Best Place to Live Along Hamakua Coast? (Honokaa: club, garden)

[hotzcatz]

I like gardening, can you tell? A lot of folks do around here so we're always swapping plants back and forth.

[bolus]

I'd be happy if some grew and sold thai ingredients (kaffir leaves, lemon grass, galangal, etc)

Remember to research rat lung disease which is carried by snails and slugs that crawl across gardens and end up contaminating humans that way. Nasty disease with no good treatment.

[hotzcatz]

Kaffir & lemon grass are easy, not so sure about galangal. The lemon grass is at a lot of the health food stores and Filipino stores. Kaffir lime leaves are usually from someone's tree. Galangal shows up occasionally at our vegetable market.


But, they are all fairly ornamental, Bolus, grow some in your yard?

[bolus]

Originally Posted by hotzcatz

Kaffir & lemon grass are easy, not so sure about galangal. The lemon grass is at a lot of the health food stores and Filipino stores. Kaffir lime leaves are usually from someone's tree. Galangal shows up occasionally at our vegetable market.


But, they are all fairly ornamental, Bolus, grow some in your yard?

I have the opposite of a green thumb. I have a papaya tree Im growing. It is 2 years old and only 2 feet tall. I have 2 avocado trees Im growing, both 2 years old and only about 1 foot tall each. I finally found a kaffir plant and it looks great but hasnt grown even one new leaf in a year. I have a passion fruit vine that is 2 years old and it only has 3 leaves on it and only 4 inches tall. It looks healthy.

the lemon grass I planted in the yard died. Grass...died...in Hawaii.... Sure I got 20 foot tall guinea grass but the lemon grass dies.

These guys sell galanga in Puna, but growing season isnt until November.
Hawaii Clean Seed

It's going to take me a decade just to make one bowl of Tom Kha soup!!

[hotzcatz]

Hmm, well, maybe finding it at the market would be a better idea for you, Bolus! Still, if Guinea grass is growing so well, it would seem that lemon grass should do well. They are very similar sorts of grasses.


Seems odd that they aren't growing yet not dead after all that time. They get water? They have soil? Not too hot? Not too cold? Not too much wind? Add some nutrients to the soil?


Seems pretty odd that things go static like that. What could keep plants from growing yet not dying?



Or, find the ingredients for Tom Kha soup at the market.

[Dreaming of Hawaii]

Bolus, where are you located? What elevation? We are at 1,200 feet near South Point, and all of my plants do really well.

Have you talked with your neighbors about what they grow and how? We have a small group that gets together and trade ideas about propagating and growing and harvesting stuff. One in the group has a small farm and she has lots of great information.

We fertilize, mostly with our homemade compost. I think that helps.

[jgirlktown]

is hydroponic a "safer" way to grow greens than in raised beds, when considering the risk for ratlung disease?
In a separate thread I recall some one expressing view that it was their opinion that to grow greens best thing to do is grow indoors under grow lamps.

[Arktikos]

Originally Posted by jgirlktown

is hydroponic a "safer" way to grow greens than in raised beds, when considering the risk for ratlung disease?
In a separate thread I recall some one expressing view that it was their opinion that to grow greens best thing to do is grow indoors under grow lamps.

Indoors would certainly be safer because the semi slugs wouldn't be able to find your plants.

Unfortunately, grid electricity is extremely expensive in Hawaii so it wouldn't be cost effective. Might as well buy them from the grocer.

[ocean_mist]

I have read about and talked with folks about rat lungworm. What are precautions that you folks take as gardeners?

Also, my friend is able to grow galanga in Waikoloa

❤

[hotzcatz]

Most people wash their produce really well as the first precaution for rat lung worm.



Most of my greens are grown in a raised bed garden which has marigolds lining the edges. That seems to repel slugs and snails pretty well. There's also Corry's Slug & Snail Death. Which I like better than Corry's Slug & Snail Killer because with Death they don't go away, they die on the spot. You can tell it's working that way as well as get an idea of how many there may be around.


Copper tape or a copper pipe around the perimeter of the garden also helps repel slugs and snails. As well as diatomaceous earth.



Now if there was just something to keep the dratted chickens out of the garden! Wretched rooster is eating tomatoes!