november garden notes

OriginalPhoto-562729774.jpg
 

“Gardening is cheaper than therapy, and you get tomatoes.” – Unknown

ahhh the garden in october. the veg beds are slowly coming in. i tried zucchini again this year but had to pull them because they were overly infested with aphids. i think i’ll have to give up on zucchini and cucumber, between the powdery mildew and aphids it just doesn’t work in my humid climate. the chard and tomatoes are doing well along with the various herbs.

the rainbow ti plants just ended their gorgeous bloom which attracts tons of nice buzzy bees, so it’s about time they get a trim. the agapanthus and hilo beauty plumeria tree are ready to lie low for the winter. the plumeria flower is a deep dark maroon color and is in front of the house. over the years i’ve had several people who were driving by stop and ask if they can have a cutting because the color is so stunning. i’m also thrilled to see the two strawberry guava plants that i started from seeds a few years ago have a few fruit flowers starting! each fall i put an inch layer of compost throughout the entire garden and over the grass and it slowly absorbs into the earth, so by the time spring arrives the plants are ready to burst into summer. it really helps my heavily clay soil.

papaya 11.2.18.jpg
lilikoi asimpleislandlife 11.2.18.jpg

the papaya tree has a handful of fruit starting and the lilikoi (passion fruit) has made a comeback after it’s near death and has a couple of fruit starting. lastly the little potted lemon verbena keeps on chugging. i snip off the leaves and brew tea with a little added honey which is wonderfully soothing. between the tea and the chirping of the birds, all is well in my little garden.