Second account for @potterybyosa where I discuss #gardening, #nativeplants, #composting, #permaculture, etc. Zone 10a.
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2026-10-23T00:07:24Z Event JSON
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Last Notes npub12z6fxglxvg3ktcvquhurgh53pyu8aeckmqxeehwhxfp09a2g2suqmvxkep PermaSolarPotter My friend dropped us off a bag of fresh lychees last night and we’ve been snacking on them since. Delicious! He’s harvesting them from a tree in a public space that is loaded with fruit that no one else seems to care about. This happens a lot. There are often #TropicalFruit trees randomly growing in public spaces around town with rotten fruit littered around the base. I also foraged a swamp apple this weekend while we were in Miami. #Florida #foraging #Zone10 npub12z6fxglxvg3ktcvquhurgh53pyu8aeckmqxeehwhxfp09a2g2suqmvxkep PermaSolarPotter We have drip irrigation from a rain tank and we use garden ollas in certain sections of the garden. Still, a good soak with the hose feels necessary a few times a week if it isn’t raining. npub12z6fxglxvg3ktcvquhurgh53pyu8aeckmqxeehwhxfp09a2g2suqmvxkep PermaSolarPotter We’re in an ongoing drought so there are watering restrictions in place but it also won’t rain the way it normally should this time of year. Our rain tank will probably run dry soon. Also, it’s in the 90s°F so the garden is very thirsty. It’s a tough time of year as a gardener in SW #Florida. #gardening npub12z6fxglxvg3ktcvquhurgh53pyu8aeckmqxeehwhxfp09a2g2suqmvxkep PermaSolarPotter I picked this mango as an experiment to see how early we can harvest them. It’s pretty much full size and has developed that blush tone near the top, but it’s still hard. It should ripen over the next few days. Besides the fact that I’m excited it’s mango season, we do have to make sure to beat the squirrels and passersby because the tree is on the strip between the sidewalk and the street. We don’t mind sharing but if we don’t pay close enough attention, they’ll all be gone. #gardening #Zone10 npub12z6fxglxvg3ktcvquhurgh53pyu8aeckmqxeehwhxfp09a2g2suqmvxkep PermaSolarPotter I'm using one bed to experiment with building #soil nutrients with green manure and cover crops, without use of store bought compost or fertilizers. npub12z6fxglxvg3ktcvquhurgh53pyu8aeckmqxeehwhxfp09a2g2suqmvxkep PermaSolarPotter We visited ECHO Global Farm today and I picked up this book. If you’ve been following me, you know that I got frustrated trying to create all of my own soil amendments and reverted back to purchasing cow manure compost and organic fertilizers. My garden is much happier and productive now but I still would like to work toward a more DIY #permaculture approach to building #soil. Hopefully this book will help. #gardening npub12z6fxglxvg3ktcvquhurgh53pyu8aeckmqxeehwhxfp09a2g2suqmvxkep PermaSolarPotter Once the cotton plants began producing again, it reinspired my #spinning practice. They begin flowering in the spring and make a round of fruit and then stop flowering again in the depths of the summer when it’s too hot. However, during that time because of the rains, the plant becomes verdant and lush. Then in the fall, it’ll bloom and fruit again. That’s when you get the biggest harvest. #NativePlants #fiberarts #handspinning npub12z6fxglxvg3ktcvquhurgh53pyu8aeckmqxeehwhxfp09a2g2suqmvxkep PermaSolarPotter Exciting things in the #garden: npub12z6fxglxvg3ktcvquhurgh53pyu8aeckmqxeehwhxfp09a2g2suqmvxkep PermaSolarPotter A gift from the community garden. Fresh coconut water 💦 #Florida #Zone10 npub12z6fxglxvg3ktcvquhurgh53pyu8aeckmqxeehwhxfp09a2g2suqmvxkep PermaSolarPotter I was just out #gardening and I looked up and there was a big fluffy #raccoon. I thought it hadn’t seen me, so I made a noise. It looked up at me and then stuck its little arm inside the watering can that was beside it. It then busied itself, digging in the mulch. I clapped my hands and it didn’t care. That’s when I started to get a little scared 🤣 My husband came out to shoo