The surviving Goya/Bitter gourds in front of the green curtain!
I was recently asked by a good Japanese friend of mine to re-design her roof garden she had built some ten years in the view of creating a tree and flower space above her new apartment building.
The plan is to transform at least half of it into a vegetable and fruit tree garden.
I may not talk about the many reasons behind this project as this is part of a confidential venture, but I can at least describe my work as a journal.
I certainly hope to share views with like-minded souls in Japan and abroad!
2013 May 12th
The bitter gourd/goya that survived in one of the containers at the bottom of the green curtain are slowly coming back to life.
The sole suyo cucumber left is doing very well indeed.
The golden zucchini are blooming with male flowers as usual.
Oregano!
Peppermint!
Thyme!
No lemon grass, just weeds!
The herbs are doing alright in the tall and low pots in spite of the wind except for the lemon balm which has disappeared to leave place to weeds. I will have to do that one all over again!
other herbs doing well but slowly!
I decided to take the risk to build another green curtain with four more bitter gourd/goya seedlings. I’m preparing more seedlings just in case!
The new green curtain!
2013 May 13th
The yellow radishes!
the red radishes!
The red and yellow radishes are doing fine in their container.
The radishes seeded around the corn are doing well, too.
The first suyo cucumber flower appeared.
2013 May 14th
The first flower and cucumber have grown, although I doubt the cucumber will mature.
The new batch of bitter gourd/goya seem to hold on.
On the other hand the okra is really suffering from the wind.
I acquired some more seeds;
あやめ雪子かぶ/Ayame Ko Kabu/Ayame Turnips
チンゲンサイ/Chigensai/Qing Geng Cai/Green Pak Choi
早どり小松菜/Haya Dori Komatsuna/Komatsuna/Turnip Leaf/Turnip Green/Japanese Mustard Spinach
サンリト穂連想/Sanraito Hourensou/Sunlight Spinach
2013 May 15th
Roses are blooming everywhere.
The first corn male flowers appeared.
The blackberries are growing in size.
Really big!
I planted some okra beside the paprika which are suffering from the wind.
Good luck!
The Snack No2 peas seem to do better in a container than in the raised bed.
2013 May 16th
The okra so far seem to do alright.
Rose petals are everywhere. Some cleaning to come.
I transplanted the other tomatoes, the egg plants and green basil.
Green basil.
The tomatoes.
The corn are doing fine as ever!
Snow white eggplants.
Japanese pickling eggplants.
The blueberries are going along well.
2013 May 17th
Still only male flowers for the golden zucchini.
I am using an elevated wooden container plank as a wind breaker but I will have to find something else!
I acquired more containers and organic soil to be able to grow all the plants I have in store!
It is starting to look like a real garden!
I transplanted part of the hibiscus into a container.
The first raspberry flowers have appeared.
The tiny fruit on the lemon tree are doing well so far!
2013 May 18th
The new bitter gourd/goya on the green curtain seem to hold.
The suyo cucumber I directly sowed in the vacated spaces have sprouted up.
We are having some terrible wind again creating havoc among the paprika, okra, the blackberries and the hibiscus. The latter are as good as dead but the sanchu lettuce is bravely surviving.
poor hibiscus!
The brave sanchu lettuce!
battered blackberries!
The cosmos flowers are doing well!
I had to kill some insects today including small caterpillars.
One of the two passion fruit trees is producing beautiful flowers.
2013 May 19th
Only male flowers so far on the golden zucchini.
I transplanted some round zucchini into two planters although they look a bit fragile.
Pest!
Pest nest!
Destroying more insects and their nests.
More flowers new to me are blooming inside the rim garden.
What are these?
2013 May 20th
The corn male flowers are growing rapidly.
I acquired two more kinds of seeds:
イタリアンパセリ/Italian Parsley
白姫はつか大根/Shirohime Hatsuka Daikon/Mini White Daikon
I planted them into containers immediately.
2013 May 21st
The lonely suyo cucumber is doing well but I noticed the telltale marks of slugs or caterpillars.
