Building permits up in Waimea (Hilo: sales, 2013, lease)

[hotzcatz]

Gardening is about as different as the climate zones across the islands. Here along the Hamakua coast, there is deep soil and enough rain, although a little bit of irrigation is helpful at times.

We are now living in a small town and that seems to help keep down bugs and other critters. (No feral pigs digging up my sweet potatoes when living in town.) The yard is much smaller but it produces more than the bigger yard. Most of the landscaping is edible or useful. We still have chickens although it's down to only three hens. The bunnies provide us with fertilizer, too. We are at 1,000 foot elevation so things like bananas grow well and we've planted the smaller varieties.

What has been the most productive has been the raised bed gardens. Three layers of concrete block staked into place with rebar and the holes filled with gravel and dirt. It's not difficult to make. Space them so you can reach the middle and then fill the interior with gardening soil. You now can weedwack right up to the edge of the garden without hand weeding or taking out garden plants with the weed eater (aka "string trimmer"). You only need to water and fertilize a small area and it is easy to reach the weeds as well as the vegetables in the garden. We've added fruit fly traps as well as baits and have managed big tomatoes. Whoohoo!

The usually easy to grow tomatoes in Hawaii are the cherry or Roma tomatoes but this has managed the big ones. Currently, there's cucumbers doing well out there, that's not been something that has grown well for me in a standard garden.

Originally Posted by ribelle

Yes, I've gathered it's best to test the waters, and agree that would be best, but the draw on savings makes me wish I could just jump in and get it right. Still, I see three clear options to investigate, and that would take time

We're quite sure we want to green side Waimea or the Hamakua Coast. We prefer the cool, the rain and the gardening. Living in/near town would save on commute, gas, etc (although not supply runs to Hilo or Kona), but if moving to Hawaii, it might be worth our time to try to "live the dream."

On the coast, two options are buy existing or build. I wasn't going to consider it, but land off the grid is super cheap and sometimes fantastic. With the high cost of electricity, I figure building w/ solar and wind has got to break even pretty quick. I have a whole page of small notes on the huge pain it would be to orchestrate, but it's exciting too. Plus, at the end of the day would be huge "life well lived" points.

I'm reading the entire Questions about building a small cabin in Fern Acres Hawaii post. I'll hope to answer a lot of questions, or save them if we don't go the hard route, but maybe you all will hear from me again.

Other than climate and soil conditions, you should also investigate social conditions. There is a huge difference in social attitudes between many of these areas. You'll live on the land, but you'll also interact with the neighbors, so who you live next to is just as important as the land you live on and the buildings you live in.

[ribelle]

Good garden advice! There's a million techniques to try and microclimates to butt them against, I see. I tend to concentrate on what does grow well. I live for having my own banana trees. How do thai produce do in spots of Hawaii? Obviously sugar cane does well, but how about tumeric, lemongrass, galangal, peppers (all kinds), garlic, etc?

@Hotzcatz: Hamakua coast social climates is one of my big questions. There are lots of places available in Honokaa and the surrounding area, plus some "off the beaten path" looking places to live up by the Waipo and south of Honokaa. What are the nice, friendly spots?

[Dreaming of Hawaii]

Regarding bagging the tomatoes, I found out this is what was done in our community garden:

I used sandwich bags. However, the nylon socks are the best because they can breath. But, there's not enough of the nylon socks to go around. So sandwich bags will do. I let the tomatoes turn good and green. Once i see or a little before the tomatoes starting to turn red, I bag them. It's a pain but worth the work when you harvest nice and ripe tomatoes.

[hotzcatz]

Honokaa is fairly open to newcomers although they may not warm up to the newcomers immediately. It's a solid little town, has most of the amenities you need in a town without most of the big town drawbacks. It is pretty easy to merge in with the population by joining some of the various groups around. There is a theater group starting at the People's theater, there's softball and other sports leagues, there's the Peace Parade Committee which is always looking for volunteers, a big quilting group, etc. There's all sorts of social groups.

Most areas near Honokaa are pretty good, down in Waipio Valley itself is a bit sketchy in areas plus you'd not want to deal with the road in and out of the valley on a regular basis. It might also be harder as a newcomer to merge into the populations of Haina Camp and Paauhau. Anywhere mauka of the highway is pretty good although not inexpensive. If you find a specific location near Honokaa, you could send me a PM and I could give you an opinion of it if you like.

Tumeric, lemongrass and peppers grow well. Those are all pretty much permaculture once you get them established. Garlic won't bulb up, though, in Hawaii but garlic chives grow really well. I haven't seen any galangal but most gingers grow really well, too. Actually, gingers, heliconia and even bananas can almost be invasive.

