Going Troppo

A tumeric leaf unfurls

A ground orchid flowers:



Sweet potatoes start to poke their way above the soggy ground


The start of a new year, and I have been looking back on the last year and how much my garden has changed.  I begin to wonder.  What new projects can I come up with?  I wanted my garden to be self-sustaining, and not require constant money effort or time, I achieved that, but what next?  I enjoyed the creativity of pulling everything together, and now I feel a bit of a sense of deflation. Maybe too this is a little bit of what we call here "going troppo".  The constant heat and humidity is very draining, and anything you do outside has to be interspersed by bouts of re-hydrating and cooling off in the pool or the air-conditioning.  I did about an hour of weeding and pruning yesterday, and that was all I could handle.  True, I shouldnt have done that in the middle of the day, but I was in the shade.  All the plants are growing to immense proportions.  The only jobs I can see in the foreseeable future is cutting back, as there is no more room at the inn!  I guess this year will be fine tuning the garden plan that I started so enthusiasticlly this time last year.
I would like to wish all my readers a very Happy New Year!

Comments

  1. Nell JeanTue Jan 05, 01:56:00 AM

    Is your turmeric what we call curcuma? There are so many gingers to keep sorted. Right now curcumas are underground for the cold winter here. Hard freeze is taking out the hardier alpina and cardamon foliage which had persisted to the first of the year.

    I look forward to the unfurling of new leaves, soonest. Maybe I won't complain as bitterly about the heat, when it returns, after this spell of cold.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Rosie Nixon FluertyTue Jan 05, 08:32:00 AM

    what a treasure to have an orchid like that beauty growing in your garden!

    ReplyDelete
  3. africanaussieTue Jan 05, 08:37:00 AM

    Hi Nell Jean,
    Yes it is called circuma longa and seems to be the one most commonly used here for the edible root. I dont harvest it after the leaves die down in winter - just go and cut off a piece when ever I need it. It keeps freshest that way! Just lies on the surface, maybe yours is deeper because your winters are colder than ours. This is called bandicooting here. We have mammals here called bandicoots which burrow around the roots looking for grubs.:) Tumeric is supposedly wonderful for diabetics, and I put it into all my curries and stir fries.
    My cardamon does not die down in the winter, but it is taking off nicely now. Do you get seeds? I have heard most people around here dont get seeds. The plant is only about 2ft high and I understand they can get quite tall.
    I would send you some of this heat and humidy if I could!

    ReplyDelete

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