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Fourteen Papaya Trees

December 26, 2016

Bishop Beekeeping, Gardening , , 2 Comments

I think I have had pretty good results by dumping a handful of seeds into a pot. Another balmy 78 degree in Houston. With sweat dripping down my brow I teased the roots out of the tangled mess and now have 14 little trees in 4 inch pots. The weather for the rest of the week continues to look balmy. The roots should take hold.

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14 trees soaking and looking pretty darned good.


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A closer look at one of the more robust seedlings. I am excited.

A web search indicates I may have fruits in 6 – 10 months. Seems like a very short time frame to me but sounds good.

I went and visited the hive in the yard where my papaya seeds originated. It was late afternoon and the comings and goings were a bit slow. I think I need to do an inspection mid day tomorrow, weather permitting. I don’t want another colony to abscond!

TTFN

Bishop

 

 

 

 

Christmas Eve in the Garden

December 25, 2016

Bishop berrries, Composting, Gardening, Healthy Lifestyle, Strawberry, Tomato Growing, Winter Chill , , , , 2 Comments

It was “77 degrees F” yesterday and I actually worked up a sweat raking leaves to add to the compost bin. It wasn’t too bad….just barely a one T-shirt job. Summer jobs in Houston are typically 3 or more T-shirt changes.

I gathered up the ripening, the dropped and the green Juliet tomatoes. Even covered, the last freeze hit the plant hard.

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Well the last freeze has made the Juliet tomato plant look pretty sad. I grabbed this handful, green ones included, as the last of the harvest. Yummy Christmas cookies in the background….my secret recipe. Ask for it…

The freeze didn’t bother the strawberries. They handle it well. If I see temperatures in the teens I will definitely cover them. I added another 100 plants last fall……need to treat my babies well!

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December 24th and the strawberries are making their appearance.

The colder weather of last week finally started killing off the asparagus ferns. I will find a nice day next week to cut them back and top dress the asparagus bed.

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A tangled mess. I didn’t get to it but I will cut back the asparagus ferns next week and dream of spring spears.

I will make some Meyer Lemon Honey Jam in a week or two and maybe a small batch of lemon curd….so rich and so yummy.

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My sad transplanted dwarf Meyer Lemon. I moved it from it’s wine barrel home of 4 years to my garden last spring….hope for better results this next year.

My experimenting will continue into 2017. Mike and Annette, who host one of my hives, have two volunteer papaya trees that bear fruit. Fruit tossed into their compost bin several years ago took off and bear very nice papayas. I saved some of their seeds and put them in a small pot. They are doing well. I will repot and protect the young ones for spring.

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Papaya….I have a hive in a yard here in Kingwood that has two papaya trees. I dropped a handful of seeds into this pot and have been rewarded. Now to transplant them.

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Merry Christmas

TTFN

Bishop

So Local You Can Feel it and Taste it!

September 24, 2016

Bishop bananas, Beekeeping, Composting, Gardening, Healthy Lifestyle , , , , 1 Comment

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Extremely local Papaya and hyper local Manzano bananas.

I had an incredibly fresh and local fruit snack for this afternoon. How local? I should  probably label it all hyperlocal but I will differentiate. The papaya is from a few blocks away at Mike and Annette’s yard, also hosts to my very productive 8 frame garden hive. There are two mature Papaya trees growing from their compost bins….the discarded seeds apparently liked the environment, therefore, the Papayas are very, very local. The Manzano  bananas are 29 steps from my back door, in my little plot, obviously, very hyperlocal.

Hyperlocal – “”The term hyperlocal has been used in journalistic circles since the late ’80s, but with the changing face of journalism and the development of online media, has now begun to filter into more mainstream use.” http://www.macmillandictionary.com/buzzword/entries/hyperlocal.html

I was going to give Tara Chapman of Two Hives Honey credit for the term “hyperlocal”.  She is an Austin, Texas, based beekeeper with a very interesting background. I took her marketing class at the Brenham Beekeepers school. She markets her honey as “hyperlocal” – named for the Austin neighborhood hosting her hives….I market mine by the zip code of the hive….a little larger than hyperlocal. Check out her website.

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Lets get back to my snack. A little google search and I had my papaya prep instructions…a first for me. Sliced lengthwise, de-seeded and sliced into strips, carefully  removed the skin and then cut into chunks. The banana was cut in half lengthwise and then sliced. A sprinkling of lime juice and chill for a bit. Yum.

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The starting point. Yes, the papaya is ripe as are the tasty Manzano bananas.

My  next step? Seed saving and growing my own Papayas…..about 29 steps from my back door…..so very  hyperlocal.

 

TTFN

Bishop

 

 

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