Anyone have pics of these plants?
I’m incredibly ignorant about such things, but I’ve always been going to grow something on my balcony. I just have no idea what. I have a pretty good grasp of what a tomato looks like, everything is just ‘greenery’ to an uneducated oaf like me.
[quote=“Loretta”]Anyone have pics of these plants?
I’m incredibly ignorant about such things, but I’ve always been going to grow something on my balcony. I just have no idea what. I have a pretty good grasp of what a tomato looks like, everything is just ‘greenery’ to an uneducated oaf like me.[/quote]
Here’s one of the passionfruit vine.
Here’s the flower
Here’s the unripe fruit
And here’s the ripe fruit
Is this thread full of tips on what and how to grow in Taiwan? (I really can’t read the whole thing, forgive me)
If so, why not put it in Living in Taiwan? Maybe even as sticky?
Good idea, tash.
I find the biggest problem with buying soil from B&Q is the fact that it is very sterile and does not have much in it in the way of nutrients. I asked an experienced gardener about this, and she told me to compost.
So save your veggie kitchen scraps. Chop them up into little bits. Mix them with your used potting soil. put the mix in a non-airtight container. (A garbage pail with many holes punched in it works well.) let it breathe, but keep the sun off of it. Add things like fish fertilizer, mushroom manure, and mix regularily. Don’t add anything that is greasy or processed or anythging like that. Water the mix regularily once in a while. Just enough to keep it moist. The organic stuff you added to the boring potting soil should be digested into the mix in a matter of weeks, in this humid, warm climate. This “super-soil” can be mixed with even more regular store bought soil and you can plant in it.
The best thing is that you have an organic composter now, and you can re-use your old soil for next year. You will actually end up with more all the time, because you can throw all the parts of the plants that you don’t eat back into the mix.
It’s really not that difficult. Watch what the old people on the corner lots do.
I didn’t do this before and it just plum didn’t work!
Keep it organic! You’re going to taste the difference and your dinner companions will be very impressed.
Or: If anyone knows where to get “good” soil, let us know.
I’ll let you guys know when my garden kicks off.
Didn’t really know where to post this topic. That’s kinda how it ended up in the open forum. If the mods want it somewhere else i guess it will get moved there. as the new guy here i’m not one to say.
thanks again for all the feedback.
i don’t have so much space as some may think. I have what amounts to a couple fairly large balconies, one that also serves as a laundry area. If I want to scramble up and down a ladder everyday i could use the roof where the water tanks are as well. I think there would be room for a couple larger plants/trees and a fair bit of room for some smaller vegetables and herbs.
i’m also not a lifer here and will probably only be at this address for no longer than a year. i’d love to grow some mangoes and avocados but if i’m not going to be around for the fruit i probably won’t bother. Please feel free to continue to give tips on growing these anyways as I’m sure others will find the info useful.
cheers
AG
You might also want to think about where those pots could go in the event of a typhoon if you weren’t there, depending n how considerate you are of course. 
HG
alright
got things going now.
found a ton of aloe vera in the flower beds as i was clearing them out. they’re kinda cool so i’m gonna keep a couple of the plants. dunno what to do with the rest.
there are a couple gardening stores in kaohsiung on ChengCing Rd just north of Jiouru if anyone cares.
take care
ag
You might also want to think about where those POTS could go in the event of a typhoon if you weren’t there, depending n how considerate you are of course.
HG[/quote]
what’s a typhoon?
Aloe Vera is good for many things. rub the juice against sunburned skin for instant relief.
A typhoon is a tropical superstorm, with lots of ving and rain. The island is more or less closed down when one of them hits. They usually menace the island from June-October.
The mint went it’s predictably wild way on my balcony garden forcing me to resort to a pleasant cut-back program. Divine on these humid nights of late:
Mojito time . . .
HG
[quote=“Huang Guang Chen”]The mint went it’s predictably wild way on my balcony garden forcing me to resort to a pleasant cut-back program. Divine on these humid nights of late:
Mojito time . . .
HG[/quote]
Gotta watch that mint, else it will take over the world. Gardening requires sacrifice
I’m more into the flowery kind of garden. I have geraniums and a gardenia on my balcony. The geraniums always have flowers and are lovely to look at. The gardenia is currently flowering for the 1st time in a year and the smell is just great.
I’ve been hunting for jasmine for some time now, esp at the Taoyuan Plant market under the bridge, but with no luck. Does anybody know where I can find some?
Bloody Chanchu wiped out my watermelons. :fume:
the basil, corn, and tomatoes are still going well though.[quote=“atomicgrunion”]Bloody Chanchu wiped out my watermelons. :fume:
the basil, corn, and tomatoes are still going well though.[/quote]
One of the most perplexing things about Taiwan during my tenure there was that the tomatoes, to put it bluntly, sucked.
How are yours? Any good?
For someone without a garden or balcony, what would be the best ‘bomb proof’ flowers to plant in a window cage, ideally something that would flower most or all year round. The cages in question gets a lot of direct sun light, once upon a time I tried bringing some seeds from the UK, but even with constant watering they only grew to a few inches high and missing a day or two of watering would usually result in a withered crispy brown mess…
I tried herbs (parsley, thyme, mint, etc.), but these also suffered from the heat ! Are these best grown in doors out of direct sunlight ?
Geraniums should do well in a window cage. They are usually quite hardy and enjoys lots of light. They must be kept moist but never wet. Sometimes their leaves can get “burnt” by wind, so watch out for that. They come in all sorts of colours and flower all year round. I feed mine with flower food once a month.
the tomatoes have disappointed. they were growing like weeds till a couple weeks ago. they had just flowered and were about to start sprouting fruit. It has since gotten a lot hotter and stopped raining. they’re still alive but getting kinda brown. don’t think i’m gonna anything from them. The basil and corn are going good though. The new batch of watermelon are doing ok but will probably not do so well when i go on vacation next month. it’ll be survival of the fittest then.
ag
Where can I get passion fruit seeds? Can I just use the ones in the fruit itself and plant them? Would that work?
Yes, but the ‘hit’ rate is not so great.
Might work, but a pain in the arse. You can usually buy the plants in the flower markets. They do well in pots but beware of mealy bugs.
Ok, thanks guy, I’ll go the flower market near Da-An park and buy some this week end.