Garden bloggers harvest day for March 5th
Barbie and Christine from the gardening blog in South Africa is running a harvest day meme on the 5th of every month, and I thought I would join in. This is the month when most of the "normal" type of vegetables have not yet been planted, I have some tropical wet season type of vegetables to share. I wouldn't call them "abnormal" but some of them sure are different!
I have been wanting to grow winged beans for the longest time, and eventually got some seeds from a Brisbane forum. They have a faint taste of snow peas, but the main reason I wanted to grow them is that they are so pretty, and the fact that they taste so good is an added bonus.
Here they are growing up a tepee and then over a makeshift support down the center of the veggie patch. They are just under a pawpaw tree, you can see passionfruit and loofah hanging from the vine in the top left, and off to the bottom left is the asparagus.
I sent some loofah seeds in exchange - I wonder how they are doing down there in Brisbane? - should be good as they got lots of rain this year! Loofas will grow as high as you let them. I sometimes eat the smaller ones, but mostly let them dry to use in the bath. On my to do list is to make soap one day....and incorporate some loofah.
This has been a good year for ginger and turmeric, and galangal, and lemongrass. I don't harvest them all in one go- just dig up whatever I need and let the plant do its thing. I did dig up a bit of extra ginger because I wanted to make a batch of ginger beer.
You can see the ginger in the photo below- it needs to sit out a little bit in order for the flavor to develop. Also I want to use the front of this bed for planting tomatoes. I wonder if they will taste gingery?
The sweet potatoes and jicama are not as prolific as I would like. I started cutting back the green shoots vigorously in order for all the growing to take place underground.
I have started some seedlings so that I can move straight into the next season with no break in between. Bok Choy, mignotte lettuce, silverbeet - they should thrive in this temperature as the humidity starts to reduce. Barbie has grown some magnificent silverbeet this year - called swiss chard over there. I hope mine is a good crop - from seed they always seem to be very long and spindly, and never quite take off from there. This year I am going to persevere until I get a good crop.
I am looking forward to seeing what everyone is harvesting all over the world.
I have been wanting to grow winged beans for the longest time, and eventually got some seeds from a Brisbane forum. They have a faint taste of snow peas, but the main reason I wanted to grow them is that they are so pretty, and the fact that they taste so good is an added bonus.
Here they are growing up a tepee and then over a makeshift support down the center of the veggie patch. They are just under a pawpaw tree, you can see passionfruit and loofah hanging from the vine in the top left, and off to the bottom left is the asparagus.
I sent some loofah seeds in exchange - I wonder how they are doing down there in Brisbane? - should be good as they got lots of rain this year! Loofas will grow as high as you let them. I sometimes eat the smaller ones, but mostly let them dry to use in the bath. On my to do list is to make soap one day....and incorporate some loofah.
This has been a good year for ginger and turmeric, and galangal, and lemongrass. I don't harvest them all in one go- just dig up whatever I need and let the plant do its thing. I did dig up a bit of extra ginger because I wanted to make a batch of ginger beer.
You can see the ginger in the photo below- it needs to sit out a little bit in order for the flavor to develop. Also I want to use the front of this bed for planting tomatoes. I wonder if they will taste gingery?
The sweet potatoes and jicama are not as prolific as I would like. I started cutting back the green shoots vigorously in order for all the growing to take place underground.
I have started some seedlings so that I can move straight into the next season with no break in between. Bok Choy, mignotte lettuce, silverbeet - they should thrive in this temperature as the humidity starts to reduce. Barbie has grown some magnificent silverbeet this year - called swiss chard over there. I hope mine is a good crop - from seed they always seem to be very long and spindly, and never quite take off from there. This year I am going to persevere until I get a good crop.
we harvest pawpaw and passionfruit year round, and that is my favourite breakfast - yummy!
No harvesting happening here. Still haven't developed a vegie garden yet. It's on the list of to-dos, but there's a bit of problem solving to be done about just where we can put one on this hillside.
ReplyDeleteYou do have quite a bit happening considering it's summer and wet season. Well done! Paw-paw and passionfruit for breakfast would be divine.
Lovely harvest! They are all very familiar to us since we grew up eating them. But the weather here is not permissable to grow them.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for joining - it is amazing to see such exotic fruit grow so easily. That would be the type of fruit we would grow in the Natal area. Love the pawpaw tree - how lush! And that passion fruit!! yum! I am also trying asparagus but I believe it takes 3 years before you can really expect a crop. What is your experience?
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ReplyDeleteDo I see papaya on your tree?
ReplyDeleteDid not realize wing beans grow that tall.
Started my angle luffa seeds today. Hoping to start other seeds sometime this week.
Winged beans are not popular vegetables in non-tropical countries. I miss this veggie, I can't even find it in the asian stores here.
ReplyDeleteBernie,
ReplyDeleteI would think you might have to have a raised bed where you are - especially to keep the wildlife out....
Malay Kadazan,
When I was in Malaysia in January I saw lots of common (to me) fruits and veggies.
Gardening blog,
Yes I think the climate here is similar to Natal. I have asparagus that I grew from seed and some planted as two year crowns, about 2 years ago. I think the seed started ones are more prolific, but maybe it is also the type - that is purple asparagus. Every year they supposedly get better.
Garden to wok,
ReplyDeleteOh yes papaya is like a weed here - I am so blessed! It seems as though winged beans will grow as tall as they can! good luck with your angled luffa!
Solitude rising,
I have only ever seen it in peoples gardens, even here you don't see it in the markets. I don't know why. It seems quite easy to grow.
A great harvest!! Passion fruit is one of my favourite fruits of all. I think I need to try growing it.
ReplyDeleteRegards, Christine
Christine,
ReplyDeleteas long as you have a fence or structure for it to ramble over it just seems to do its own thing. Lovely smelling flowers and delicious fruit almost year round - what is not to love about that? I just planted some seeds of the purple variety and will see how they go.
Dearest Agricanaussie,
ReplyDeleteWow, we did feast on some large fresh passion fruits while on vacation in Curaçao. That is so good, also the papayas I love. All tropical fruits in fact.
Livin in Indonesia was paradise for us.
Love to you,
Mariette