Papaya Madness !

Since the start of the Market season, we have had Papaya Trees in stock, specifically "TR Hoovey", which is a dwarf, self-pollinating type and customers keep asking "are you sure it's going to give me fruit" ?! And the resounding answer is "YES, of course!", and to prove our point, here is a pic of our personal TR Hoovey in our yard which stands about 6 1/2 ft. tall, and is loaded with fruit

 It's just amazing how such a large, heavy fruit can hang from what seems like a sliver of a stem, and not fall off.  Once the fruit starts to ripen and start turning a golden yellow color, we remove them.  We have also been told by a kind neighbor lady that you can push the ripening process by removing green fruit, cutting shallow narrow ridges lengthwise down the fruit and set on a counter for a few days.

We love having this Papaya for our customers because it is a dwarf, reaching at the most 7 ft tall, which means no ladder-climbing for anyone trying to get the fruit.  She has performed well for 2 plus years now and she has her own special blankie that easily covers over her during any chilly nights.  She also can be grown in a container, a large one at that, as you want something steady so she doesn't get top-heavy and fall over.  We have customers that have these papayas in full sun, part shade, on patios, you name it, and she seems to thrive in all of them.  She likes moisture but no wet-feet for her, so be sure she has good drainage, whether in the ground or container.

What's interesting about our tree, neither Mitch nor I particular care for the papaya taste but we love love love the foliage, and our dog-walking neighbors get the literal "fruits of our labor" as we hand them out around the neighborhoodd.

After another great turnout at Saturday Morning Market this past Saturday, we set up at Tarpon Springs Sunday Market and were buoyed by a good customer turn-out there too.  This small market, which has been struggling for a few years now, has been re-organized and re-energized and it was great to see more vendors, including a new Produce Vendor from Brooksville that is bringing out an assortment of glorious produce they have grown themselves.

This coming weekend, we are off to our 2nd Fall Plant show of the season at Bok Towers in Lake Wales, FL. This one day show attracts over 10 thousand patrons who love the idea of getting into the gardens for free, and love to support the 40 or so vendors who turn out for this great one-day show.  It's a great one-day, one-tank trip and we encourage all who haven't been to Bok, to take advantage of the free entrance. There is plenty of parking inside the large acreage with shuttle buses.  Around the main buildings there will be a Beergarten, live music and yummy foods.  Our best hint? Come early, wear comfy shoes and bring a cart if you have it....if not, they DO let you pick up plants close by the vendor area, or, they will ferry your Plant purchases by trolley to your car !  For all the info, check out www.boktoberfest.com

We are sorry we will miss our usual Local Markets this weekend, but we will return next week so drop by and see us, and please visit your local Markets and support all the hard working independent business vendors out there.

One last shot here, couldn't resist..this is our Yellow Elder tree in our front yard and she must have a thousand blooms on her and is quite the standout right now!