Briarpatch Blog

A Floridata visitor name Jan had this question for Steve, who is our pawpaw plant profiler - she writes: "I have a paw paw tree that I started from a seed. I was told that it needed another companion tree to produce fruit. Well my hubby mowed down the trees but the folowing year my tree produced fruit. Could it be that I have one that does not need a companion? I started more seeds and will they be sufficient for the companion tree or must I get another? "

Steve's responds: "Pawpaws are self-fruitful (each plant has male parts that can fertilize the female parts to produce fruit) - but they say you get more fruit if you have 2 trees (so the plants can fertilize each other). Seedlings will work."

If Jan made a pawpaw pie for her hubby it would be so good that he would probably pamper and protect her pawpaw patch. Pawpaws are North America's largest (and maybe tastiest) native fruit. You can read more on pawpaw (aka Hoosier banana, Indian banana) in Floridata's Asimina triloba Profile.

This entry was posted on April 18, 2012 at 12:28 AM and has received 784 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

I received a message from a Floridata visitor name Judy who sent some interesting info after reading new olive Profile. She srote that a man named Don Mueller operates a small commercial olive grove in Jackson County, Florida (in the Panhandle). He produces both olive oil and table olives and you can check out his web site here: Green Gate Olive Grove. Best of luck to Don with his olive venture!

I was surprised to learn that there was once an olive industry in the southeastern USA. Thomas Jefferson was an early advocate of olive cultivation in The South and commercial operations continued until California opened up and the industry moved west. Now, decades later, the olive is once again commercially grown in the southeast supported by organizations like the Georgia Olive Growers Association. Judy also turned me on to this nursery called Olive a Dream Trees (locations in Florida and California) that specializes is saving old olive trees. They then transform the trees into living sculpture - like huge bonsai trees! Really, really pretty...

I hope my tiny little 'Arbequina' olive tree back home in Florida is safe and doing OK. I planted it just before I left for Kentucky six weeks ago. It's rained there and as long as the deer haven't trampled it or other wise defiled it, it should be doing fine.

This entry was posted on April 13, 2012 at 10:49 PM and has received 881 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

Hello from Kentucky. Last month I packed up the dog and we drove to Northern Kentucky to stay with my brother's family. Last November my 26 year old nephew suffered a terrible injury that damaged his spinal cord causing loss of use of the lower part of his body. He requires a lot of attention until he learns to adapt to his situation with the help of physical and occupational therapists. He's doing well but of course we all worry about him none the less so I came up to be one of his caregivers until June.

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This entry was posted on April 9, 2012 at 11:10 PM and has received 1023 views. There are currently 2 comments. Print this entry.