to be the kind of woman that, when my feet
hit the floor each morning, the devil says
"Oh Crap, She's up!"
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The last two days I hauled rock from Puna Rock (#3 is less than 3/4 inch) for the walkway at the walk in entrance. Half the plants are in... and the last load of mulch is in the truck ready to be put in place tomorrow. All the flowers on the plants and vines are red, pink and purple. My neighbor tells me red at an entry is very fung schuei (okay how DO you spell that anyway?????). Anyway, it looks good. It feels good. Soooo if you have been by to visit before, there is something new for you to see. Come on by and see the entry, the veggie garden and just make it an adventuresome day!
May you live in interesting times.
I want to be the kind of woman that, when my feet
hit the floor each morning, the devil says
"Oh Crap, She's up!"
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I finally occurs to me that I have been here just over six months. WOW... that is rather overwhelming.
Today a fellow came by who hasn't seen the place in 3 of those so it was enlightening for him to ooooh and aaaaaah over the things that have changed. It feels really great to make such strides.
We expect the buildign permit within a couple of weeks. it is all getting close now.
This past week a took a hard fall in my wet boots on cement. Bruises are dark purple and my hip is sore along with a hell of a headache... so I will probably slow down for a little bit. Still the garden goes forward and I did spend an hour or two making bean poles out of bamboo this morning for the beans that are sprouting in my little greenhouse... they are already 4 inches tall and growing by the HOUR!!
Things with a building crew aren't quite working out as we had planned so we are interviewing for a couple of master carpentes again. Still, the adventure is extraordinary and I look forward to getting started.
Rain hs been heavy this week. Mud up to our knees is the standard. Still we managed to complete the landscaping on the wallking entry to the orchard. and it is truely lovely. No matter how heavy the rain, how hard the work or how complicated working relationships....this is the adventure of a lifetime and i am thrilled to be living it!
Just another day in paradise!!!!!!
I want to be the kind of woman that, when my feet
hit the floor each morning, the devil says
"Oh Crap, She's up!"
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I must be feeling better.... today was sunny and beautiful. It has been drying out for two days after weeks of excessive rain. The trees are loving it. The garden is doing fine. Today I planted three more rows of corn, directly seeding this time as an experiment. I also put in seedlings on was beans, gourds and chinese peas on the bamboo tipi-style supports I made last week. It just feels soooooo wonderful to be making progress that is so visual. Also, I harvested my first veggies fromthe squash plants. One large zucchini, one large summer squash and one nice crook necked squash. YUM!!
Learning all the time... loving it ... Mahalo for your interest. Pam
May you live in interesting times.
I want to be the kind of woman that, when my feet
hit the floor each morning, the devil says
"Oh Crap, She's up!"
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Hi Pam! I've been reading your posts for awhile now. E-mailed with you back in October right before we moved over. We live pretty close to you, up N. Kulani, off of Ihope Rd! I agree that is's so nice to have some dry days. We measured 65 inches of rain in 45 days from the beginning of March to mid April! We just got some chickens! I'll bring over some eggs someday once they start laying. I wish we had some nice dirt like you do, our land is all rocky. We will have to bring in some dirt to start a "real" garden. We've been growing a few things in containers. Large tomatoes have all turned to mush so far, just waiting on some cherries to finish up soon, hopefully they will work out better. Lettuce has done really well. I'm working in Hilo for a general contractor doing accounting work. It's great! We are so happy to be in Hawaii!
Aloha,
Emily
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Emily,
Can't wait to hear from you. We looked at a place on N. Kulani before we bought ours. Love it up there. Do you know about the free mulch at the Hilo landfill for doing raised beds? Please contact me and visit soon. I love meeting new people and sharing information and ideas. Have you been to the Sunday Farmers Market in Pahoa? It's a kick inthe butt with old hippies and such...
I start all my plants so far in a tabletop greenhouse and then transfer then to the garden. I recommend for you to use raised beds.l Cut some Ohia logs, to make a "box", dig the little soil you have loose inside it, fill it the rest of the way with mulch, add lime and mix thoroughly. A little fertilizer and in a week or two you are ready to plant in there.
Regular tomatoes will never do well in the outdoors here. There is a nematode in the soil that ruins them... as you said mush. You either grow in raised beds of bagged potting mix or a hydroponic setup, both in a greenhouse that is sealable from flyijnginsects. The fruit flies "sting" the fruit/veggies and ruin them. They have gotten over half my outdoor squash already. Locals here use nettingover outdoor plants that bear a fruit or veggie like this.... I am still learning myself.
Okay, babble, babble... contact me pslamont@yahoo.com and i will give you my phone numbers. Hope to meet you soon. Aloha. Pam
Just another day in P A R A D I S E !!
I want to be the kind of woman that, when my feet
hit the floor each morning, the devil says
"Oh Crap, She's up!"
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