Back to the garden

Last year Linda gave me about 3 each of three different kinds of bananas, all very small so we didn't know which was which.  I planted a couple in the back corner behind the limones. They turned out to be the big ones and soon became trees shading the limes and everything else. Just had to cut them down but saved their babies for other locations, the neighbors and the lot next door. 

The small one in the second foto already had a crop of the sweet small ones but now the plant just outside my lot has got a bunch. You have to wait until a few have a touch of yellow before you can cut them so we'll see if I or the neighbors get to them first.

Star Fruit has finished it's season, Moringa has flowers but no fruit yet, Peas (Chicharo) are up but very slow, Cherry Tomatoes going crazy as well as Beefsteak, all leafy vegetables are just leaves and not very big, Radishes are just leaves with no root

Not quite ready but not secure from hungry kids

The two remaining on my lot - Moringa on left

First crop a month ago

Indigenous girl with kinda traditional dress and traditional Coke

Most of the kids wear shorts and a Tea or school clothes so this was different

A lesson on water

The few storms we've had taught me something I had forgotten, ie; plants love water. It's not that I've been ignoring the garden but it has not had the same amount of water these rains bring. The soil here absorbs water like a sponge and sometimes we don't have street water for 4-5 days up to a few weeks. I'm certainly not going to water anything but potted plants with tinaco and cistern water.

Anyway, I suddenly have a jungle. Have to cut back the limes just to get between them, bananas grew 2 feet in a week, pineapple ripened, papayas getting bigger and my neems are almost ready to transplant. My neighbors who are in Canada are in for a surprise when they come back in November. Their caretaker left for Autlan a few months ago and their garden is out of control but will be impossible in a few months.

The Neems are growing from seeds that fall under my only remaining tree. Five neighbors have them and still have 4 more in the ground. These 5 in buckets are waiting to get a good root system and we'll plant them around the plaza. I'll probably have to get the stakes and chicken wire to protect them from playing kids.

Dalila which turned out to be minimal so far

Neems in buckets

Papaya is finally getting there

Pineapple was small but delicious 

Mango season at the White House

We finally cut down my bananas because they were splitting on the tree so then had about 10 small bunches. They are sweet and great with yogurt in the morning but too many for me before they spoil.

Abundio and Teri live across the street in an unfinished house and are basically the caretakers. He is always asking to work for money, just plain cigarette money or food money. She has asked me before but is more shy. She still calls me Gringo. Today I had to do something with the bananas so took them two bunches. Teri immediately handed me 3 mangoes in trade and asked if I had 5 pesos. I asked her: for cigaros? ... and she said NO, for vino. Vino is any hard liquor here and she is not shy about her preferences.

One of the mangoes smells really good so maybe tomorrow morning. The season is a little slow this year but when in full swing .... I'm in heaven (no religious connotations there)

My bananas and traded mangoes

The house has a real paint job this year - The White House

My first bananas

I only noticed the flower yesterday and it's open a little more to show the young fruit. Everyone said it had months to go before producing. I got these from my neighbor Linda and she didn't know what kind they were because they have a grove of three kinds. I'm thinking maybe the small sweet ones but we'll see in a few weeks.

Now if I could only get some corn to grow. With two batches from seeds I brought down last year I've gotten nothing. I think maybe a local breed next time.

First platanos and flower