The Canary Report

8 Responses to “Susie’s Secret Garden: Ponds, chickens and vegetables”

1. 

   Silvia
   

   11. Oct, 2009

   What a wonderful garden Susie!
   Great pictures.

   Best wishes from Germany,
   Silvia

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2. 

   Susie Collins
   

   11. Oct, 2009

   Thank you, Silvia! Aloha from Hawaii, Susie

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3. 

   Star (a.k.a., "Galien")
   

   30. Oct, 2009

   I love, love, love gardens! Yours is gorgeous–so lush and impressive–and as I also love to cook–it gets my culinary passion brewing—mmm food! The fishies are precious and make me think of a beloved goldfish I once had who lived for 8 years!

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4. 

   Susie Collins
   

   30. Oct, 2009

   Aloha Star, thanks much! All I wanted this summer was greens as you can see in the photos, but now I have some root crops started for winter. Our avocado tree is now dropping fruit and the ulu tree is laden with breadfruit (a staple in the Pacific). I love the comets! The comets and the chickens are the treasures of my gardens. I’m thinking about getting a few more hens next spring.

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5. 

   Carys
   

   01. Nov, 2009

   Beautiful garden you have, Susie! And what lovely hens! I hope to have some Araucanas and Marans someday.

   What is the plant int he 1st photo, and the water plant that has the spirals of small bits going out from the center?

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6. 

   Susie Collins
   

   02. Nov, 2009

   Aloha Carys! Thanks for your kind words.

   I’m thinking about getting a few more hens next spring, but only banties like these b/c they don’t damage the garden as badly as larger hens. Araucanas and Marans are lovely, you’ll have to share photos when you get yours!

   The plant in the first photo is a papaya tree! That particular tree now has about 20 papayas growing. The water plant is my favorite in the ponds! It’s called a mosaic plant, and eventually all the spirals get big enough to nestle together. I think that photo was taken late in the day; the spirals tighten up at night, and then in the morning relax into a larger circle. And then you see the little yellow flower? They pop up out of the spiral on a slender stem. It’s just an unbelievable plant. And very helpful in the ponds b/c it keeps the water shaded and cool for the fish, and also keeps down algae blooms.

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7. 

   Robert
   

   10. Dec, 2009

   An amazing garden, Susie. It makes me hungry just looking at all the fresh vegetables and dishes. Thanks for the great photos; a real treat as a blizzard rages outside my window here in snowy Ottawa, Canada.

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8. 

   Susie Collins
   

   10. Dec, 2009

   Thank you, Robert! I have just added a new Rhode Island Red hen, she’s a love and layed her first big brown egg yesterday– I got so excited! I took some photos of her and her treasure and will post soon. My veggie garden is fallow right now, Right after we planted the winter crops, we were flooded with rains and nothing came up but one bean bush start. So even in balmy Hawaii, the winter weather can make some trouble. We will try again soon. I wish I could send you some of our Hawaiian sunshine, clear skies today! Stay warm and take care!

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