him off and he left but then just came back. He even did the thing with the watering can. #WTF npub12z6fxglxvg3ktcvquhurgh53pyu8aeckmqxeehwhxfp09a2g2suqmvxkep PermaSolarPotter I want to go back to the Chassahowitzka. Spring heads, herons, alligators, fossils and clay. The name of the river is supposedly Seminole for “hanging pumpkin place.” There is a Seminole pumpkin variety that I’ve attempted to grow but haven’t had much luck with (yet!) It’s a climbing vine that was traditionally trained up trees so that the pumpkins hung from the limbs. #nature #Florida #gardening #heirloom npub12z6fxglxvg3ktcvquhurgh53pyu8aeckmqxeehwhxfp09a2g2suqmvxkep PermaSolarPotter Thanks to advice from you helpful folks on this app, I learned that my woodchip-heavy #compost would make good mulch for my fruit trees. I started with the mango, adding some organic fertilizer to the base, topping with compost and fallen leaves from the tree. There are plenty of prolific established mango trees in our neighborhood that produce with no help. Ours is young and last year a lot of the fruit fell before it ripened. Let’s see what happens this year. #gardening #TropicalFruit #zone10 npub12z6fxglxvg3ktcvquhurgh53pyu8aeckmqxeehwhxfp09a2g2suqmvxkep PermaSolarPotter @npub1rgf…7ecj seeking your advice here. I used sawdust as a carbon source for the first time and didn’t realize just how carbon rich it is. It’s been tough to balance. I noticed lots of unbroken-down sawdust still in the pile after four flips so I got a bunch of used coffee grounds and added that in. It heated right back up but there’s still a lot of visible sawdust in the mix. Should I keep balancing and flipping or am I being a perfectionist? Here’s a photo of what I’ve got now. #composting npub12z6fxglxvg3ktcvquhurgh53pyu8aeckmqxeehwhxfp09a2g2suqmvxkep PermaSolarPotter First flip of our second #compost heap that has our entire Christmas tree in it. We mulched it down with our SunJoe. There’s also kitchen scraps and other yard material in there, of course. #gardening npub12z6fxglxvg3ktcvquhurgh53pyu8aeckmqxeehwhxfp09a2g2suqmvxkep PermaSolarPotter Free lemons! This guy gave them to us when we were walking the dogs by the bay this evening. He says his neighbor has a tree. They’re as big as oranges and very juicy. I’m standing here in the kitchen boiling fresh ginger about to make us some tea before bed. 🍋🍯🫚 npub12z6fxglxvg3ktcvquhurgh53pyu8aeckmqxeehwhxfp09a2g2suqmvxkep PermaSolarPotter I turned the pile this morning. This is my first time #composting in place and I’m very happy with where this is going. The soil underneath the pile is magnificent. In a region with sandy soil, this is such an important #gardening epiphany for me. My soil struggles were extremely educational. I decided to try this method after reading Toby Hemenway’s Gaia’s Garden, however I don’t think I’m doing the exact method he described. It’s more about the concept than exact technique. npub12z6fxglxvg3ktcvquhurgh53pyu8aeckmqxeehwhxfp09a2g2suqmvxkep PermaSolarPotter I ran out of cotton and then remembered that my mom also has a bush in her yard so I went and harvested it the other day. Back to the beginning of the process. npub12z6fxglxvg3ktcvquhurgh53pyu8aeckmqxeehwhxfp09a2g2suqmvxkep PermaSolarPotter … And we’re cookin’! npub12z6fxglxvg3ktcvquhurgh53pyu8aeckmqxeehwhxfp09a2g2suqmvxkep PermaSolarPotter I’ve mixed the sunflower mulch with sawdust from a local wood shop that uses untreated wood. We also add Starbucks used coffee grinds in there (they’ll save them for you to pick up in the evening), our kitchen scraps plus bone & wood ash (I save our bones and burn them in our fireplace.) npub12z6fxglxvg3ktcvquhurgh53pyu8aeckmqxeehwhxfp09a2g2suqmvxkep PermaSolarPotter To me, buying a new machine didn’t seem very #permacultutre-y but now that we have it, may as well use it. npub12z6fxglxvg3ktcvquhurgh53pyu8aeckmqxeehwhxfp09a2g2suqmvxkep PermaSolarPotter When my husband was deep in his #permaculture gardening phase he asked for one of these SunJoe mulching