Green Pawpaws

How to Use and Preserve Unripe Green Pawpaws/ Papaya

This Week's Harvest, What is thriving this season? / /

The content discusses various ways to utilize green pawpaws, highlighting their health benefits, precautions for handling, and culinary uses. It emphasizes techniques for incorporating pawpaws in cooking, such as pickling in vinegar and preparing in groundnut sauce to prevent spoilage. Green pawpaws’ versatility is highlighted in home cooking and alternative medicine.

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This Week's Harvest, What is thriving this season?
Pawpaw tree

How to Manage Pawpaw/ Papaya Trees in The Rainy Season

Plant Care, Rainy season gardening in the subtropics, What is thriving this season? / /

In 2022-2023, our pawpaw trees flourished but faced challenges. Dry summer stressed the trees, impacting fruit quality and yield. Disease prevention was crucial. Unplanned seedlings crowded the orchard, affecting growth and creating disease risks. We removed poorly performing red pawpaw trees and pruned tall trees after the rains. Utilizing pawpaw stems in compost avoided waste. #LoveHomeGrown

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Plant Care, Rainy season gardening in the subtropics, What is thriving this season?
Aphid infested hibiscus

Managing Aphid Infestations

Pest Control / /

Aphids are common garden pests in Lusaka, causing damage to plants and attracting diseases. Severe infestations can lead to stunted growth, low yields, and plant death. Managing aphids involves improving plant health, using organic pesticides, and monitoring for effectiveness. Prevention is crucial, especially in areas affected by drought and flooding.

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Pest Control
Swarm of bees next to granadilla vine.

Flowering Plants That Sustain Bee Populations In The Rainy Season

Gallery, General Topics, Useful Insects / /

Bees play a crucial role in horticulture and urban food forests. Thunderstorms can cause bee casualties, but planting windbreaks and ensuring flower availability near hives can help mitigate losses. Rain leads to flourishing plants and diverse hybrid pollination. #LoveHomeGrown

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Gallery, General Topics, Useful Insects
Raspberries

How To Care For Raspberry Plants in The Rainy Season

Berries, Plant Care, Rainy season gardening in the subtropics / /

Raspberry plants in Lusaka’s subtropical urban area are thriving due to occasional rains and summer heat. Thinning the plants is essential to prevent overcrowding and smaller crops. Challenges include fruit rot, pests, and birds, but proper support and management can ensure a productive raspberry season for fresh consumption and preservation.

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Berries, Plant Care, Rainy season gardening in the subtropics
Sunchoke flowers

Sunchoke

Vegetables, Very Low Maintenance Plants, What is thriving this season? / /

Sunchoke, also known as Jerusalem artichoke, is a low-maintenance perennial root vegetable from the sunflower family, known for its bright orange flowers. It thrives in well-drained sandy soils, and its tubers are sweet due to inulin, making them popular with diabetics. The plant, native to South America, is valued for its beauty and diverse uses.

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Vegetables, Very Low Maintenance Plants, What is thriving this season?
Tree salad leaves eaten by slugs and snails

Managing Slug And Snail Infestations

Pest Control / /

Slug and snail infestations can harm plants and produce. Homemade remedies like clearing weeds, handpicking pests, and using homemade sprays can work. Store-bought remedies include Snailban pallets, which have metaldehyde and can be harmful to pets and kids. Multiguard has an iron-based spray and copper tape that can be used as a preventive measure. Use salt moderately to avoid harming young plants. Trimming overgrown plants and clearing weeds helps expose pests to hot, dry weather. Follow store-bought remedy instructions.

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Pest Control

Himalayan Mulberry: Lessons from 2023

Mulberry plants, What is thriving this season? / /

The Himalayan mulberry trees have outperformed other varieties, thriving in harsh conditions with sweeter fruits. Their fast growth, long, straight branches, and large leaves make them ideal for live fences, providing shade and support for crops. They are a valuable addition to gardens with a prolonged harvest period and drought tolerance.

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Mulberry plants, What is thriving this season?
Whitefly Sticky trap

Whitefly Pest Control

Pest Control / /

Whiteflies are known for sucking sap from plants, laying eggs on the underside of leaves, and frequently infesting crops such as tomatoes, potatoes, cabbage, and other plants, which can lead to decreased yields and the development of viral diseases. Various control measures are available, including spraying the plants with Neem oil, watering the underside of the leaves, and utilising sticky traps. In severe infestations, organic pesticide sprays and parasitic fungi can be deployed. Moreover, during the rainy season, spraying can be particularly effective in preventing outbreaks.

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Pest Control
Granadilla flowers

Growing Granadilla in 2023

Very Low Maintenance Plants, What is thriving this season? / /

Granadilla is a purple passion fruit with a yellow version called Passiflora edulis Flavicarpa that is more tart and juicy. They can be grown in small garden spaces as they require little maintenance but need strong support. They provide shade and protection to other trees, and their flowers attract pollinators. Although usually pest-free, mealybugs, scale insects, and fungal infections may thrive. Granadilla fruit is versatile and can be used for juices, jams, desserts, or eaten fresh, and the leaves can be eaten or used as livestock feed.

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Very Low Maintenance Plants, What is thriving this season?

Grapes: Lessons Learned in 2023

Grapes, What is thriving this season? / /

An update on grape farming experience in 2023: Atypical weather resulted in difficulties in pruning, hidden grape bunches, and varied fruiting among grape varieties. Suggestions include harvesting grapes optimally, controlling fungal infections and using alternating prevention methods, avoiding tight clusters during the rainy season, adding compost to fruit-bearing varieties, and reducing nitrogen-containing soil supplements for vine varieties.

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Grapes, What is thriving this season?
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