[OpenD]

Originally Posted by Dreaming of Hawaii

Regarding bagging the tomatoes, I found out this is what was done in our community garden:

I used sandwich bags. However, the nylon socks are the best because they can breath. But, there's not enough of the nylon socks to go around.

OK, now I know what you're talking about... nylon footies!... shoe stores use them as disposable socks for women trying on shoes. And premium fruit orchards use them to protect apples and such from bugs and blemishes. You can get them for about $2.75 a gross online.

For some reason I kept getting a mental image from your description of a large plastic bag being placed over a big tomato plant, and it just didn't compute for me. But now I get what you mean, and it makes sense. Thanks, I'll have to try that.

[ribelle]

@hotzcatz - perfect info! Thanks! I wil hit you up for PM info if the winds blow us that way. Integrating shouldn't be too terrible for us. We're used to it, and we've got a fair amount "island" in us to begin with.

Too bad about Waipo, it looks beautiful. I wouldn't mind an excuse to buy the 4x4 and an enduro type bike, for the roads.

[C92653]

@hotzcatz- Do you use any type of liner on the bottom of your raised bed gardens to keep out weeds,etc?

The concrete blocks sound like a great idea, I will have my husband try that next! Thanks!

[OpenD]

Originally Posted by C92653

@hotzcatz- Do you use any type of liner on the bottom of your raised bed gardens to keep out weeds,etc?

The concrete blocks sound like a great idea, I will have my husband try that next! Thanks!

The "raised beds" that my friend Satoshi made are more like "raised tables," and I think they are absolute genius. When I can get to it I'm going to make some for myself.

Think of making a sturdy and well braced low table with a lumber 2 x 4s frame, perhaps 2' x 4' in size, with high sides all around, sized to make it easy to reach the center without kneeling or bending over. Think of the low tables you see in many greenhouses and nurseries. The bottom of this conveniently raised "table" bed could be marine plywood with drainage holes drilled for drier locations, but for rainy Puna a well braced wire mesh bottom, with weed barrier landscape cloth over it, holds in the soil while providing excellent drainage and air circulation.

Advantages over the conventional raised beds I've used most of my life are... no contact between the soil in the bed and the ground, alleviating concerns about possible soil contamination in old sugar plantation areas, reducing root rot and other ground fungus concerns, eliminating nematode damage, making it easy to keep snails and slugs out (copper tape wrapped around the legs is an effective barrier) and making for much easier cultivation, planting, weeding, and harvest and more happiness for my stiff back.

Although it's work to put together, and isn't the cheapest way to build a raised bed, I think it's really a superior way in my corner of the world to raise strawberries, lettuce, carrots, cabbages, sweet potatoes, shiso, etc. as well as putting everything at the most convenient height for the <ahem> more mature gardener.

PS, Hey look, I found a commercial product based on the same idea, although only 2' x 4' in bed size. Cedar is definitely a good idea, for rot resistance. If I play my cards right I think I might be able to score some old redwood, from a tear-down, which would be even better.

http://www.gardeners.com/Cedar-Grow-...efault,pd.html

But wait, there's more... a raised 2' X 8' Cedar Box Planter! Be still my beating heart!

Elevated Cedar Garden | Standing Height Raised Bed Gardening

Awww, crud... ships from Vermont, no shipments to Hawai'i, the bastids!

Well, at least it shows another way to do it. 16 sq ft, 10" deep, at the oh so handy height of 29"... that's just about perfect for me!

[OpenD]

Originally Posted by hotzcatz

Tumeric, lemongrass and peppers grow well.

Agreed, but tuRmeric has two Rs, both in spelling and in pronunciation, like tur mur ick. I have no idea why so many people say too mur ick, but you're the third friend to do that so far this month, so neener neener!

I haven't seen any galangal but most gingers grow really well, too. Actually, gingers, heliconia and even bananas can almost be invasive.

Agreed. I grow galangal in a big pot, and "eating" ginger in another, after attending a workshop a while back at the South Hilo farmer's market given by an expert from CTAHR. She noted that both get a lot of unwanted attention from nematodes and other creepy crawlies, and since my property is ringed 360 degrees by heavy wild ginger growth I wouldn't stand a chance planting them in the ground. The pots, off the ground on supports, keep them isolated from the ground soil.

On a side note, I met a guy down in lower Puna who is kind of the premium "organic ginger" king. He's a major supplier to Whole Foods, I'm told, and he had prodigious quantities of the rhizomes air drying on big mesh covered tables in preperation to sort and package them for shipment. Over time he built his business to the point that he has to rent additional ag land upslope to grow enough to meet demand. He served up a peppy yellow ginger "lemonade" that was quite refreshing.

[C92653]

Thank you OpenD! You are a wealth of knowledge! "The Bastids" LOL!