machines for his birthday. Since then, he’s largely abandoned #gardening—and who can blame him? It’s been tough! So now, I use it to break down the Mexican sunflower so that it’s easier to #compost. It’s a very sweet-smelling plant. npub12z6fxglxvg3ktcvquhurgh53pyu8aeckmqxeehwhxfp09a2g2suqmvxkep PermaSolarPotter I’ve been posting about my #permaculture challenges lately and this is a good example. Hearing experienced gardeners refer to this plant as a manure equivalent led me to believe that it is a more potent soil amendment than it actually is. So, my attempts at growing veggies in this soil often left me with small, stunted plants. npub12z6fxglxvg3ktcvquhurgh53pyu8aeckmqxeehwhxfp09a2g2suqmvxkep PermaSolarPotter I just cut back the Mexican sunflower next to my pottery studio. It was getting wild and leggy, but also this plant is what some #Florida gardeners call green manure because of its high nutrient & mineral content so, I’ll be mulching it down and adding it to my compost. #Permaculture gardeners in this region consider it a staple in the landscape because it’s so prolific and useful. npub12z6fxglxvg3ktcvquhurgh53pyu8aeckmqxeehwhxfp09a2g2suqmvxkep PermaSolarPotter This season, I bought bags of composted cow manure and organic fertilizers (composted chicken manure, seaweed, fish meal, etc.) I feel divided. Part of me hates that everything is being sold to us in a plastic bag and part of me feels grateful for the ease of purchasing concentrated garden food for a reasonable price. npub12z6fxglxvg3ktcvquhurgh53pyu8aeckmqxeehwhxfp09a2g2suqmvxkep PermaSolarPotter This isn’t an argument against #permaculture at all. I just want to share my journey because #gardening can be really difficult, especially in the face of #ClimateChange, in a region that is historically tough to grow in, and on top of that wishing to be “environmentally sustainable.” npub12z6fxglxvg3ktcvquhurgh53pyu8aeckmqxeehwhxfp09a2g2suqmvxkep PermaSolarPotter My plants were often stunted and slow-growing. I’ve mentioned our sandy soil numerous times in various posts. The challenges of drought, heat and nutrient-poor soil (especially after years of replanting the same areas) were somewhat discouraging but I do love planting so I kept trying. I learned that my attempts at #permaculture essentially meant that I was starving my plants. npub12z6fxglxvg3ktcvquhurgh53pyu8aeckmqxeehwhxfp09a2g2suqmvxkep PermaSolarPotter I’m very happy with our garden right now. This time last year, we were in the midst of an extreme drought, having not received adequate rainfall the previous summer. At the same time, I was also attempting #permaculture practices, using our homemade compost and rainwater drip irrigation. npub12z6fxglxvg3ktcvquhurgh53pyu8aeckmqxeehwhxfp09a2g2suqmvxkep PermaSolarPotter I noticed that our bougainvillea has found its way to the top of one of our papaya trees creating this image of tropical winter bounty. @npub1nw7…g0ek #zone10 #Florida #EdibleLandscape npub12z6fxglxvg3ktcvquhurgh53pyu8aeckmqxeehwhxfp09a2g2suqmvxkep PermaSolarPotter I see myself making my own version of these in the very near future. The variety of designs is inspiring. npub12z6fxglxvg3ktcvquhurgh53pyu8aeckmqxeehwhxfp09a2g2suqmvxkep PermaSolarPotter The final stage of the Thai red roselle (or sorrel). I’ve already begun collecting seeds to plant late winter or early spring. #gardening #zone10 #GoneToSeed npub12z6fxglxvg3ktcvquhurgh53pyu8aeckmqxeehwhxfp09a2g2suqmvxkep PermaSolarPotter Double infusion today. @npub1l5q…ct05 inspired me to start a roselle oil infusion. I didn’t even realize this was a thing. The plant’s antioxidant properties make it great for hair and skin, apparently. I mean, I think I care more about the fact that it makes the oil #pink than anything else. I’m using coconut oil as my carrier. On the right, another batch of sun tea. #roselle #zone10 #TropicalPlants #HerbalRemedies #plants npub12z6fxglxvg3ktcvquhurgh53pyu8aeckmqxeehwhxfp09a2g2suqmvxkep PermaSolarPotter As a potter, I’m pretty blown away