garden or lawn?

[lauleahere&there]

Originally Posted by nullgeo

From Colorado to Molokai? How long have you been there and how do you like it so far? I have been to (and enjoyed) Molokai. Looked at property but decided against it for now. My boats are my second and third homes. Your circumstances would provide endless distracting entertainment for me: figuring out how to successfully garden

Yup, spend 20 years in Northern CO (Just south of the Wyoming border) and decided it was time for a new adventure. Been here a year and love it, warts and all.

My 2 acres are in buffel, at least where the deer and goats haven't taken it down to bare ground. It's so dry (about 11 in. of rain annually, and then, usually, all at once) that my goal really is to minimize erosion from wind and rain. I'm planting strategic windbreaks, as well as encouraging kiawe (I know, I know) where the slope can use shade and stabilization from the roots. There is yucca and sisal on the property too--I'm working on getting some of their young'uns into areas where I want to discourage the deer.

No pigs that I've seen. I suspect they stay in the high country where food and shelter are more abundant. Wouldn't be surprised if they were down in the gully where the stream runs.

[nullgeo]

Originally Posted by lauleahere&there

Yup, spend 20 years in Northern CO (Just south of the Wyoming border) and decided it was time for a new adventure. Been here a year and love it, warts and all.

My 2 acres are in buffel, at least where the deer and goats haven't taken it down to bare ground. It's so dry (about 11 in. of rain annually, and then, usually, all at once) that my goal really is to minimize erosion from wind and rain. I'm planting strategic windbreaks, as well as encouraging kiawe (I know, I know) where the slope can use shade and stabilization from the roots. There is yucca and sisal on the property too--I'm working on getting some of their young'uns into areas where I want to discourage the deer.

No pigs that I've seen. I suspect they stay in the high country where food and shelter are more abundant. Wouldn't be surprised if they were down in the gully where the stream runs.

Buffel, kiawe, deer, goats, no pigs ... Moomomi area? Tough 'row to hoe', as the old saying goes I was pondering yesterday how I would develop a garden in Molokai soil, and particularly if on dry side conditions. Definitely would container-garden, as you say you are doing small scale. Would have to ship over a pallet of potting soil/mixes for base and create my own soil through creative composting and mixing soils with perlite or vermiculite. Couple of interesting sites:
Vegetable Gardening In Containers
Square Foot Gardening Foundation
Compost everything (!) and recruit friends' and neighbors' garbage to the pile! ... and if I were staying there 12 months a year, I'd definitely raise a bunch of chickens: meat, eggs, fertilizer.

Impressive move/adventure you have undertaken.

[lauleahere&there]

Not Mo'omomi, but Kawela. We are in that mauka settlement up the hill.

I debated carving out some growing space, and might still. But the soil is so rocky and poor, and the animals are so destructive (they even chew off the heads of my irrigation drippers) that I think am going to stick to containers. I don't tend to be the kind of person who must tame the environment at any cost. And anyway, it would be a losing proposition for me, I think.

I have planted a couple of mango trees, improved varieties, which seem to be hanging in there with protection from wind and critters. Some neighbors gave me a couple of banana keiki. They need a lot of water and don't like the wind much either, but we'll see how they do. Currently what compost I have goes to them.

Even composting is different here. In CO, you have leaves from deciduous trees, lawn clippings, weeds, in addition to food scraps. Here we have food scraps, full stop. But I am on the verge of getting chickens (had just a couple in CO). I should be able to build them a palace (Bawkingham Palace--HA!) with scraps from my neighbor's home construction. They'll add some heat to that compost.

[nullgeo]

Another new article popped up today about Seattle encouraging city gardens including more chickens! Yes, a city actually wants chickens in town now ... will Seattle become another Kauai? heh

Plows ready? City wants urban farms, more chickens