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I just wanted to take a moment and introduce myself. I made a few posts earlier and feel as if I may have intruded into a party and started talking before introducing myself. After spending sometime reading posts, it seems as if you're all old friends. Anyhow, I'm very happy to have found this forum. I've learned SSOO much already. It's energizing to meet and hear from so many people who care enough about the environment to take the time and do things they way they have been done for centuries, green, rather than the post consumerism way of looking for a quick fix. I live on the Big Island of Hawaii, and it can be challenging here. The terrain is lava, often need to bring in soil, hard to know what has happened to that soil, so all I can do is the best I can. I compost, a necessity here. There is a lot of concern for the environment here, translating to a lot of people living green. There are also lots of plant pests, extreme amounts of whiteflys, wooly aphids, a challenge for every gardener here. But we do have lots of rain, and plenty of sunshine, and year around gardening. Well, thank you for all your help with my previous questions. I hope you all have a beautiful Memorial Day!!!
welcome!!! I too I'm orginally from an island,USVI. How long have you lived there? What sort of things do you grow? I believe the party is always open for new guess!!! I don't post to often......... but there are plenty of others that do and are always willing to lend an ear and helping hand.
I've lived in the Hawaiian Islands for 11 years. I lived on Maui for the first 9, and moved to the Big Island 2 years ago. I was born and raised in Michigan, I do miss the great deep soil there, but not the snow..
Nice to meet you. Your tropical environment would make things more difficult, but your volanic soil is great stuff, full of wonderful minerals. The vineyards in California always want their vines on volcanic soil because of how it improves the flavor of the grapes, composting will only make it even better!
You'll have to let us know how it goes with the pests, since our greenhouses would have similar environments to where you are. I've got a lot of fog, which also gives me moisture issues. Do you have vegetables that do particularly well there, favorites?
---------------------- Life goes on within you and without you - George Harrison
Posts: 554 | Location: desperately protecting 2 acres from the critters, coastal California | Registered: February 11, 2002
Aloha to you Island Girl. You are very welcome to the site and to join right in with what you can.
I have relatives over there and some day I hope to get over to see them. I also have relatives on the Arizona in Pearl Harbor so it is kind of nice that I can remember them and welcome you all on the same day. B-) :x
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ LAUS DEO, Where ever I go, there I am. ..... major at nwi dot net ..... Zone 6a, Eastern Washington, sagebrush high desert, Columbia plateau.
Posts: 2588 | Location: Eastern Washington State, zone 6a. | Registered: December 13, 2004
Thank you Major, what a nice thing to say. Sweetpea, I am growing lots of fruit trees, banana, lychee, lime, orange, Brazilian Cherry, papaya, Noni. Things that do well here are eggplant, cucmbers, tomatoes are tough, but Romas do well, lettuce, peppers. I love cilantro, and basil, but both of them bolt right away because of the heat. Summer here can be tough on plants. I have the best luck planting things in places that receive shade half the day. We also receive lots of rain, I live on the windward side so the mountain catches all the moisture, that coupled with the humidity leads to mold. I live about 1 1/2 miles from the ocean, so there is also a lot of salt in the air. But all in all I've had pretty good luck so far. The soil is better farhter up the mountain, deeper. Down here by the coast it's REALLY limited, like only an inch or two with lava underneath. So in order to garden, they bring big bulldozers in to rip apart the lava rock and break it into cinder, then you have to have soil delivered. It's not like this in all of Hawaii, just the Big Island, because it's young and still growing. Anyhow, thanks for the welcomes and I look forward to learning more from this forum. Aloha.....
I don't know anything about gardening in Hawaii except that I'd like to try it.
But I do want to welcome you. It does seem like a lot of the folks here are kind of old friends, but most of them are pretty welcoming folks too. I certainly like to see newcomers, as I was one once (not so long ago) myself.
Glad to have you. I'd love to hear more about your experiences gardening in Hawaii, especially since I wouldn't mind being in a position to try it myself some day.
Aloha... White flys have been a constant battle for me. I use safer soap. You can also give them a heavy dose of h2o, although that probably would be hard on a condo balcony. Also, those sticky yellow glue traps work well, they catch them. I have a hawaiian chili pepper plant that suffers reoccurring bouts of whiteflies. Where on Maui? We lived there for 8 years before moving to the Big Island. I just discovered neem cake fertilizer, supposedly it's systemic, fertilizes the plant and then the plant emits neem through it's leaves therefore thwarting bugs. Good luck!! Aloha...Angela
Welcome Islan Girl, we all live on the Big Island, you know, third one from the sun. I've never been to Hawaii but have always wanted to & if I keep wakin up breathin will someday. From what I've seen it is BEAUTIFUL there, almost paradise. I hope it's all I have heard & seen.
I am living in Kihei, had some luck with cherry toms. I don't think I filled my container enough for my cukes I got five so far seems like few more might mae it, but at 3.29 per pound every little bit helps.
