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Messages - Hil

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So far so good. All the 10 seeds I received from Luc earlier this year have been sprouted.
One thing is worrying me a bit though. Half of the seedlings have put out 2 leaves by now.
One of them has green leaves and grows pretty fast, while the other 4 have put out pinkish/reddish leaves with green veins. They seem to grow more slowly. Is this still normal or caused by some sort of deficiency and a cause for concern?

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Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Fire in the Amazon...
« on: August 24, 2019, 11:38:09 AM »
I read a solution to global warming the other day.
Plant a trillion trees.
Let's get busy.

Working on it  ;D
We're planning to plant forest on 7 hectares of degraded, "matorral" land. That's a bit over 24 acres for your guys across the pond.
5 out of the 7 hectares will be planted with drought- and fire-resistant natives, the rest with the good stuff.  8)
That is, if we get a reforestation grant. Otherwise it will be a long-term project   ::)

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Im in zone 6 but i have a tall hill on the north side and my house is facing south on top of a smaller hill.That creates a microclimate like 7 from the original 6 and near the house its probably zone 8.
But you are right,i will keep the feijoas in the dome when the serious freezing starts.I only have 2 plants and if one dies from the cold then the otther will not set fruit even if it survives.
Outdoor i will try to plant Ugni Molinae.Its more cold hardy than feijoa and propagates easily from cuttings.
Microclimates can make a difference, as long as you have some spares you can always test the cold hardiness in yours :)
Good luck!

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I think the snow kills them because they are evergreen.Cant make photosinthesis.My seedlings grow quite fast.They are.just 6 months old from seed and one is @ 45 cm tall. 

A few months without photosynthesis shouldn't be a problem. Near the coast in Holland (zone 8b) they drop their leaves in winter. So there is no photosynthesis going on for many months. In spring the leaves return and by summer they are looking healthy (see pic below from a few weeks ago). So in cold winters they act deciduous, but can thrive nonetheless. The minimum temperatures in zone 6 would make me worry a lot more, unless they are in that geodesic greenhouse  ;D

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In zone 7 they would need a good micro-climate and some protection during hard frosts. In my parent's garden in The Netherlands (a few kilometers from the coast, zone 8b) I planted two feijoa bushes 5 years ago. They have several flowers during the summer and have given about 3 or 4 fruits over the years. They are still small, so we hope that they will give more in the future. They do have a hard time in winter and drop all their leaves. I think the coldest temperature that they have experienced is about -8/-9 degrees Celsius (16/17 degrees Fahrenheit). So I think huertasurbanas is right about the -12 degrees Celsius limit (10 degrees Fahrenheit).
In France they are more common, but probably only in the areas with less hard frosts (zones 8 & 9).

Tested in Bulgaria to minus 16 C.I have 2 seedlings wich i plan to plant them outdoor in zone 6 .Good advice about planting them deep and to clean them of snow.

Wouldn't snow protect the plants against the hard frosts?

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Citrus General Discussion / Re: When to pick Valencia oranges?
« on: July 14, 2019, 11:39:09 AM »
Here in Spain the Valencia oranges get picked from March until June. Except for Valencia Late, picking for that one starts 1.5 month later. When left hanging on the tree too long they first lose taste and eventually get dry.

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You can sign me up for 10 seeds too, the Old Continent needs more Garcinias!  :)

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Temperate Fruit Discussion / Re: Fig hedge
« on: March 22, 2019, 04:24:58 AM »
We grow several types of figs, but we don't grow them as a hedge.
Figs taste great and grow fast, but they drop their leaves during the winter months. So during that time the hedge won't give you much privacy or function as a windbreak. If that is no problem to you, you could consider a mix of fig varieties. So that you have different types of tasties during a longer time of the year  :)

If you prefer a hedge that is evergreen, feijoa is a pretty good option. The bush looks ornamental, the fruit can't be found in a grocery store and it tastes good depending on the variety. It grows slow, which is both a good and a bad thing. It makes it low maintenance, but it may also take some time before the hedge is how you want it to be.

