It’s the 5th anniversary of the day that @Joey O’Mahoney and I closed on our house. I felt hesitant about homeownership because of the responsibility and because I’d never taken a loan from a bank before. Now, I see it as an enormous privilege and an opportunity to create a microcosm of the world we’d like to see. #EdibleLandscape #NativePlants #Pollinators #RainwaterCollection #Solar #ChipDrop #KillYourLawn #gardening

I took the opportunity of a relatively cool, overcast day to feed the plantain tree. I gave it some chicken manure pellets and compost. Between the semi-regular rainfall and the olla, I haven’t had to hand water at all. I planted this guild of plantains, sweet potatoes and Thai red roselle in March. The largest plantain pup had two leaves on it at the time. I hope to see it flower by the end of the year. #zone10 #gardening #OllasByOsa #Subtropical #Florida #pottery

It’s still super hot but the plants sense that it’s late summer and have begun to flower again. I love all mallow family plants and was given permission to collect seed from native cotton at the community garden the last time I volunteered. This is the first blossom from one of two plants I propagated—a fluffy cotton ball to follow. #NativePlants #gardening #Zone10 #Florida

I planted some seeds this morning and then it finally decided to rain heavily for the first time in many days. Hallelujah! Here’s what I started. I’m #zone10 and this is an awkward time to start seeds—high heat and pest stress—so I have to be selective: Seminole pumpkin (round two!) Whippoorwill cowpeas Rosita eggplant Everglades tomatoes Globe amaranth Pigeon peas I’m jealous of everyone’s cucumbers & big tomatoes. We have to wait until mid fall for that. #subtropical #gardening

Watching my garden bed veggies struggle a bit while the #EdiblePerennials in the landscape flourish pest free, on rain water alone, with little to no soil amendment. I wish I had thought to beef up my perennial garden sooner instead of hyper fixating on seasonal veggies for so long. But by this time next year, we hope to have a food-abundant landscape. #gardening #zone10 #climate #Florida #EdibleLandscape

Surprise! I must’ve been less attentive in the garden this past week because I didn’t notice this pumpkin forming. It’s the first one so far. It fertilized itself and hasn’t suffered blossom end rot (yet!) This is my first time growing Seminole pumpkins and I think I started them too early. I was excited lol. I have a few more seeds that I will start in August so that they can be ready by November, just in case the ones in the ground now don’t produce well. #zone10 #gardening #Florida

I thought I’d be able to give my big banana olla a rest since rainy season has begun, but we just went a week without rain. These plants are such big drinkers, that the extra irrigation is still helpful. It’s a pleasure watching life congregate around the pot which we fill with #rainwater. When you dig up an olla after a season of gardening, you can see how the roots have wrapped themselves around it, seeking hydration. #OllasByOsa #SustainableGardening #handmade #pottery #irrigation #gardening

Made stuffed squash blossoms with the flowers from our Seminole pumpkin vine. Read some recipes online to refresh my memory, then did my own thing. Added mozzarella pearls to the ricotta cheese filling. Awesome summer snack. #gardening #GrowYourOwn