Date: 3 Aug 2022
Grow your own food:
Tropical Asparagus (Katuk)
By Alex Butova, the Witch of Herbs and Cats
...One of the most popular leaf vegetables in South Asia and Southeast
Asia, the Tropical Asparagus (Katuk) - Sauropus androgynus, is notable for its high yields and palatability. Cooked Tropical Asparagus is great with crab meat, minced pork, dried shrimp, or in a soup...
Katuk is one of the most popular leaf vegetables in Southeast Asia. It is
among only a few flora containing vitamin K. Leaves and stemmed can be cooked as vegetable; the plant has many medicinal
properties.
Katuk is fast growing and keeps growing as you trim it for your kitchen needs. Multiple upright stems can reach 6-7 ft high. It has
great ornamental value, has pretty red flowers and ornamental fruit showing
shiny black seeds when they crack open. Varieties with green leaves and
variegated leaves have slightly different flavor but are equally good for your
healthy, fiber-rich diet... CONTINUE READING >>
Date: 8 Jul 2022
Cajanus cajan - Pigeon Pea.
The plant that saw paws of the newborn Great Sphinx...
Grow Your Own Food!
by Alex Butova, the Witch of Herbs and Cats
...The plant I am going to tell you about is very ancient. It has been
existed among people for more than 4800 years. Although there are much older
plants that trace their history back to the age of dinosaurs, and exist today,
perfectly adapted to modern conditions, this one is edible, tasty, and
healthy. It still successfully feeds half of the world's population. Surprisingly,
some people from the Western world haven't even heard about it...
...The earliest notion of Pigeon peas in Africa was found in Ancient Egypt
with the presence of seeds in Egyptian tombs dating back to around 2,200 BC.
Pigeon peas could be the food of the people who built the pyramids in Giza;
it could be seen between paws of the newborn Great Sphinx... CONTINUE READING >>
Date: 27 Jun 2022
Thank you for coming!
Thank you everybody for coming to our Saturday Garden Event! Hope you enjoyed your garden tour, discounts and presents. We were happy to see our favorite customers and made lots of new friends! Come back again, our next event will be in September. Stay in touch, don't miss our Newsletters, more info coming soon!
New arrivals of Mango, Avocado and more
See all mango and avocado
Date: 2 Apr 2022
Grow Your Own Food:
Costa Rican Guava - Guava for Drinking!
by Alex Butova, the Witch of Herbs and Cats
...Looking for a handsome, unusual fruit tree for container culture with healthy and flavorful fruit? Or simply want an easy fruit tree that is hardy and undemanding? Psidium friedrichsthalianum (family Myrtaceae), the Costa Rican Guava or Cas Guava, is a perfect small guava tree that can be very rewarding. In Nicaragua it is called "Guava for Drinking" or "Fresco de Guava". Despite the tartness, the flavor is excellent with passionfruit and pineapple tones and is much more pronounced than the subtle flavor of the common Guava. These fruits are very much a part of the culture and cuisine of Costa Rica. Also it has been successfully grown in California now and can be grown in many subtropical regions or as a container plant - "condo" fruit tree...
Date: 10 Mar 2021
Healthy Plants: Q&A from Mr Booster
Jasmine Grand Duke flowering
Q: Hey can you help me figure out why my jasmine grand duke supreme is not flowering? Ive had it for almost a year (in NY) and only had 1 flower bloom and that immediately turned brown and died. Since then no flowers have come. The leaves are green and healthy and its growing like crazy but not flowers. Please help me figure this out.
A: For profuse flowering, Jasmine sambac needs 2 things: bright light and special plant food.
We have plenty of both here in Florida. If your grow this plant indoors in
colder climate, get it to flowering can be a bit tricky.
Your plant grows well overall with lots of vegetative growth, this is a
good sign, it means it's healthy, and not being overwatered which is one of the
most common problems with Sambacs. You're doing a great job! This jasmine
just needs more sun and fertilizer.
Make sure to keep it in the brightest spot of your home. The more hours of
light, the better. When night temperatures stay above 65F, it is beneficial
to bring the plant outside on a balcony, patio, or in a garden in full sun as
a potted specimen (move to bright light gradually).
You should give this Jasmine plenty of food with every watering. We
recommend SUNSHINE Pikake - Fragrant Flower Booster. This is a natural fertilizer
that can be applied to plants year round without risk of burning the roots
or nutrient lock up in the soil. It provides all necessary elements for the
flowering cycle - just add a bit into watering can, every time you water.
