pineapple in garden Fiji
Food, garden

Pineapple Harvest

Our gardener planted pineapples in our yard about two years ago, and the first fruit finally appeared a few months ago. It turns out it's pretty easy to plant pineapple: You simply take the green top and stick it in the ground. We practice low-key gardening: no fertilizers; just a reliance on nature's basics: native… Continue reading Pineapple Harvest

garden tomatoes Fiji
Food, garden

Growing Cherry Tomatoes

I'm happy to report that our cherry tomatoes are ripening nicely on the vine. Tomatoes, it turns out, are perennials that are typically treated as annuals because it's easier to replace plants that have already borne fruit than try to get recurring yield from them. Our current batch of tomato plants bear slightly smaller fruit… Continue reading Growing Cherry Tomatoes

vanilla and coffee Fiji home garden
Food, garden

Planting Coffee and Vanilla

We ordered five coffee bushes and five vanilla plants from a nursery based in Colo-i-Suva, and they arrived this week. Our gardener planted them yesterday, and we're looking forward to watching them grow. I'm not sure how they'll fare in the soil in our yard, but it's certainly worth a try. This will be a… Continue reading Planting Coffee and Vanilla

papaya sapling Fiji
essay, garden

Life Lessons with: Papaya

I collected and dried out more papaya seeds for our gardener to plant several months ago, and the saplings are coming up. It's a wonder to see: a visual reminder of natural growth. This morning, I noticed one sapling in particular. Our gardener had moved it to a new location on my request. He told… Continue reading Life Lessons with: Papaya