Garden share collective April 7th

It is garden share collective time again!  I hope everyone had a very happy Easter, I had lots of fun with friends and family and even managed to fit some gardening into my four day weekend!  Link up here for this months gardens.

April is a busy time in our gardens up here in the tropics.  Of course we never know if we will get a late cyclone, or if the hot weather is going to hang on and fry everything before it gets established.  I had taken down the shaecloths, but then a dear friend gave me a vanilla plant, and I realized that my little perrenial bed really does need shade full time.  The pepper plant was also showing signs of distress from the hot sun.  The perfect spot for the little vanilla plant was chosen, with a nice trellis to climb.

 The small shade cloth was put back up again, and lots of lovely leaf mold and compost spread around.

The long green beans are suddenly taking off, but climbing right over the canopy of the barbados cherry.

I tied a few strings of rope out towards the back trellis so that maybe they would like to trail over there instead.  I might have to make that a bit more substantial.  They will shade that back area of the garden, but hopefully let in enough sunlight. I will plant bok choy, lettuces and other greens int hat area.  The grandkids wanted corn and  I planted a few more corn seeds, but think they might be old as nothing comes up.   Put in a few cucumbers, and tatsoi as well.  I had a rather meagre sweet potato harvest from that bed.

 I have okra!  The one plant has been doing amazingly well, and it is the plant right next to my in-ground worm bucket.  Is that the reason?  I have no idea, but I spread a bit of worm castings around the other okra just in case.

 the other okra plants are quite small and spindly.

 I cut back the mandevilla vine to get some light and sunshine into the herb spiral, and popped in a few beet and dill seeds.  Parsely has been started in little seedling pots as I find they take so long they often dry out in the garden before they get established.   I much prefer to plant in situ if I can.

 The barbadoes cherry is providing lovely filtered light and I planted rocket on one side and lettuce on the other.  The rocket has shot up, but I am still waiting for the lettuce.

 I tied the rosella back against the fence to make a clear path.  Once I have harvested the rosella I will move cherry tomatoes against that fence - I have lots of tomato volunteers all around the garden, and they dont mind being re-planted.   I just adore walking down this little shady path.  My food forest is looking good.  Further back the avocado is supposed to shade the back area, but it is still looking very sad and miserable.

Isnt the okra flower pretty? - hopefully by next month the other okra plants will have picked up as well.  I guess I planted them in the wrong season as they were dormant for a while.  I thought they would be a wet season vegetable.    They are supposed to be burgundy okra, so dont know what happened there.

I do so enjoy looking at everyones elses gardens at the beginning of every month - thanks so much Lizzie for organizing this collective!