Category: Gardening

Wonderfull Winter is Almost Gone!

2/2/2015

Less than a month ago we wrote how wonderfull winter is in Hawaii: it's a break from the heat in the summer, it gets cooler at night [low 60s], and it's when many fruit and nut trees start flowering. Right now, for example, the mango, some citrus, the macnut, some avocados, and a couple other types of trees have flowers on them - woo hoo! If they don't all fall off, we might get quite a few mangoes and avocados this fall - yes!

However, it seems as though winter has mostly left us. It's up to 82 degrees in the shade, and the nights are getting a bit warmer [mid-60s]. I miss winter already! At least, winter in Hawaii! :)

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Today was coconut palm fronds trimming day

2/2/2015

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It's amazing how it seems not that long ago when we planted some coconut trees and it seemed like it took them a very long time to grow. Now they are sometimes too tall to reach the higher fronds without a ladder - wow!

Sometimes the fronds hit up against a neighboring tree, and it if happens to be a fruit tree, then we would rather the palm frond not 'beat the fruit tree to death' so the fronds need to be cut off the tree. There are several coconut trees, as well as several fruit trees that they are affecting, so trimming the coconut palm trees takes much more time than it used to, and also sometimes requires a ladder - our little trees are growing up! That's great news, as it means it is more likely we will get more coconuts, but it's also more challenging and time-consuming to trim the trees now. Oh well...

We also picked up over 6 five-gallon buckets of limes that were just laying underneath the lime tree and composting. Whoa! We wish we could send you all our extra limes! The lime tree is very prolific and we never lack limes! Trimming the lime tree is also very pleasant because the lime branches, unlike most citrus and other trees, produce a very strong lime aroma -mmmmmmm! So, it's a treat to actually trim the lime tree - such a yummy scent! Thanks lime tree!

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Cowspiracy: The Vegan Documentary

11/20/2014

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female turkey checking out the vegan garden!

If you haven't yet seen the documentary entitled Cowspiracy, I highly recommend it! This documentary exposes why environmental organizations do not discuss the largest producer of global emissions: livestock. If you have ever wondered about global emissions, environmentalism, sustainability, agricultural practices, the large numbers of fish being taken out of the ocean, how MUCH of an impact going vegan can make, and whether or not you can be healthy on a vegan diet, then this documentary is for you! Check it out, share it with friends and family [and anyone else willing to watch] and talk about it with people. It's one of the important documentaries of this period, and will hopefully help even more people make the decision to switch to veganism.

You can also learn about the film at this website.

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What do you do with all those banana peels?

10/2/2014

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Since we eat a lot of smoothies, and we make them with bananas, we have a LOT of banana peels left over at the end of the day. We were talking about what to do with them; is there a way to make some sort of concoction or potion or something and take advantage of all those peels, besides composting them? I have also heard that there is some serotonin in the peels, and that maybe they could be used to help reduce depression, but I wasn't sure how to do that.

I did a little internet research [because that's where all the answers are!], and found these suggestions:

rub the inside of the peel onto an itch or sore
boil the peels and put them in a tea or other drink or smoothie
attract birds and butterflies by laying them out in the garden
they supposedly make a good cleaner/burnish for leather and silver - rub with the peel, then clean with a cloth

indoor plant feeder: soak a banana peel in a jar of water overnight, then dilute with five parts of water, then use a watering can to water indoor plants [not sure exactly what the plants are getting from the peel water]

tomato plant feeder/protector: somehow [I'm not sure exactly how that looks like] wrap a peel around a tomato plant and it will feed the plant while it's growing and then dissolve or blow away when the peel dries up
you can make a salad dressing with vinegar; there are different recipes; just do a search for banana peel salad dressing

I wish I were more of a chemist so that I could utilize more of the serotonin that is supposed to be in banana peels. There could be some actual research studies on banana peels that chemists or other researchers have done, but I haven't done a search for those kinds of studies yet.

Anybody have any other ideas for using up those banana peels?

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Tropical blueberries - they exist!

