Temperatures are cooling nicely, meaning it is a lot more pleasant being outside among the plants. That said, most things are slowing down or at least changing, but there is also new life to be excited for.
Soil
The soil in all planters is behaving so nicely. There are the changes I talked about making during last week's update, but the cool mornings and evenings mean the surface of the soil isn't turning into a hard, hydrophobic barrier. Also, we're getting so much rain.
Harvest
Not too much happening here this week sadly. We took a trip to the coast for a bit of camping the other night and brought some Swiss Chard with us. Chard is so incredibly bitter when it's raw. You can smell how bad it's going to taste from the second you pick off a leaf. Add it to a risotto-like dish stuffed full of kimchi and chewey mature-hen meat? You could sell that for ￥500 (About...$0.75 these days?) a pop.
Other than that, we got a few radishes, a ton of basil for drying, and some periwinkle for dry flowers.
Wildlife
I've been counting how many types of butterflies visit the garden. For a while, I'd only ever see the same old spotted gray types floating down to drink from the purslane. Recently, though, it's not at all unusual to spot three or four different varieties in a day. Also, hawk moths. I love hawk moths, and they're at my school garden or on the veranda every day around lunch.
Mino-chan, the Minomushi who appeared last week, remains attached to the Maple Tree. We had a record-setting rain storm here on Monday, and I thought for sure that would mean the end of our endangered guess. Stepping outside the next morning, it was munching on leaves as usual. I will say that it seems to be slowing its eating pace and how often it moves around.
Looking Forward
We're moving toward the fall which means the gray winter is soon to follow, but I confess I'm feeling hopeful. I planted garlic last week, and the unknown purple hardneck variety in one of my 15-gallon grow bags is already sprouting. The larger bed isn't showing any activity on that front yet, but the radishes I interplanted are looking lovely. I am a real sucker for the green of new sprouts against the backdrop of hay. I explained this to my wife, who replied, "Hmmmm." It's not something, it would seem, that everybody is so interested in.
I should have the last of my Autumn sowing done this weekend. I ordered Dino-Kale seeds from Green Field Project, along with some "Purple Santee" sprouting broccoli. I'll be sowing those both at the veranda and at the school. Additionally, I'm going to do another wave of radishes, romaine lettuce, and arugula.
All sprouts started a few weeks back, including microgreens, Lupine, Borage, and the like are growing nicely now. The Borage is going to be a real beast, I think, if the size of the young seedlings are any indication.
What are you hoping to get a harvest of before the winter comes? Let me know here, or over on Instagram/Twitter @naturalfukui .
I've lived here in the tropics for eleven years now and I'm still trying to figure out the grow season in relation to what will grow and when since it never gets below 20-21 degrees Celsius here. I do plan on making some Kratky tomato towers along with some peppers and then a wall rack of herbs and leafy greens. When it comes to garlic we have to use the soft neck variety.... at least I think it's called that.