Growwit Blog

Pineapple Harvest

strangefruit — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 20:45:08 +0000

A couple of years ago I inherited a pineapple plant from a friend that was moving away from the island. Her fiance had grown it from the top of a store bought fruit, and the plant had been growing happily for a year or so. He told me he believed that pineapple plants were gendered, and that they would not bear fruit without cross pollination.

So when the pineapple plant later started to blossom, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the flower was followed by a budding fruit! I let the fruit get as ripe and yellow as I dared, worried that if I left it too long it would get too old. When I finally tasted it it was the best pineapple I’ve ever had!

The first fruit on a pineapple plant is called a virgin pineapple fruit, and is supposed to be sweeter than the following fruits. This year the pineapple plant is bearing two fruits and today I harvested the first of them. As the photo shows it is rather small, but ripe and yellow, and it tasted delicious

Since I originate from a colder climate I am thrilled when being able to grow tropical plants and fruits. To grow pineapples from fruits you cut off the green top, immerse it in water, and wait until it develop roots. Pineapple plants can grow for a long time in just water, but should probably be transferred to pots if you want them to blossom and bear fruits.

Above are some pineapple plants at different stages that I am growing from fruit cut-offs. You can learn more about how to do this here.

Beyond the basic herbs

strangefruit — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 09:43:12 +0000

Herbs are some of my favorite plants as they have so many uses: I use fresh herbs daily for cooking, I love letting my fingers play with them just to smell their scent, and I find that their varied foilage add beauty to the garden.

Currently I have these basic herb plants: sweet basil, chives, peppermint, thyme, parsley, lavender, rosemary, and dill.

Sadly I just had to let a couple of plants go to the eternal land of composting, which opened up some spots for additional herbs. I figured it was a good idea to ask the green thumbs on twitter for suggestions for which herbs to get in addition to the ones I had (I apologize for forgetting to mention that I already have lavender, rosemary, and dill). Here are the great suggestions I got:

@angelcityart How about rosemary, chocolate mint and fresh cilantro?
@green_leigh For funsies – lemongrass & stevia - make your own sweetened tisane. Yum.
@jesterhillfarm We have some garlic chives and we really love the flavor! Started from seed years ago & keeps coming back every spring.
@sundevilpeg Epazote is beyond easy to grow. It grows like a weed – being that that’s what it is! Impervious to pests and diseases, too.
@mimi63 stevia and cilantro are 2 of my fav’s also chocolate mint
@Wildflower222 Fresh cilantro for Tex-Mex
@Cookiegirlandi Tarragon is wonderful!Fennel,Chamomile,Dill, Sage.
@gardenmom29 I saw somebody already said sage & rosemary…how about oregano? or fennel?
@afreshspace we’ve got lavendar, stevia, sage, rosemary and a couple different varieties of thyme
@katie_1955 rosemary & oregeno
@bportgardener How about cilantro (seeds are coriander), borage (pretty flowers) and chamomile?
@EastSideGarden Don’t forget cilantro and use it to make a yummy strawberry salsa (strawberries, lime, cilantro, red onion, and balsamic). mmmm
@FarmerBenji howzabout dill and fennel? Plus lovage?
@SeasonalWisdom Plant suggestions? how about chamomile, calendula and borage? Pretty flowers that taste good too. Warning: they self seed..
@luvzwool marjoram borage nasturtiums tarragon rosemary
@MyRubberBoots you should get Salvia Microphylla ‘Hot Lips’. I planted it this year & LOVE how it smells & looks. I’m normally not a big Sage fan.
@4bratz2luv Cilantro, lavendar, sage and lemon basil
@DocDamo Oregano and rosemary are great and simple, but they can take over. Excellent to mix with the basil in Italian cooking though!
@greenlasagna Why don’t you have rosemary? It’s so easy to grow! Pineapple sage blooms w/ beautiful red flowers in the fall.
@AnarchyGarden oregano, marjoram, epazote, dill…
@greenlasagna Check out the sages. There are some really pretty ones, like tricolor sage. Also, try some epazote if you like mexican food.
@PureAveda I think rosemary would make a lovely addition to your herb garden… fragrant & delicious
@Curvyboom Oregano, cilantro, dill, rosemary.

I think the herbs that were most frequently mentioned were sage, cilantro, and epazote. I have to admit I am not crazy about the flavor of cilantro, but I am thinking of giving it another try since so many recommended it. The garlic chives and chocolate mint sound really yummy. There are so many great suggestions, and I am looking forward to getting more familiar with these new flavors, scents and looks!

Plants that attract butterflies

strangefruit — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 21:49:47 +0000

As much as I love the variations of plants and flowers I also find the creatures living among them fascinating (give or take a couple of bugs). Butterflies are definitely among the creatures adding beauty, color, and movements to the garden!

When I was little my cousin and I used to catch butterflies and gather them in a tent we had put up in my grandma’s garden. After hours of carefully tracking and hunting down butterflies our tent would be filled with colorful flutter, and we would be ready for the “Big Butterfly Release”. We would call the entire family out in the garden, and with bravado throw the tent openings open so the butterflies could escape in a beautiful parade for freedom.

Looking back this was perhaps somewhat cruel to the butterflies, but I would really love to have a garden like my grandma: filled with colorful inhabitants, both still and moving. So I asked my friends on Twitter which plants attracted butterflies in their garden, and here are the responses I got

Lantana seems to work well in a butterfly garden, or are you looking for cut flowers? @PayneMorrison
The original butterfly bush Buddlieia, rosemary, flax, marigolds and nettles @hilary_b
Lantana & others w/multiple florets (Buddleia, Achillea, Sedum A.Joy) @InterLeafer
IME purple coneflowers bring in tons of Red Admirals, which are my fave. @MrBrownThumb
Purple coneflowers, lavender attract most in my garden @cailinAolain
most flowers that have open type blooms (ie) daisy types, dahlias marigolds, buddleia but they can soon become a untidy shrub @peterdonald
Lantanas work best for me! @Wildflower222
they seem to love my zinnias….the hummingbirds love those too. @gardenmom29
butterfly website has lots of good ideas, i.e. suitable plants for caterpillars plus names of the butterflies http://butterflywebsite.com/butterflygardening.cfm @salix2
I had a digitalis (foxglove) that the butterflies and hummingbirds seemed to love. toxic for kids though. @socaljules
I find that Cosmos really attract the butterflies to the garden @Kittyburgers
butterflies are always fluttering around my “butterfly bushes” Buddleia davidii they really live up to their name!!! http://img35.yfrog.com/i/d08y.jpg/ @Aithley
Bee balm, butterfly bush, lavender, hydrangea @patriciarose
Buddleia, echinachea, pineapple sage, pentas. @green_leigh
lantana, milkweed seems to work for butterflies ’round here @kimokali
plumbego, Butterfly bush and porterweed do well for me. @patz313
the scabious plant in my garden is popular. @thegreengal
Butterfly bush and milkweed attract butterflies @SuburbanRancher
Butterflies also love asters, penstemon, and agastache( hyssop). @prudence101

Of the plants mentioned I only have Rosemary and Lavender, so it seems I need to go out shopping!