9/1/2014

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Did you know that there are varieties of blueberries and raspberries [and maybe some other 'cool weather' berries that I haven't yet learned about] that grow in the 'tropics' [or, at least, in Hawaii]??!! I learned about them approximately two to three years ago. Now we have two varieties of tropical blueberries growing; one looks like a regular blueberry and one looks very different and has a skin that you peel away to eat the fruit inside. I've had pretty good luck with the two tropical blueberry varieties [actually producing fruit], but not as much [at least not yet] with the raspberries. I'm still working on the raspberries - planing them in different places and trying different soil amendments and different water amounts with them. But, it really 'tripped me out' when I learned that these tropical berries actually exist [someone has been hard at work playing around with these typically cool-weather plants - thank you whoever you are!] and that they actually produce berries! What a great thing, to grow our own berries in Hawaii!! :)

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Organic gardening the Anima Journey way!

8/4/2014

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by Willow Aureala

There are a variety of soil amendments a person can use to grow plants organically. At Anima Journey, as vegans, we only use non-animal soil amendments for fertilizing. This way, we avoid supporting the slaughterhouse industry, as well as avoiding potential hazards of animal-based fertilizers. After reading an old book on organic gardening in Hawaii, as well as reading additional materials that are not Hawaii-based, and utilizing our own experience, we decided on a few organic soil amendments. We use the following soil amendments to fertilize our fruit trees and our garden beds:

Greensand: greensand is mined from deposits that were originally from the ocean floor. It contains 3% potash [potassium], as well as a variety of over 30 trace minerals. It is also long-acting so only needs to be put in the soil about every two years or so [of course, this will vary from place to place].

Rock phosphate: rock phosphate is made from the hard rock phosphate mining industry. The phosphate is reduced to a water soluble form and the sulfur bonds with the calcium to form gypsum. Soft rock phosphate is the soft colloidal clay that lies between the various layers of hard rock phosphate. The colloidal clay is washed off and what is left is a completely natural phosphate source and truly valuable fertilizer. It provides tremendous benefits to the soil, microbes, plant life and worms. [Hard rock phosphate is not bio-available for the soil.]

Agricultural grade spirulina: while unable to find any conclusive research on how or if plants can actually utilize the nutrients [especially nitrogen] in ag-grade spirulina, we decided to go ahead and buy and use it for fertilizer. We can buy it locally from a business that produces "Hawaiian grown spirulina." Our main source of nitrogen [which is one of the main items we struggled with for a long while - how to get a high source of nitrogen without using animal-based fertilizers or buying VERY expensive substitutes such as soymeal, which still had low percentages of nitrogen], and decided to try ag-grade spirulina. We really need to get a soil test done to determine the validity of the nitrogen in the spirulina, but that has proved difficult.

Dolomite: dolomite was recommended to us by a gardening store and supposed expert on bananas. Our bananas werenʻt producing as much as when we initially planted them, and so we were wondering if there was some nutrient, especially a micronutrient, that they possibly needed. While Hawaii has many different types of soil, and bananas do better in some areas than in others due to elevation, annual rain fall, and other environmental factors, we hope that the dolomite will prove beneficial for the bananas. Bananas are referred to as ʻheavy feedersʻ, meaning that they need to be fertilized more often than other fruit-bearing trees [although bananas are technically a grass], so we use all of the above more often on the banana trees than our other fruit and nut trees. Dolomite is a mineral, and has weak bonds of calcium and magensium, which supposedly makes it easier for plants to assimilate it. It is different from limestone, and is also long-lasting in the soil.

So, there you have it! These are currently the soil amendments in use at Anima Journey. Of course, as we learn more about our local environment and specifics about the tropical trees we have planted, we may make modifications or changes. But, for now, these are the main soil amendments we use at Anima Journey to help our trees and plants grow and be healthy and produce yummy fruits and vegetables!

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Fruit Tree Mysteries

1/26/2013

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We have some interesting, and sometimes frustrating, fruit tree mysteries. For example, we planted a dwarf julie mango that is doing very well about four years ago. We get two harvests per year. Then we planted two other dwarf julie mango trees, about 20 feet or so away from the first julie that is doing so well, and they just sort of 'sat there' for a year and a half doing next to nothing. I know I purchased the second two julies from a different nursery, so is that why they are just now starting to grow and flower? Is it the dirt or soil or rocks in that location? Do they need more fertilizer or water? It's a mystery! Anyone else have fruit tree mysteries to share?

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Wonderfull Winter is Almost Gone!

Today was coconut palm fronds trimming day

Cowspiracy: The Vegan Documentary

What do you do with all those banana peels?

Tropical blueberries - they exist!

Organic gardening the Anima Journey way!

Fruit Tree Mysteries

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