A very happy kiwi vine.
All in all...good news.
The tropical trees that I ordered from Clifton's arrived
in MAGNIFICENT shape. I was floored.
I planted them carefully, and they were doing well,
but they got shocked hard by the cold, dry weather
in December and January. I wasn't prepared for the
December weather...but it came fast and COLD.
Like...-30F cold. The dome reached down
to about 24F, but that is just too cold for
guavas, mangoes, and most avocados.
This was the beautiful Mexicola Grande
that arrived back in October.
It got all dried out and the leaves were all dead. :(
But the base is still alive, so I cut it back hard and brought it inside.
This was the Mango:
For those doing greenhouses...don't forget
about humidity as well as temp. Just as crucial.
Minnesota is drier than a popcorn fart (dad's quote).
The dew point is like...negative 2 I think.
In Bali...the air was thick. The trees were thriving there.
Again, I had to top off the mango.
It totally pained me to do this.
But alas...life was still there, and now the tree
should be more compact and shorter overall.
Let's hope it recovers from the cold snap.
Check out this video about planting a tree.
I learned a lot from these guys.
And for those with limited space
but large intentions...
Good stuff, right?
I laid out some more bricks for the wall,
and situated some grapes for transplanting later.
In place of all the tropicals, I put in the:
4 Persimmons, which are budding out early,
2 figs...which are looking very happy also,
and eventually, the pomegranate.
Look at what a difference some more warmth makes!
They are going to stay there,
so that way I won't have to heat the dome,
and the tropicals can stay in the house where
its warmer and not so dry. If you can
keep them under 8ft, you'll be ok usually.
Remember the Black Sapote seedlings?
Check them out...still small but healthy.
The compost pile is doing better than I expected.
It is not super hot...just warm and LOADED with worms.
They were really everywhere. I couldnt believe it.
I cant wait to spread this all over the garden in 6 weeks.
So thats about it. I was spending a good deal of time up there this week.
I would turn off my phone and go up there and play some music
and just fall right into the zone. I was in there from 10am
till about 4pm and didn't even eat yet. Just too focused and busy.
You know...that is the sign to look for. When time disappears.
When you are doing something that you enjoy, and
time just melts away, you know that you are on the right track.
I was upset to leave it again, but there isnt much else to do for a while.
I just feel like I am doing something real.
Something that is honest and has purpose and meaning.
Modeling has never given that to me.
How could it? Purpose? Umm...not on a deeper level.
Being in the garden and helping things come to life just
fills me with so much happiness. I can never go back.
Its really that simple. Once you've felt it, you are done.
Spring is coming! You can start seedlings indoor really soon!
Check out some sites to get excited.
www.fedcoseeds.com
www.seedsavers.org
www.groworganic.com
www.seedsofchange.com
Seriously. Plant some edibles. ANYWHERE. Send some pics.
Anthony
in MAGNIFICENT shape. I was floored.
I planted them carefully, and they were doing well,
but they got shocked hard by the cold, dry weather
in December and January. I wasn't prepared for the
December weather...but it came fast and COLD.
Like...-30F cold. The dome reached down
to about 24F, but that is just too cold for
guavas, mangoes, and most avocados.
This was the beautiful Mexicola Grande
that arrived back in October.
It got all dried out and the leaves were all dead. :(But the base is still alive, so I cut it back hard and brought it inside.
This was the Mango:
For those doing greenhouses...don't forgetabout humidity as well as temp. Just as crucial.
Minnesota is drier than a popcorn fart (dad's quote).
The dew point is like...negative 2 I think.
In Bali...the air was thick. The trees were thriving there.
Again, I had to top off the mango.
It totally pained me to do this.But alas...life was still there, and now the tree
should be more compact and shorter overall.
Let's hope it recovers from the cold snap.
Check out this video about planting a tree.
I learned a lot from these guys.
And for those with limited space
but large intentions...
Good stuff, right?
I laid out some more bricks for the wall,
and situated some grapes for transplanting later.In place of all the tropicals, I put in the:
4 Persimmons, which are budding out early,
2 figs...which are looking very happy also,
and eventually, the pomegranate.Look at what a difference some more warmth makes!
They are going to stay there,
so that way I won't have to heat the dome,
and the tropicals can stay in the house where
its warmer and not so dry. If you can
keep them under 8ft, you'll be ok usually.
Remember the Black Sapote seedlings?
Check them out...still small but healthy.
The compost pile is doing better than I expected.It is not super hot...just warm and LOADED with worms.
They were really everywhere. I couldnt believe it.I cant wait to spread this all over the garden in 6 weeks.
So thats about it. I was spending a good deal of time up there this week.
I would turn off my phone and go up there and play some music
and just fall right into the zone. I was in there from 10am
till about 4pm and didn't even eat yet. Just too focused and busy.
You know...that is the sign to look for. When time disappears.
When you are doing something that you enjoy, and
time just melts away, you know that you are on the right track.
I was upset to leave it again, but there isnt much else to do for a while.
I just feel like I am doing something real.
Something that is honest and has purpose and meaning.
Modeling has never given that to me.
How could it? Purpose? Umm...not on a deeper level.
Being in the garden and helping things come to life just
fills me with so much happiness. I can never go back.
Its really that simple. Once you've felt it, you are done.
Spring is coming! You can start seedlings indoor really soon!
Check out some sites to get excited.
www.fedcoseeds.com
www.seedsavers.org
www.groworganic.com
www.seedsofchange.com
Seriously. Plant some edibles. ANYWHERE. Send some pics.
Anthony
