Away and back again - For some short time

[Illia]

So I thought I'd just say for those curious or aware, I've not been here at all for a while, and before that while, I've been very sparse in activity; It's not been my usual self.

So, I just want to say, I'm back,

however won't be as chatty as I used to be.

Things are okay over here, I'm just suuuper busy (we finally got a huge greenhouse built, and so moving everything in that's been growing huge and waiting to live in there is a LOT of work) plus the whole farm itself is suddenly, actually, a farm now. I've been working nonstop, day to day, trying to start up a lot of crops, fields, gardens, etc before the "due date" arrives in which the season will end too soon for those plants that can't fit in a greenhouse for the extra season boost. Oh, and I sold my Yak. To sum things up, I'm running a 5 acre farm in which no space isn't being used for something, and the entire place is run by one person - me. But, I'm able to have some time to settle and watch the computer screen from time to time now, so it is time I catch up on online business.

Anyway, just thought I'd post a little thread for my return from a short but hectic away time. I'm a little behind in some business I should have finished weeks ago, some apologies for that, but I'm looking forward to catching back up to the thousands of posts/threads I missed out on.

Oh and I just have to announce - I as a person who lives in the temperate, and rather mild/cool climate of the Pacific Northwest, am now officially growing bananas and next year will also be growing chocolate. No joke. We have a huge greenhouse, and I'm not going to grow something boring or of little value in it!

 

[mississippifarmboy]

Welcome back Illia. I know that I for one have missed ya. Wow! Can't believe you sold the Yak though.

Bananas and chocolate.... I can't wait until I see what you come up with next....

 

[Illia]

Yes, and my bananas will have blue outsides/peels instead of yellow. The chocolate, well, will be normal chocolate, but we're eyeing the rare and high quality "Criollo" variety. There's a farm in Hawaii who sells starts, and luckily, Bananas and Chocolate grow well together, in fact, chocolate (Cacao) requires shading from other plants, being a sort of "underbrush" in the jungles.

We have other crazy tropicals and non-Northwest friendly things being grown around here too, but those two are something very few people grow, at least, outside their natural climate.

 

[BrattishTaz]

I actually did notice you were gone. I'm now very glad your are back.

Good luck with your bananas, I had a hard time with them here (FL). I took me 4 years with 3 trees to get 5 stinking bananas that the squirrels ate before they ripened.

I never did have a green thumb though (except on Easter

). Maybe you could add coffee to your list of tropical plants.

 

[mississippifarmboy]

How about vanilla...? I hear it is impossible to grow and super expensive too.

Yeah, I know.. Stop giving you ideas.

 

[Illia]

I considered Vanilla, and no thanks. Super hard to get actual vanilla "beans" from.

Coffee - No one around here drinks it, my mom hates it and its smell and taste, so, no.


Mangoes and Cinnamon are two other things on my list. Papayas as well.



I'm also definitely growing some Litchi Tomatoes (not an actual tomato) and Melocotons (aka Cassabanana) next year as well. A lot of my tropical ideas will go in a second, future plan greenhouse. It will be specifically for tropical plants, and not as big. Still as tall, but not as long.


My current not-so unusual but still challenging things are various rare/heirloom watermelons, Asian and European melons, figs, and the easier but unheard of Medlar.

I really want to try Jujubes, since we cannot possibly do Dates, but they get huge, too big for a greenhouse we can afford right now, and though we can grow them out in our climate, we cannot ripen them fully and naturally, which completely negates the idea of growing them for ourselves.

 

[rebel-rousing-at-night]

Hi,
I wondered what had happened to you. I've missed your posts to the ''What breed or gender is this''.

Glad you're back.

 

[rebel-rousing-at-night]

BTW how long does it take the bananas and chocolate to mature that you are growing?

 

[Illia]

Bananas take around a year, sometimes more or less, from pup (young shoot) to having a bundle of bananas. I'll expect to eat my own bananas by the beginning of next year. The less heat offered, the longer it will take. But, even on a normally cool but sunny day out here - the greenhouse temps soar up to 100 and above if I don't aerate it. On cloudy days it stays room temp, which the banana varieties I have chosen can actually tolerate very well.

Chocolate is a perennial tree, unlike bananas, so it will take about 4-5 years from the start to produce, however I'll be purchasing some already grown seedlings, so they may take a couple years less. The pods, from which the beans are taken, will start to pop up on the trunk and woody branches of the tree. Bananas will produce from directly above a single, HUGE flower that comes down on a long, drooping branch-like stem.

 

[phasianidae]

What happened to your blog?