by the creative potential of growing my own cotton. This is a Florida native cotton that is quite different from what was grown on a commercial industrial scale. It has shorter fibers and the seeds are a bit more difficult to extract. Still, it’s strange to know that the cotton balls you can buy in a bag aren’t far off from what comes directly from the plant. I think I’d like to experiment with yarn or paper making. #gardening #crafts #art @npub1nw7…g0ek npub12z6fxglxvg3ktcvquhurgh53pyu8aeckmqxeehwhxfp09a2g2suqmvxkep PermaSolarPotter I can’t get enough of how unique every plant is. #cotton #NativePlants #FromSeed #Florida #gardening #Zone10 npub12z6fxglxvg3ktcvquhurgh53pyu8aeckmqxeehwhxfp09a2g2suqmvxkep PermaSolarPotter The roselle harvest continues! What a gorgeous plant. The calyxes are maturing more quickly than we can get to them. I’ve been wanting to try making roselle jam but haven’t yet. This year, besides making tea, we’ve begun adding them to salads. The crispy texture, tart flavor and vibrant color are a great addition. And of course, we dry them so we can gift the tea to friends and enjoy it for months to come. #zone10 #tropical @npub1nw7…g0ek npub12z6fxglxvg3ktcvquhurgh53pyu8aeckmqxeehwhxfp09a2g2suqmvxkep PermaSolarPotter The rainy season ended as abruptly as it began. It hasn’t rained heavily in weeks and we just used the last of the water in our rain tank ☹️ This is when #gardening becomes a challenge. The extreme of going from almost daily torrential downpours to no rain at all is really tough to adjust to. npub12z6fxglxvg3ktcvquhurgh53pyu8aeckmqxeehwhxfp09a2g2suqmvxkep PermaSolarPotter The #Equinox made me consider the imbalance in my #gardening practice. We neglected our garden about a year ago and it took us a long time to spring back from that. So I think I’ve overcorrected by succession planting ad infinitum because my goal is to always have something to eat in the garden. But rest is important. Fallow periods are important. In temperate climates, ppl rest in the winter. Here, the summer is a time when gardeners take a break. I need to find a middle ground. #Balance npub12z6fxglxvg3ktcvquhurgh53pyu8aeckmqxeehwhxfp09a2g2suqmvxkep PermaSolarPotter I just bought an ivy gourd plant (perennial cucumber). I haven’t heard of other #Florida gardeners growing it and I’m not sure if it’s because it’s uncommon or bc it has the potential to be invasive. I’m growing it in a pot to curb its invasive tendencies. I also bought some rainbow pigeon pea seeds from a FL gardener whose focus seems to be cultivating a diverse perennial garden. He grows about six or seven varieties of cassava alone. Diversity = resilience! #gardening #zone10 npub12z6fxglxvg3ktcvquhurgh53pyu8aeckmqxeehwhxfp09a2g2suqmvxkep PermaSolarPotter Long beans round two! I planted some back in late spring and liked them so much I planted them again. These are two different varieties but I can’t remember their names anymore. One was a black seed and the other brown. A few years back, I planted some yard-long beans which are (obviously) way longer and I thought that’s what these were, but I was wrong. Anyway, a nice tropical bean that is delicious fresh or cooked. #gardening #zone10 npub12z6fxglxvg3ktcvquhurgh53pyu8aeckmqxeehwhxfp09a2g2suqmvxkep PermaSolarPotter how was tagging the group different from using the gardening hashtag? npub12z6fxglxvg3ktcvquhurgh53pyu8aeckmqxeehwhxfp09a2g2suqmvxkep PermaSolarPotter It’s the 5th anniversary of the day that @npub16fz…nqep and I closed on our house. I felt hesitant about homeownership because of the responsibility and because I’d never taken a loan from a bank before. Now, I see it as an enormous privilege and an opportunity to create a microcosm of the world we’d like to see. #EdibleLandscape #NativePlants #Pollinators #RainwaterCollection #Solar #ChipDrop #KillYourLawn #gardening npub12z6fxglxvg3ktcvquhurgh53pyu8aeckmqxeehwhxfp09a2g2suqmvxkep PermaSolarPotter I took the opportunity of a relatively cool, overcast day to feed the plantain