Gardening in Puerto Rico

Our Slice of Paradise: The Trees (2/3)

This post is for all you gardeners. It will cover the progress made with getting things planted as well as what new trees have started to produce fruit over the last year.

Before I get going I need to make clear, we do not operate a commercial nursery. This is strictly for our personal enjoyment. Occasionally, I will put a few of my surplus plants up for sale, over on Craigslist Puerto Rico. You can also email me via the Contact Page, if interested. These are ‘one-time’ only sales. At some point, I hope to put the planting of new trees behind me.

But first a few words about grabbing photos around the property

When I’m out doing ‘dirt-work’, it’s been hard to keep up with shooting images of the progress. I don’t like dragging my good camera gear around or risk getting it dirty in the process. Plus there is a need to travel light while working. If I don’t keep it on me, I miss key shots. I had an old Canon S-80 ‘point and shoot’ in a waterproof housing, but it was quite bulky. Plus, I accidentally destroyed it a while back so I needed to replace it.

The new category of waterproof (or really, water-resistant) cameras have come a long way over the last 5 years. So I thought it was time to pick one up. I scored a 16MP, auto-focus Olympus Stylus Tough 860. Most of these point and shoots don’t have a very wide lens… I like wide. This one goes from 21mm to 105mm (35mm equivalent). The widest in the waterproof camera category. It also has a ‘macro’ mode for getting in close. The little 860 will also shoot video though I don’t really care about that. I have seen this model sell for well below $200 on eBay. Pretty cheap for what it will do.

All that sounds good on paper. But how does it perform?

Only so-so. Overall image quality is only ‘fair’, sorry to say. Since I’m using it for the Blog and sizing them down in Photoshop, I can do a lot to improve the final image. It will NEVER replace my Sony NEX-7. Auto-focus [Read more…] about Our Slice of Paradise: The Trees (2/3)

Our Slice of Paradise: Stuff and Things (1/3)

Internet… sometimes… maybe, maybe not

Yeah, yeah. I know it’s been too long since I did a real post. This update is part 1 of 3. To say I’ve become distressed with our poor internet service out where we live, would be an understatement. Writing and posting images to the Web is a very time consuming, check and recheck process. Doubly so when your connection cuts out, drops off or goes away for hours or days at a time.

Obviously, we do not rely on our cellphones or tablets to access the net or get work done. We are power users. We maintain a hardline through Claro/PRT, but the DSL can hardly deliver dependable rates over ‘dial-up’ speeds. To qualify that- the faster the data-rate, the more prone it is to major ‘packet data loss’ and that’s a real issue when you live so far from the main trunkline like we do. We laugh when Claro marketing calls, asking if we want to upgrade our ‘speed’ or heaven forbid, sign up for cable TV. What a joke. And I’m being polite. It’s out for so long, they provide us with a temporary cable modem to hold us over until the hardline is fixed again (If we want to make the run into Ponce to pick it up). That’s happened at least 3 times in the last 6 years.

So, we opted for a no data-cap wireless connection via VelocityNet. A dedicated mini-dish with ethernet to a desktop modem. I’ve mentioned them before. It’s the only practical way to get internet in a rural setting.

It is relatively reliable, but like any cell based service data speeds during the day suck. In the evening, we can stream Netflix or Hulu… most of the time. Me first mate stays up late, just so she can get her work done. Unfortunately, it seems to drop-out like clock-work, around the 1st of each month. Not sure why, but I can speculate. We think they are busy running through their client list, turning back on those who have paid their bill for the next month. It’s a small, local outfit. Another point- they often pass off their connection to the web to other, 3rd party internet service providers. It’s something we track. Sometimes we ‘originate’ from Florida, sometimes from San Juan, sometimes from Cincinnati. Go figure. Yes, there have been a few times when both have been out at the same time, but it’s rare.

Posting content to the Net from our rural location is a major act of frustration. I’m retired and tired… I don’t need this crap. Sorry, but I need to make a point here. It just all sucks so bad, so much of the time.

