You KNOW it's March and the HOT HOT HOT season is incoming when the first mulberries start ripening on the tree. How hot? Daytimes - and I mean EVERY DAY - are about 37-42C (98.5 - 107F) and it drops to a warm 27-32C (80 - 90F) overnight. No, we don't use aircon except for an hour or two in the bedroom to cool the room down before sleep.
It needs to be said that March - and the March Garden - is not for sissies!
This month I've been hit fairly hard by Covid and spent the best past of 2 weeks in isolation, in bed. Brutal and no, I'm still not well enough to do more than wander around the garden and snap some photos and make plans for when I feel strong enough to wield a machete or dig a hole or use the brush cutter.
What I LOVE about the mulberry? Zero work, pruning or fertilizer since the fruiting 6 months ago and she's still DRIPPING and bowed down with fruit!
The best part about not cutting the landlady's precious grass? There are all sorts of INTERESTING volunteers popping up! I found a sweet little fern near the bananas that will be going into a pretty pot in my bathroom...
and there are Holy Basil (tulsi) and baby Tamarind trees popping up everywhere! The bords that sit in the mango tree happily poop out those tamarind seeds in their little manure-bombs everywhere! This little Holy Basil plant is already about 9 inches tall in the 3.5 weeks since I was last about to cut the grass.
Speaking of tulsi - the cuttings that I planted out last month have already produced their first seed!
If you're getting the idea that things GROW FAST in Thailand 😆let me show you the vacant land across from our driveway which has also this last month EXPLODED with some rampant creeping vines! 😆 LOL SNAKE territory 🐍 and a little bit of "wild" that I enjoy seeing every day - thankfully it will just be left to grow.
Speaking of rampant growth, you probably should brace yourself for a rash of jackfruit recipe posts from me. Sigh. Not my favorite and going absolutely insane.
I counted 47 fruits of varying sizes yesterday. 😜 The tree was hacked down to a 2 meter stump just before we moved in 15 months ago, and it is already taller than the house again. Probably time for an hideous "covid hasn't improved my looks" garden selfie:
On the plus side, the jackfruit tree gives great shade to the back of the house, to my bedroom and to the little banana grove.
As you can see, a big part of Thai gardening is simply hacking, controlling and keeping the jungle at bay.
My BIG surprise yesterday was discovering ANOTHER big dried reishi mushroom, which has been hidden at the base of the tree and had dried itself out, in situ! Gotta say it was ROCK HARD and completely dry... stunning rich colour inside!
It's probably 15 inches wide and just smells incredible too - earthy, rich and almost sweet.
Lots of rich Thai green curries in our hot season future - sweating is the best natural aircon, after all! The kaffir lime tree has gone NUTS since I hacked it back last month, and it seems such a waste to not use all those fresh, pungent magnificent leaves! Thai green curry paste post incoming too, I think!
The pretty pink frangipani is renewing herself ready for a big blooming season when the rains start, despite the bamboo on the corner shedding dried leaves like there's no tomorrow. Natural mulch.
The secret to orchids? Neglect and ignore them! They THRIVE after a few months being left to die right back, and they need no coaxing whatsoever to spring back with gusto and lots of flowers.
Leaving you with the image of the little wild pepper (Bai Chaa Plu) that we planted over our recently departed and much loved kitty, MD. The pepper is booming along and loving the visits and chats and attention we give it when we wander past to tell MD we miss him. Waiting for the leaves to get a little bigger so we can prepare some yummy traditional Vietnamese food and salads with them soon.
So much to be grateful for, despite the little adventure with Covid. What I'm appreciating about the Thai garden is that it simply goes on, that no rows and beds are needed, and that it pretty much perpetuates itself... just needs some regular machete time and plenty of wandering and appreciation.
BlissednBlessed.
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