Gardens, Gardening, Plants, etc 2019

HI

Lass

I was intrigued by your mention ofTomatillo plants. I have an old Chilli Verde recipe ( green chilli ) that is a family favourite. Unfortunately  I have always had to substitute for tomatillos. Twice I tried to grow them with no success.

So inspired by your post I have ordered some more seeds. Any tips for growing them? Do you put them in a grow bag like tomatoes?

Any hints welcome. I do not have a greenhouse but could knock up a cold frame

Hey Titus, 

Honestly? I'm flying by the seat of my pants and making it up as I go along. Lol. 

I've never grown anything edible before, so I've just been picking things I like or want to try and seeing what happens. Tomatillo is one of those things I've seen on TV and have recipes calling for them, but I've never seen to buy or try.

So I've grown mine the same as everything else by putting the seeds in little pots on the windowsill and letting them germinate. Then after they had a few good leaves, I transferred them outside to acclimatise, then planted them up. Sadly, a snail got one of them, and aphids got another. But I'm persevering. Lol. I think there's still one, maybe one and a half planted outside. And 2 new ones on my windowsill that have just popped up - trying to replace the ones I lost.

But yeh, I'm feeding them with the tomatoes using tomato feed. And they are growing in the top of the tower I have. So I guess I'm treating them the same as the tomatoes. So fingers are crossed for everything, as it's all a massive learning curve and experiment for me. But it's fun, even if I end up with nothing more than salad leaves, radishes, strawberries, and carrots! (Those are doing their thing quite well at the moment. The rest needs to flower and fruit, so we'll see. Lol)

Good luck with your tomatillo attempt! Fingers crossed we both end up with at least one this year! Lol. Take pics and let me see how you go! 

Lass

Xx

Ha! 

I made a veg! 

Lass

Xx

Very jealous! I can't keep cactus alive let alone grow veg.. enjoy! 

Oooooo. 

I have flowers on my cucumber plant. The start of flowers on a pepper plant, and the start of flowers on my raspberries, oh! And some squash plants have the start of flowers too. One of my strawberries has a little red nose too! 

All very exciting! 

Some of my faves from the back. 

Lass

Xx

And the front... 

Lass

Xx

Hi Lass, your plants look great. Isn't it exciting when you grow fruit or veg!

It's rained so much that everything has grown wild

X

Dear TVman,

Do not know how I missed this post!  

What lovely words about Kauai, and it is all true. 

As to UK-WEEDING-I try to pluck out the weeds before they have a chance to grow. Also raised beds help keep the weeds down because seeds cannot climb, only catch wisps of wind (and the bed is 21/2 feet high or hang onto a bird. Even when one does get in it is easy to see and pluck out.  Ive been in San Fancisco for the last 4 weeks, for treatment and for a family weeding, so there will be weeds when I return.  So I'll roll up my sleeves when I return and go after them.

I'm feeling better lately, so it should be easier to garden when I return to the new garden weeds. Should have papaya when I return.  I start them from seed (from the best tasting papayas only)  and once big enough put them in the ground.  Takes about 8 months from eating, planting, growing to eating:-). Pineapples the same, I start from the head of a great pineapple and it takes 2 years to harvest the fruit, the plant no longer produces, so you eat your pineapple and then plants the pineapple head and so forth and so forth.  

Bananas, you plant a small shoot, wait 1 year for the adult plant and another 3 months for the bunch.  But they multiply by themselves from shoots at the bottom, so once you plant one, it goes on forever.  Now I have about 7 adults and will have a bunch about every 4-6 months, once you cut the bunch down, that stalk is cut down and its babies go forward. Only problem sometimes my yardman will cut a bunch and take them home....About 2 years ago I got a start from a passion fruit, grew it and then planted it by the back fence and will have the first fruit in the near future.  So gardening here is one of patience and planning months to years ahead.  Onions however are fast thank goodness.  Also Basil grows well and fast here.

Thanks for the advice and kind words, you made me smile.

Hugs

Millie

Hi Millie

That's kind of you to say that, and in a nice way when I read your post, you make me insanely jealous!

I think you mean you were at a family WEDDING lol. See what gardening does to us!

Tvman xx

Hi Millie

How did your treatment go when you went to San Francisco? For people in the UK, our cancer treatment is expensive, some of the most expensive treatment that we in the UK can receive, however thanks to our wonderful National Health Service, (NHS), we receive our treatment free ie no bill afterwards although we do pay an amount weekly, depending on our earnings. We may have a long wait for some treatment such as osteoarthritis but to all intents and purposes it's free. 

Some of our treatment, especially in cancer treatment, is the best in the world. The NHS is criticised a lot, but I think I can say that we cancer patients are extremely grateful. I'm wondering, Millie, does your treatment cost an arm and a leg? Or do you have an insurance policy? It's hard for me to understand that if I lived in the US, I would have to do without my treatment, in which case I probably wouldn't be around. If you think I'm being intrusive when I asked you about how you pay, then please accept my apologies for asking a personal question and you don't have to reply.

I don't know about others, but I love to see a post from you, each time I read one I can feel a tropical island breeze on my face . Reading about you growing tropical fruits, as I said elsewhere, brings a feeling of jealousy, in a nice way of course!

Hope to hear from you soon, Millie. Take care.

Tvman xx