DAY 51: Community Quarantine

   PAPAYA- One of my papayas now has fruits. Judging from the flowers, this is hermaphrodite tree. Good thing because it's self pollinating.

   I thought the fruit would not develop because the young buds looked yellowish and a bit dehydrated a few days ago. I am hoping it will ripen. 

   I have read suggestions from an FB gardening group that killing the first fruits would encourage the tree to produce better fruits the next time. I don't know if theres any scientific basis for this, but sounds like voodoo to me.

   The other tree is starting to produce flowers and from the looks of it, it looks like a male tree. It will not produce fruits. I am thinking of cutting it down because it would occupy precious space. I also have a hermaphrodite tree to pollinate the other trees so I don't see the need.

  There are suggestions that severe pruning of the tree can cause it to change its sex from male to female. This was tried by my sister and it did not work, or maybe it takes more than one pruning.

   Male papayas are planted in large plantations but in small gardens, they took up space and are useless.

    RICE HULL- My "bilas" harvested rice and I asked for rice hulls for my plants. I am thankful that I got two sacks. 

   Cainta used to have rice mills along Bonifacio Avenue.  My father used to collect rice hulls for free. It was dumped at the back of the mills and we just carry sacks and take as much as we wanted. The rice hull was used by my father for charcoal making.

   I was often warned by my father to be careful because rice hulls float and I may step on a deep hole and drown, a quicksand.

  The rice mills are now gone and in its place stood residential and commercial buildings. There are no more areable land in Cainta and I think my bilas' rice field is the last one and parts of it are already converted to a residential subdivision and a public cemetery.

  RAISED BED- I am making another raised garden bed. I have already made one a couple years back but it got buried when I land-filled the lot with construction debris.

  I have so many plants as it and I don't know if I could handle more since most of my mornings are occupied by watering, pruning, and removing weeds. 

   But I have to do more because once I have empty time, my mind wanders off.

   Also, busyness keeps me away from thinking about food, which is really the most powerful temptation since I usually give in.