If we lived closer to town, we could get stable DSL. Something to consider if you plan on moving to PR, but need fast Internet to maintain a web site or generate income.

A HughesDish is ok, if you don’t want to stream TV or movies. And it’s expensive. We had one when I first got here, but the old set will not work on the updated service. It’s probably more dependable than any local solution, though it’s not bullet-proof. Bad weather like heavy clouds or hurricanes will disrupt service. Then there is the daily data-caps which will put you off-line for 24 hours, if you go over. From 2AM to 6AM there’s no limit. Big deal.

I’m done venting. Thanx.

Gardening: The Evolution of No Real Plan

I’ve done a lot of posts since I got here, about my ‘little’ gardening effort. Gardening was a big part of the reason I wanted to check out Puerto Rico in the beginning. It’s the only place in the USA where you can have a veggie garden year round. Not to mention, the potential to grow fruit and nut trees and other ‘interesting’ stuff. [Read more…] about Our Slice of Paradise: Stuff and Things (1/3)

Big Yearend Garden Update, 2013

The further adventures of living in USDA Zone 11 where you can grow stuff literally year round. As of this week, I’ve added 13 new sprouts of 5 species to the ‘collection’

The new additions are:

3 African Medlar, Vangueria infausta (had none)

1 Rainforest Plum, Eugenia candolleana (had 2)

2 South Am. Nance, Byrsonima crassifolia (had 6)

3 rare Atemoya ‘X’, Annona Squamosa X Cherimoia (had 5)

4 Jackal Berry or African Ebony, Diospyros mespiliformis (had 1)

When it comes to potting sprouts, I use a mix of 1/3 commercial loam, 1/3 commercial potting soil and 1/3 of our soil, all sifted to remove rocks and debris. I do adjust it for certain plant types, but that’s the basic formula. Seeds are started in a much lighter mix of shredded Coconut husk (coir) and Sphagnum moss. That’s what I use in the donut trays.

There are other new things in pots as well.. [Read more…] about Big Yearend Garden Update, 2013

Gardening as Intervention, a Mega Update

Confessions of an exotic fruit seed junkie

I thought 3 years in, I would be done with planting seeds and moving on to keeping them watered and watching them grow. Not so.

My obsession has turned acute.

To accommodate these additions, I’ve had to clear off more undergrowth. That’s not easy for a guy who recently celebrated his 60th birthday. There’s still more clearing to be done too!

I have to pace myself.

I do see a time when I’ll spend more ‘time’ keeping things watered and concentrate on the veggie garden. An acre is about all I’m good for. Most of the fruit trees I’m trying to grow do not get big – “big” being a relative term. Some of these, I’ll ‘set free’ down in the hoya (ravine) and wish them well. Then as the surviving ones prosper, I’ll cut back the natural stuff. At least that’s the plan.

This update includes my progress on earlier efforts and a few gardening ‘experiments’ I’ve got going. I’ve made a few new discoveries too. [Read more…] about Gardening as Intervention, a Mega Update

Guillermo’s Garden in Cayey

The addition of gardening to me scurvy blog has proved to be very popular. So much so that I’ve been chatting with several folks, in and outside of Puerto Rico.

One of them is a local guy, Guillermo

After exchanging a few emails, he and I decided we should meet and trade a few plants. He lives near Cayey and runs a small nursery. It’s only about 40 minutes from our place to Cayey, an easy run.

In the process, I got to check out what he’s working on and pick up a ‘few’ tips.

I also got to photograph a few species that have eluded me since I’ve been here. Names for some plants vary by country and even by region, but Guillermo was very helpful with providing botanical names for the ones I was not familiar with.

If you are coming from San Juan, Cayey is after Caguas, but before you leave the mountains on the south side of the island.

It is a few degrees cooler and a lot wetter than where we live.

It was great that I was able to provide him with a few things he was looking for.

He had mature Dragon fruit (Hylocereus undatus) plants that produce white fruit, but not the red fruit I had discovered in a Ponce grocery store. I still had 2/3’s of a tray of the Pitaya sprouts so I handed those off to him. [Read more…] about Guillermo’s Garden in Cayey