Terrace Update XXV

When we returned in early August from our business trip, the terrace had started looking like a jungle. Thanks to a typhoon, part of July had been wet and relatively cool, so instead of shriveling up in the heat, the plants had put in a growth spurt. Especially the olive tree seemed to have appreciated the climate, but also the lantana plants had become huge. As already customary, I spent the first few days after my return unwinding morning glory vines from trees and rewinding them where they belong.

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Terrace Update XXIV

Since last time, I went through a period of caterpillar trouble. For a while, entire leaves were munched away on a regular basis. I almost lost my sunflowers and a pepper plant to the little beasties. But in the meantime, the little creatures seem to have moved on from the caterpillar stage. I also had an ongoing battle with the slugs over the wild strawberries. But since it got hot a while ago, the slugs are having a tough time now. The strawberries have been quite amazing this year.

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Terrace Update XXIII

Peas, salad with soramame and pecorino, soramame

The spring vegetables are all eaten up now: peas, soramame, salad. I consider all of them a success. The radishes remained below expectations in size (they count as the easiest thing ever to grow, but somehow they’re not working out for me), but at least they taste good. The mint has been growing so vigorously that as a means of control we had to resort to preparing an Indian-style mint dip.

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Terrace Update XXII

During the last month, things have picked up on the terrace. The trees have turned green, and everything is growing fast. The azaleas have put on a beautiful show of pink and white blossoms. Only the magnolia has decided to skip blooming and moved to green leaves directly
Also the vegetable garden is doing well: these days, homegrown salad and sugar snaps are on our menu.

Mixed greens - Azalea - Sugar Snaps

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Terrace Update XXI

It’s definitely spring now on the terrace! Everything has been growing so quickly. What a difference a week of radioactive fallout mild temperatures makes!
After the plum and the cherry, also the peach tree has favored us with pink fluffy blossoms.

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Terrace Update XX

Like last year already, our Sakura proves an early bloomer: the last of the plum blossoms are still in bloom, and already the first pink cherry blossoms are on their way. Unlike last year, I have no big colorful snapdragons anymore, so I am grateful for every touch of color.

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Terrace Update XIX

January in Tokyo is not nearly as bleak as elsewhere in the world. When we returned to Tokyo, we found our plum tree blooming! Despite this winter being colder than usual due to a La Nina event. I wonder how the plants will take it, it’s a bit of a concern.

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Terrace Update XIIX

While last year at the same time I had been raving about the good climate of this time of year, and how well everything was growing, this year I’m not so sure. It has remained hot for longer and then cooled down more quickly. And then all the typhoon-induced rain… I’s all the fault of the La Niña event, which will probably also bring an especially cold winter to Japan.

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Terrace Update XVII

During summer, things have not been going super well on my terrace. And the summer heat has effectively only ended about ten days ago. Japan had the hottest summer on record (which means in the last 112 years). And I guess in view of this, I can’t complain. When looking at public plantings along streets and in parks, where most of the bushes just turned brown, I realize I got away with only a scratch (read: dead Rhododendron), even though it meant watering twice daily with a hose.

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Terrace Update XVI

Tomato and cucumber salad - Downtown Tokyo Cucumber - San Marzano Tomatoes

As expected, the hot days of August are not the best moment for the plants. But thanks to the watering system, and maybe also to the insulating rice mats, things are going better than last year (so far no dead trees).
The only plants that are doing truly fine are the morning glories and some of the veggies. Some of the morning glories are growing so vigorously that I now grow them along wires stretching from one side of the lattice to the other, forming a kind of pergola. Since I’ve been collecting seeds from everywhere last year, I have a number of new varieties this season.

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