A Beautiful Papaya Tree Indeed
Never give up on a plant no matter how pathetic it looks.
The 3-inch-tall papaya tree in a 4-inch plastic pot that we had shipped to our
home four months ago, looking so gaunt and pathetic that I was sure it would
die soon, has blossomed into a 3-foot-tall, thriving beauty of a papaya tree
with a thick trunk and huge leaves. I’m always impressed at how, with just a
little care, most plants will make a comeback worth writing about.
I was inspired to keep a papaya tree after our most recent
visit to the Moon Dog Café in Vermont – one of my favorite places in New
England.
There, near a ceiling to floor window, they keep a massive
papaya tree that is completely happy and gorgeous. It gets plenty of sun, and
the large glass enclosure acts like a greenhouse; an advantage I don’t have.
Today is August 11. I’m starting to think about winter
plant care. The best I can give our papaya tree is a large sunny window in our
living room. And that’s what it’s going to get, with one more thing to help it
along.
A gardening friend has turned me on to a full-spectrum,
12-watt grow light that she used last winter on her eucalyptus tree that she
can’t stop raving about. She’s so enthused about this light that, for just $27,
I’m buying two today – one for our papaya tree, and one for our lemon tree.
Supplemental light is key to giving indoor tropicals the
best chance at survival through winter. These trees and plants are native to
regions close to the equator, where the sun’s strength is intense. The glass
enclosure at Moon Dog just happens to provide enough reflected light and continuous
warmth to keep that papaya tree very happy.
Last night, I stroked the now fan-sized leaves of our
papaya tree, and thanked it for surviving, and for being so beautiful. And yes,
I told it I love it. My husband walked by as I did that. He rolled his eyes and
went about his business. As the years pass, he seems to become more resigned to
my weirdness.
It’s grown so big, it has to be potted up a second time.
I'll pick up some sterile potting soil and do that this weekend. This papaya tree
is going to be my ‘raison d’être’ this winter.
Our Meyer lemon tree is covered with small, green lemons. I
hope that by the end of next month, they’re large and yellow and ready to pick.
By September’s end, the cooler nights and shortening days slow citrus’s growth.
Last year, our lemon tree fruited too late, so I kept it outdoors too long, and
I believe the stress of it all contributed to its death indoors last winter.
Yes, it’s time to start thinking about winter plant care. Depending
on how quickly autumn descends upon us, we’ll have to begin moving plants
indoors in about 6 weeks. In a month, I’ll have to start keeping an eye on
nighttime temperatures.
We’ve been rocking a Thai red curry coconut rice at our
house all this week. I picked up a bag of ‘It’s That Simple’ Thai red curry
rice at Foodworks last weekend. It looked intriguing.
I made it and substituted coconut water for some of the
water in the cooking liquid, and after cooking, added some fresh, chopped
pineapple, shaved coconut, and chopped lemongrass and Thai basil from our
garden. Lastly, I sprinkled it with hemp seeds and more shaved coconut.
I made it once, we ate it two nights in a row, then I made
it again right away, and we ate it again two nights in a row. We used up the
whole bag. But it was amazing. Vegan food is so abundant.
Much love,
Barbie xo
