Starfruit and Lime

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I've had this star fruit tree for almost two years now. When I bought it, it had only three leaves on it and was rather pathetic looking. It's come a long way since then and even bloomed once. However, I expect that it will be a least a year or two (if ever) before it starts fruiting. It loses plenty of leaves during the winter time, but when I set it outside in late May, it seems to bounce back pretty well. I also need to put more effort into fertilizing it regularly. Has anyone grown star fruit successfully as a houseplant?

In other news, I came across this little fella the other day while watering my citrus plants. It's my first Kaffir lime. It looks like a little brain doesn't it? I hadn't been paying much attention to my potted trees this past summer and it appears that this one has been growing for quite some time now. The lime itself has no real culinary value but the plant's leaves are used in Indian and Thai cooking. If anyone has a tasty recipe that utilizes Kaffir lime leaves, please do share!

Welcoming the Winter Garden

It's official. The winter garden is finally here. When I broke ground in late July, I really had no idea what to expect from my garden when December rolled around. All in all, I'm really happy with how things have turned out and I'm glad that my crops have made it this far. The real test for them, however, will come during the next three months. I've done a few things this week to further winterize my garden, which I will get into in another post. But for now, I thought I'd mention a few random observations from this past weekend. In no particular order:


I decided to pull up my pea plants finally. The vines were still relatively healthy with only minor signs of mildew, but I figured at this point, they weren't going to be doing much of anything anymore. What I've learned from my fall peas this year is that in all likelihood, I chose the wrong variety to grow. Next year, I will aim for one with a shorter maturity date. Also I noticed that I may have set them back a bit by direct-sowing them in early August when the weather was really too hot to support them. I think next year, I'll start them either indoors or in a cooler/shadier spot and transplant them into the garden in early September. Also, I noticed that by harvesting the main shoot, the plants responded by focusing most of their energy into maturing the existing flowers and pods. The plants also started to produce multiple side shoots. I think I'll do some research on whether pinching the main shoot produces side shoots that will provide a larger pea harvest in the spring.


All cleaned up, the radishes now look a bit lonely in this bed.


I planted out my rosemary this past weekend in a south-facing raised bed behind our garage. It has spent the last year and a half in this pot and was so root-bound that it was nearly impossible to get it out without breaking the pot or ripping the main stem from the roots. I am not hopeful that it will survive the winter unprotected, but who knows, maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised.


The supermarket softneck garlic I planted in mid-October is really reaching for the sun. Still no signs of the hardneck ones I purchased from Seed Savers Exchange.


My first sowing of minutina is really starting to take off now. I love the look of their thin jagged leaves.


My first sowing of mache is growing pretty irregularly. Germination was about 60% and some plants are really lagging behind the others in their growth rate.


I spaced my second sowing of mache 1 inch apart instead of 2 and germination was a bit better - about 75%.


The leaves on my cranberry vines are now completely burgundy. I had underestimated their ornamental value when I purchased them last summer.

Finally, I've only posted about my starfruit tree once before. It had spent most of the summer outdoors and really suffered when I brought it inside earlier this fall. In fact, it has lost more than half of its leaves. However, I think it's finally starting to adjust to the diminished light indoors and is growing again. I think I'll re-pot and fertilize it soon. The flowers of the starfruit tree are really quite striking. Here is my earlier post on this plant.

Can you identify this flower?

Give up? This purplish-pink beauty is a flower of the starfruit (or carambola) tree. It measures a quarter of an inch in diameter and is in full bloom for only about a day. It grows in pretty little clusters along the branches and main trunk of the tree and is very delicate to the touch.

I purchased my newly grafted starfruit tree last January during an excursion to Logee's Greenhouses in Danielson, Connecticut (I couldn't resist the novelty of growing something tropical in the midst of a New England winter). It came in a 5 inch pot, measured about a foot tall, and had 4 leaves on it (each leaf comprised of 5 to 11 leaflets). I have to admit, however, that by the time we arrived home, most of the excitement of this purchase had faded away. My exotic novelty had turned into my Charlie Brown Christmas tree. You see, starfruit trees are very prone to shock, evidenced by the leaves folding in onto themselves. I didn't have much confidence in its life expectency. Indeed the first couple of months were very much touch and go. (Note to self: just because your lemon tree loves its special food doesn't mean your other houseplants will.)

Fast foreward 5 months later, my starfruit tree has grown to almost 4 feet tall! It has developed these striking little flowers, beautiful foliage, and has become quite an attractive addition to the household greenery. Who would have guessed? Certainly not me. I suspect it will be at least a couple of more years before "Charlie" will fruit. I'll keep my fingers crossed. Anyone else growing starfruit as a houseplant? I'd love to hear your experiences!



P.S. Anyone interested in visiting Logee's will be in for a special treat. Their selection of rare tropical plants is amazing. Be advised, however, that you will find yourself contorting your body into extreme yoga positions trying delicately to maneuver your way through the labyrith of flora that is their greenhouses.