Wait until I find that slug!
I discarded the dead hibiscus and sown some in one container and keep the left seedlings safe.
The corn male flowers are enormous. We should see the female ones appear soon.
Future acorns!
Japanese pickling eggplants.
Snowy white eggplants.
The eggplants seem to do well.
I noticed some beautiful yellow roses in the rim garden.
I decided to protect the paprika and okra with a makeshift cardboard wind breaker!
2013 May 22nd
Komatsuna before thinning.
I did a lot of clarifying/thinning, especially the Komatsuna/ Turnip Leaf/Turnip Green/Japanese Mustard Spinach and Chigensai/Qing Geng Cai/Green Pak Choi!
Komatsuna after thinning.
Qing geng cai before thinning.
Qing geng cai after thinning.
2013 May 23rd
Another magnificent flower appeared on the passion fruit tree.
I decided to discard the paprika and transplant a new batch with that Putszagold peppers. I hope they will survive in that wind!
2013 May 24th
The paprika and peppers are doing right so far. The cardboard windbreaker will have to stay for quite a while!
The Manno Leeks are also goin fine.
I had to do some clarifying/thinning radishes inside their container.
As usual I had to a lot of cleaning in the intensive vegetables T-shaped raised bed.
The blueberries are doing well and should be harvested by mid-June at the earliest.
The first flowers appeared on the tomato plants that I had to start trimming.
And the blackberries are starting changing color!
2013 May 25th
Beautiful, aren’t they!
The weather has turned hotter and watering has become very important.
More beautiful flowers appearing in the rim garden.
RECOMMENDED LINKS FOR ROOF GARDENING
Containerized: My Garden Blog
Gardens by Mike Palmer (Dorchester, England)
Best New York Gardening Blogs
Battery Rooftop Garden Blog (UK)
Green Roof Growers (Chicago)
Mitsukoshi Roof Top Garden – Ginza by Tokyobling’s Blog
NYCFARMER’S BLOG
The Tattooed Gardener
Town and Country Gardening
My Botanical Garden by Tamara
My Food and Flowers
Vienna Roof Garden
Leaf and Twig
Ekostories by Jack Yuen
My Food And Flowers
The Japans
Photography Art Plus
LOSTINTHOT
Spy Garden
RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES
BULA KANA in Fiji
Kraemer’s Culinary blog by Frank Kraemer in New York,Tokyo Food File by Robbie Swinnerton, Green Tea Club by Satoshi Nihonyanagi in Shizuoka!, Mind Some by Tina in Taiwan, Le Manger by Camille Oger (French), The Indian Tourist, Masala Herb by Helene Dsouza in Goa, India, Mummy I Can Cook! by Shu Han in London, Pierre.Cuisine, Francescannotwrite, My White Kitchen, Foodhoe, Chucks Eats, Things that Fizz & Stuff, Five Euro Food by Charles,Red Shallot Kitchen by Priscilla,With a Glass, Nami | Just One Cookbook, Peach Farm Studio, Clumsyfingers by Xethia, PepperBento, Hapabento, Kitchen Cow, Lunch In A Box, Susan at Arkonlite, Vegan Lunch Box; Tokyo Tom Baker, Daily Food Porn/Osaka, Only Nature Food Porn, Happy Little Bento, J-Mama’s Kitchen, Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat, Bento Lunch Blog (German), Adventures In Bento, Anna The Red’s Bento Factory, Ohayo Bento,
Must-see tasting websites:
-Sake: Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Urban Sake, Sake World
-Wine: Palate To Pen, Warren Bobrow, Cellar Tours, Ancient Fire Wines Blog
-Beer: Good Beer & Country Boys, Another Pint, Please!, Beering In Good Mind: All about Craft Beer in kanzai by Nevitt Reagan!
-Japanese Pottery to enjoy your favourite drinks: Yellin Yakimono Gallery
Non gastronomy must-see sites by Shizuoka Residents
HIGHOCTANE/HAIOKU by Nick Itoh in Shizuoka City
