Last night I had my idealistic young gardening friend Ryan Iacovacci and his room mate Joo over for dinner and to donate to their Bird House buying club my smaller .long dormant freezer that just needs a new thermostat to help them expand their wonderful service of providing fresh local produce, dairy and meat for folks in Tampa. Good meal, great company, fun night. I gave them starter tubers of African Yellow, Filipino Purple and Caribbean White yams for their own gardens, and some Scarlet Runner seeds to try out. Plus now there is more room in my office to aid in the DEEP purge and cleaning I will be doing there soon with that freezer gone!
So far the daily half gallon or so of sugar syrup is feeding visiting bees big time, but no sign, yet, of a swarm moving in. But the next 6 weeks or so is swarm time so I will persist. Plus I have run ads asking to barter what I have for a "nuc" of Italian Domestic honeybees...here's hoping either way.
After they left I worked up a new order from the good folks at www.tradewindsfruit.com. See below:
| BILL TO: John Starnes 3212 West Paxton Avenue Tampa FL 33611 US | SHIP TO: John Starnes 3212 West Paxton Avenue Tampa FL 33611 US |
| Order Date | Status | Ship Date | Payment By | Confirmation No. | Shipment Tracking |
| 2/15/12 | Ordered | Visa | D15532243E |
| Trade Winds Fruit Items | |||||
| Quantity | SKU | Description | Price | Total | |
| 2 | 661 | Withania somnifera - Ashwagandha | $2.00 | $4.00 | |
| 1 | 105 | Cyphomandra betacea 'red' - Red Tree Tomato | $2.00 | $2.00 | |
| 1 | 970 | Elettaria cardamomum - Cardamom | $2.25 | $2.25 | |
| 1 | 752 | Mimusops elengi - Spanish Cherry | $3.00 | $3.00 | |
| 1 | 3021 | Momordica grosvenorii - Buddha Fruit | $3.00 | $3.00 | |
| 1 | 2679 | Violina Butternut Squash - Cucurbita moschata | $2.00 | $2.00 | |
| Sub-Total | $16.25 | ||||
| Economy (free to U.S. addresses for orders $10 and above) Shipping | $0.00 | ||||
| Sales Tax | $0.00 | ||||
| TOTAL DUE | $16.25 | ||||
I hope you do better w/ the tamarillo than I have here in Gainesville.
ReplyDeleteI have grown one from seeds of a red fruit I picked up at the local Publix. We have always gotten a hard freeze before it can bloom, so no fruit as of yet. It has come back for me the last 4 winters.
I'll bet it does lots better in your neck of the woods.
Try it in a water-wise planter or mulch the hell out of it. I may move mine into wicking container this season. I think I could have occasional success w/ this fruit if it has a great season before a freeze.