tree. I gave it some chicken manure pellets and compost. Between the semi-regular rainfall and the olla, I haven’t had to hand water at all. I planted this guild of plantains, sweet potatoes and Thai red roselle in March. The largest plantain pup had two leaves on it at the time. I hope to see it flower by the end of the year. #zone10 #gardening #OllasByOsa #Subtropical #Florida #pottery npub12z6fxglxvg3ktcvquhurgh53pyu8aeckmqxeehwhxfp09a2g2suqmvxkep PermaSolarPotter It’s still super hot but the plants sense that it’s late summer and have begun to flower again. I love all mallow family plants and was given permission to collect seed from native cotton at the community garden the last time I volunteered. This is the first blossom from one of two plants I propagated—a fluffy cotton ball to follow. #NativePlants #gardening #Zone10 #Florida npub12z6fxglxvg3ktcvquhurgh53pyu8aeckmqxeehwhxfp09a2g2suqmvxkep PermaSolarPotter I planted some seeds this morning and then it finally decided to rain heavily for the first time in many days. Hallelujah! Here’s what I started. I’m #zone10 and this is an awkward time to start seeds—high heat and pest stress—so I have to be selective: npub12z6fxglxvg3ktcvquhurgh53pyu8aeckmqxeehwhxfp09a2g2suqmvxkep PermaSolarPotter Update: I killed 2 of my 3 pumpkin plants. I saw some pest damage & tried to fix it with BT but didn’t dilute it enough and the leaves burned. Thankfully I have some seeds left to plant a second round. npub12z6fxglxvg3ktcvquhurgh53pyu8aeckmqxeehwhxfp09a2g2suqmvxkep PermaSolarPotter Watching my garden bed veggies struggle a bit while the #EdiblePerennials in the landscape flourish pest free, on rain water alone, with little to no soil amendment. I wish I had thought to beef up my perennial garden sooner instead of hyper fixating on seasonal veggies for so long. But by this time next year, we hope to have a food-abundant landscape. #gardening #zone10 #climate #Florida #EdibleLandscape npub12z6fxglxvg3ktcvquhurgh53pyu8aeckmqxeehwhxfp09a2g2suqmvxkep PermaSolarPotter Good thing you gave #BeetBear a break with all this heat. npub12z6fxglxvg3ktcvquhurgh53pyu8aeckmqxeehwhxfp09a2g2suqmvxkep PermaSolarPotter Surprise! I must’ve been less attentive in the garden this past week because I didn’t notice this pumpkin forming. It’s the first one so far. It fertilized itself and hasn’t suffered blossom end rot (yet!) npub12z6fxglxvg3ktcvquhurgh53pyu8aeckmqxeehwhxfp09a2g2suqmvxkep PermaSolarPotter I thought I’d be able to give my big banana olla a rest since rainy season has begun, but we just went a week without rain. These plants are such big drinkers, that the extra irrigation is still helpful. It’s a pleasure watching life congregate around the pot which we fill with #rainwater. When you dig up an olla after a season of gardening, you can see how the roots have wrapped themselves around it, seeking hydration. #OllasByOsa #SustainableGardening #handmade #pottery #irrigation #gardening npub12z6fxglxvg3ktcvquhurgh53pyu8aeckmqxeehwhxfp09a2g2suqmvxkep PermaSolarPotter Made stuffed squash blossoms with the flowers from our Seminole pumpkin vine. Read some recipes online to refresh my memory, then did my own thing. Added mozzarella pearls to the ricotta cheese filling. Awesome summer snack. #gardening #GrowYourOwn npub12z6fxglxvg3ktcvquhurgh53pyu8aeckmqxeehwhxfp09a2g2suqmvxkep PermaSolarPotter Boosting for Beet Bear! 🐻 npub12z6fxglxvg3ktcvquhurgh53pyu8aeckmqxeehwhxfp09a2g2suqmvxkep PermaSolarPotter I looked up comparison photos and they’re verrry similar. Easier to tell when they’re still and up close. Let’s see if I can start differentiating in our yard. npub12z6fxglxvg3ktcvquhurgh53pyu8aeckmqxeehwhxfp09a2g2suqmvxkep PermaSolarPotter Not sure how I missed that viceroys are a thing. We have lots of fritillaries and can easily differentiate those from monarchs, but never realized that some of the butterflies we thought were monarchs could also be viceroys. Thanks for the education. The infinite variety in nature continues to astound.
