Neighborhood Bird Chirping and Chirping and Chirping and Chirping…

There is a neighborhood bird that recently has been chirping its head off… even at 2am in the morning!!! He or she use to perch on the antenae on top of our house, but lately, I’ve noticed that it chirps on the tip of our neighbor’s 20+ foot tall Mediterranean Cypress.

Anyone know what this bird is?
[Update] A fellow Flickr user identified this bird as a Northern Mockingbird or Mimus polyglottos.

Below are photos and a video showing the bird’s chirping. (This was taken in Vallejo, CA (Northern San Francisco Bay Area) in early June 2012.)

Neighborhood Bird Collage

 

Malunggay (Moringa) Progress…

My two Malunggay Folia seedlings are doing well. Two of the four seeds that I planted sprouted on May 8 and six days later, they are about 1 and a half inches tall and look like miniature trees.

My one and a half inch tall Malunggay (Moringa) seedling already looks like a miniature tree... It's so cute. Can't wait until it get bigger...

They so cute… I can’t wait until it gets bigger…

Humongous Epiphyllum ‘Newport’ Cactus Flower!…

My hanging Epiphyllum ‘Newport’ Cactus is blooming for the very first time… and the flower is humongous!!!

My hanging Epiphyllum 'Newport' Cactus is blooming for the very first time... Look how big that flower is!!!

Wish List: Red Podded Peas…

I just harvested some Golden Podded Peas and searched the internet to see what the fruits should look like… and I happened to stumble upon photos of Red Podded Peas, which lead me to the Red Podded Peas label search in the Daughter of the Soil blog… Golden Podded Peas are new to me and I’ve never seen red ones…. They are gorgeous and I’m searching to see if any are available for sale anywhere. Hope I find some.

Wish List: Reel Mower

I never thought of a manual lawn mower, but I think it’ll be cool to have one. I kinda want to get rid of gas powered one, since it takes up so much space and is noisy. I’m eyeing an American Lawn Mower 14 inch Deluxe Hand Reel Mower for $66.49 from Amazon. Let me give this a couple days to see if I still want one.

Kiwi Plants Finally Moved…

I’ve rooted Kiwi from cuttings (since 2007), but didn’t really know where to plant them, so they have spent years in 1 gallon pots. I placed the pots in an empty space in one of my vegetable beds and over the years they have grown roots outside the pots and established themselves in the bed.

Kiwi Plants (Old Location)

They were getting bigger and bigger and I had trouble accessing the middle part of that vegetable bed, so this year, I decided that they have to move!… I decided to permanently plant them into the two large blue bins behind our storage. They should get ok light there and they’ll finally not be in the way, so I can easily plant in that vegetable bed again.

I moved them (4 total plants) in a span of two days late February, before they fully awaken from dormancy… I first moved two plants into one bin. The roots of the tall ones where big!… I had to cut some, but I think the plant will be ok.

First Kiwi Plant Moved

I amended the soil with compost and fed it with general organic vegetable fertilizer and Azomite.

First and Second Kiwi Planted

I did the same with the remaining two plants… I think they will be much happier here and hopefully they’ll bare fruit this year.

All Four Kiwi Plants (New Location)

I have to go through my photo library and figure out the planting history of each plant, since a couple of them have lost their tags.

A Bunch of Tomato Sprouts…

I thought to myself, which Tomato that I planted on the 15th will sprout first. Well, I woke up this morning and checked… and pretty much every variety sprouts. That’s 17 total.

Tomato Seedlings

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Moringa + Jungle Peanut + Zucchini

After watching a few YouTube video on Moringa and Jungle Peanuts, I went ahead and bought a few seeds from Hinterland Trading Co.

Hinderland Trading Seeds

I didn’t realize that Moringa oleifera, the “Miracle Plant” that many people are boasting about is actually the same plant that they call Malunggay in the Philippines. We mainly use it in a Chicken Ginger Soup called Tinola. Last year when I vacationed in the Philippines, I remember seeing Malunggay growing everywhere. We even found some near our resort in Subic and harvest some to cook… I’m excited to find some and heard that it is easy easy to grow and can easily be grow from cuttings. I can’t wait to get it to grow.

I planted the Malunggay and the Jungle Peanuts into cell pack and will pot them up once they sprout.

Jungle Peanuts Sown

I also cleared the two large terra cotta pots in the front yard and planted a Black Beauty Zucchini in one and a Yellow Straightneck Squash in the other.

Last year, I wasn’t happy with the Zucchini in the Square Foot Garden in the back… so I yanked it out and planted it in the front in the terra cotta pot… it started getting big fast and fruiting, so I’ll plant Zucchinis in front from now on.