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There are a lot of sources saying Ivy Gourd is invasive in places like Hawaii and India, but none say anything about mediterranean climates. Does anyone have experience with them in a Mediterranean climate?

Here's the most reliable resource about invasive species I use: https://www.cabi.org/isc/datasheet/14659
Since coccinia grandis prefers tropical rainforest climate, I guess that's the reason why you can't find any info about it in mediterranean climates. Way too dry.

Coccinia grandis can handle extreme dry. They will be difficult to control without vigilance. I left some in pots without water for almost a year. They did not perish and grew rapidly once watered. We have sharp dry seasons here in Vieques, probably much like the Mediterranean.

Well, I'm in one of the more arid parts of the Mediterranean. A bit further south from here there are areas that almost get as much rainfall as Vieques, but this area gets about a quarter of that. Growing it in a pot is a good idea, makes it easier to protect it from cold nights as well.
I guess I'll start with that and see how invasive it will be here  :)

It is better to grow this on pot or on the ground? I'm afraid to loose it during the winter... Thank's!

According to the info at Dave's Garden it's hardy to about -3/-4. So if you have one I would put it in a pot too. They are not so easy to come by in Europe  ;)

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That would be very good news. I'm considering to add it to my garden, but I wouldn't want it to spread into nature. Like all perennial cucumber/squash-like crops it's very uncommon. The only one occasionally grown is chayote.
Is there anyone on the forum that is growing, or has grown, ivy gourd (also tindola or scarlet gourd) in a Mediterranean climate?

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There are a lot of sources saying Ivy Gourd is invasive in places like Hawaii and India, but none say anything about mediterranean climates. Does anyone have experience with them in a Mediterranean climate?

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Frutales Tropicales from Spain, which ships abroad, currently has only one variety of fingerlime for sale.
According to their website they are working together with a farm from Australia (http://www.caviarvegetal.es/en/) to make more varieties available in the future. They look amazing, but apparently there hasn't been an update on it since december 2015.

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Recipes / Re: pineapple recipes
« on: August 11, 2018, 04:22:59 PM »
Eating too much at once will 'burn' your tongue, because of an enzym in the fruit called bromelain. It breaks down protein and is sometimes used to tenderize meat (instead of those meat hammer things). It doesn't just make pork tender, but also our own meat  :D
Same can happen with too much papaya, but then because of papain.
About the fruit. I really like it as a juice, or when the juice is made to make a virgin piņa colada. They're amazing.
I've also ate them fried once, a pineapple version of pisang goreng, which was really good. Haven't tried making it myself though. You could try this one out: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/245701/pineapple-fritters/

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Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Introduce Yourself
« on: August 08, 2018, 05:48:15 PM »
Hey all,

New here, although I've been quietly reading the forum for a while.
Originally I'm from The Netherlands, but I'm living in Poland right now. Both have cold winters, which meant container growing. But next month we are moving to Spain. Where we have bought some rural land. It has a lot of old olive trees, a few pines, carobs, an almond tree, a fig, blackberry bushes and the regular regional herbs like rosemary, thyme and cistus.

The climate there is a lot warmer and probably good enough for growing some of the more hardy tropicals:
- 2700 hours of sun per year
- 550 mm of rain with a dry period in summer
- Average maximum temperatures between 16-30 degrees Celsius (61-86 degrees Fahrenheit)
- Average minimum temperatures between 8-20 degrees Celsius (47-68 degrees Fahrenheit)
- Yearly extremes range from 0-41 degrees Celsius (34-106 degrees Fahrenheit)
- 400 chill hours (0-7 degrees Celsius) per year

So I'm hoping to learn about new things that can grow in the region, which varieties are best, where to get seeds or plants and of course to get to know some people with similar interests  :)

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