Allogenic Dance

Originally Published August 10, 2020.  Updated September 23, 2020. Mililani Town Center has a Walmart and a City Mill, the local hardware chain.  There is a Home Depot on my way to work.  These 3 shops are where I get most of my gardening supplies including seeds.  You will find the usual racks of Burpee seeds, some Ferry Morse (a Massachusettes-based company that I had only seen on the Eat Coast offered in catalogs and never tried), and a local company: Aina Ola Seed.  Given how completely different Hawaii is from the other States in the Union, I tend to prefer the locally grown seeds.  I just don't see something produced in Massachusettes doing well 6 USDA zones south of its origins. Aina Ola Seed is apparently only available in stores, the company is based on Hawaii Island.  I could not find a website for them, so I have no idea what their complete catalog is.  I have successfully started their artichokes and papaya.  And I recently starte...

6 Years on 0.6 acres In Maryland I progressed through the history of gardening ideas from the Victory gardens of my grandparents, in something of a revival today with several twists, through organic, to polyculture, and intensive rotational companion planted urban farming on an acre.  Arriving at permaculture (growing perennial and woody plants for food to reduce resource requirements and soil disturbance) and the related edible landscaping (intermixing edibles throughout the entire landscape) by way of xeriscaping (focusing on native or ecologically appropriate plants to reduce water, pesticide and fertilizer applications).  Finally arriving at regenerative agriculture and the idea of improving or creating a soil ecology that supports the plants with such diversity and biological activity there is not room for disease or pests.  This had spawned the need for garden planning software that incorporated basic facts about fruits, vegetables, and other...

"Anything you stick in the ground grows..."  Updated 12/01/2020 Not quite in my backyard.  The soil is very mineral rich but, particularly in my part of Oahu due to the long history of plantation agriculture prior to large scale residential development, often lacking an organic layer.  Which makes water retention and root growth difficult.  However, many things will grow if you start them in some nice potting soil in a pot, and then plant them out with the full pot of potting soil once they are established.  There is the wonderful ability to plant out your expired / used produce to make more.  Much much much more. Coconut, Cocos nucifera Monkey's Bellow's Beach Coconut Bellows Beach is East facing and lots of interesting things, and tons of plastic, wash up when the winds and tides are high.  Monkey always brings treasures home for his collection and Monday sharing at school.  One day he managed to sneak a coconut the size of my head into ou...