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Homesteadinʻ Hawaii

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November In The Tropical Garden

November In The Tropical Garden Homesteadinʻ Hawaii The Abundance of November The abundance of the garden here in Hawaii never seems to stop. Here we are, deep into fall and the garden is filled with squash, beans, chard, kale, green onions, pac choi, kalo, sweet potato, and SO many other crops. But how do you get a garden started? It's really not that hard. Just play the long game. In year 1, you can prepare your soil by smothering the ground with mulch and growing cover crops. While you...

6 months ago • 2 min read

September In The Tropical Garden Homesteadinʻ Hawaii Starting A Garden When All You Have Is Rock The question I get asked most has to be this one, "How do you start a garden when all you have is rock?" I figure that I may as well take a moment and try and explain how to do it. You see, much of Hawaii Island has shallow soils, in fact, a lot of it is just rock. (If you're one of those blessed by soil, you can snicker and move on) So how do you grow in soils that are so rocky? There are a few...

7 months ago • 3 min read

September In The Tropical Garden Homesteadinʻ Hawaii Cool Season Crops are IN this Time of Year You may not think Hawaii has seasons, but it does. The daylight hours are getting shorter, rains are picking up and the temperature is just a little bit cooler.Last month I mentioned you could start some cool season annuals such as beans, peas, Kale, chard, and more.Now is an even BETTER time to do it. So start sowing some seeds.Hawaii Seed Growers Network is a great place to find locally adapted...

7 months ago • 2 min read

August In The Tropical Garden Homesteadinʻ Hawaii It's Never Too Early To Get Ready For Fall! I know, I know. I'm a little late sending this newsletter out. But better late than never! First off, let's bow our heads in silence for our brothers and sisters in Lahaina. That fire was tragic. I pray the survivors find strength to heal from it and rebuild. They will need our help even more so in the years to come. I guess you could think of August as a time of change and regrowth. Towards the...

8 months ago • 2 min read

July In The Tropical Garden Homesteadinʻ Hawaii You Can Still Plant This Month Where did the year go! It's July already! If you're like me, you probably missed out on planting earlier in the season, but do not fret, it is not too late! I'm planting some perennial herbs right now in pots such as basil, Vietnamese cilantro, culantro, lemongrass, ginger, galangal, mint and more. I'm also seeding microgreens and sprouts that take between 1-2 weeks to be ready for harvest. Of course you can still...

10 months ago • 2 min read

June In The Tropical Garden Homesteadinʻ Hawaii The Busy Time Of The Year Is Here June officially starts off the busiest time of the year for those of us in the wet tropics of Hawaii. Everything seems to grow overnight.I just mowed the lawn yesterday and it seems like I have to already mow it again. And the trees I pruned back a few months ago look like they're ready for another pruning! It's crazy how fast things grow around here! On the Leeward side, you're getting into the dry season. Make...

11 months ago • 3 min read

March 2023 It's April! Time to Get Planting! It is finally warming up out there. While early March was pretty cold, the end of the month saw the days getting warmer along with our traditional sunny day/rainy night pattern that can be common this time of year. However, with that weather change also comes wind. If you live on Maui or Hawaii Island, you probably saw the Lenticular clouds that form off the Mauna in High winds. Quite a sight. You will have to baby your plants a bit more in these...

about 1 year ago • 4 min read

March 2023 March In The Tropical Garden I don't know if this goes for everyone in the tropics right now, but it's been pretty cold in the garden lately. Where I live in Hilo, on Hawaii Island, the rain has been non stop for the past month, Mauna Kea has the most snow its had in years, the ocean water temps are a chilly 65 degrees, and my sweater has barely come off. What that brings for us in the garden this month, only time will tell. If you have some temperate crops such as grapes or...

about 1 year ago • 3 min read

February In The Tropical Garden Homesteadinʻ Hawaii Time To Grow February is when we return to action in the garden, prepping beds, adding amendments and starting off those seeds for the spring garden. Are you ready to get growing? Because we sure are. So let's dive into it. Typically, Makahiki season ends during the month of February and instead we enter the Ku Season, a time of action. I am working hard in my garden, getting beds weeded, old crops harvested, new plants seeded and the...

about 1 year ago • 4 min read

January In The Garden Homesteadinʻ Hawaii 2023 Is Here!! Can you believe 2023 is here already! It seems just like yesterday that I started Homesteadinʻ Hawaii. But that was almost 3 years ago. What about you? Have you started your garden? If not, this is the year! Letʻs dive into it. Welcome to the first month of the New Year!! In Hawaii, January is right in the middle of Makahiki season, which is a time of rest from hard labors and a time to celebrate the harvest. There is a lot of food...

over 1 year ago • 4 min read
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