Gardening in Fuerteventura

[TamaraEnLaPlaya]

Yesterday was perfect weather for planting, but I discovered there's over 20cm of the volcanic stones covering the earth here.
Does anyone have any suggestions where I can get some cheap dirt/earth?

I have 4 bags of Happy Mix from Happy Plants, but if I really want to fill these holes I would need about 10 more

Was thinking to go to Ideal in PDR and get whatever cheapest compost they have.

You are so lucky to have 20cm of stones over earth! 😂 We have zero cm, just solid rock bed, when I want to plant I get my local JCB in to excavate cubic metre holes. I get a soil /sand/cabra poo mix delivered from Lajares by the lorry load, probably more than you need! 😂

[McAdam]

The Garden Centre on the PDR ring road had compost in varying size bags, may be worth calling there first.

Ok, I will check them out!

You are so lucky to have 20cm of stones over earth! 😂 We have zero cm, just solid rock bed, when I want to plant I get my local JCB in to excavate cubic metre holes. I get a soil /sand/cabra poo mix delivered from Lajares by the lorry load, probably more than you need! 😂

Oh wow, I guess I am lucky then
I mean a small truck load would be good, Im just dreading digging up all the stones and where the hell to put them.
Might need to get some proper tools too... And a wheel barrow...

[GMT]

@McAdam, " Im just dreading digging up all the stones and where the hell to put them."


Obviously, I've no idea how big they are but you may be able to use them for edging or landscaping (the garden in the attachment isn't mine).

[TamaraEnLaPlaya]

Delighted to see the first blooms on a young tree I bought from Happy Plants last year. I can't remember it's name    - I call it Fuerte Wisteria - next time I see Saskia I'll ask her, again!

 Tried again with the PlantNet app today and succeeded! It is a Tree Wisteria, so I wasn't far off  . Proper name Bolusanthus speciosus, from South Africa.

[windermeregolfer]

Over the last few days we have had a fly and midge problem, on investigation found the hibiscus were infested with flies  and lava so took drastic action this morning 


From this                                                            to this

                                         

Well that hard prune has worked and over the last few days and this morning we have a lot of buds  & flowers out on the hibiscus.

               

[TamaraEnLaPlaya]

Update from my garden:

I removed 3 of the 4 banana pups in the hope of promoting fruit but nothing so far. However another 3 pups have appeared!


The bougainvilleas that I chopped back to near ground level are up over the top of the 2m wall/fence and some are in bloom - result! 


The plant with purple flowers that I can never remember it's name is back stronger and thicker than ever - another result!


The shrubby poinsettia has put on masses of growth this year:


Milkweed and basil are springing up everywhere!


and I think this is the start of a bloom on my Swiss Cheese plant:


the big news is that I had a JCB in for a day last week digging holes for the next round of planting. 10 x 1 cubic m holes, 7 a bit smaller and 1 hole that is 3m x 1.5m x 1m deep (a banana bed!). A local guy is coming to help me with the soil mixing/shifting/planting as my hands are not up to it at the moment and Happy Plants are making a delivery for me on Thursday to supplement the stuff I had waiting to go in. Treated myself to a second Tree Wisteria as I am so delighted with the first one, a weeping Bottlebrush, a Jacaranda, 2 Madagascar rubber vines to climb through rubber trees, Pomegranate, 2 Canarian bananas, and hmmm, forgotten the others, it will be a nice surprise 

[Can the Man]

Wow Tamara sounds like you will have your own Oasis with all those lovely plants. Good luck with them, I hope someday to be able to visit personally and experience your garden of nature and love.

[GMT]

Hi Tamara, you mentioned a JCB for digging holes in your garden, does that mean that not even in winter is possible to dig using a simple pickaxe? Or perhaps you are planting big trees?

[TamaraEnLaPlaya]

Hi GMT. My garden is virtually solid rock, need the pecker on the JCB to break it up. There are odd little pockets of dirt (not soil) in amongst it, basically I'm creating a series of very large pots in the ground 🤣

When I lived in Corralejo I could dig holes, albeit one per day, but there I could lever out the rocks, here I can't.

[GMT]

Hi GMT. My garden is virtually solid rock, need the pecker on the JCB to break it up. There are odd little pockets of dirt (not soil) in amongst it, basically I'm creating a series of very large pots in the ground 🤣

When I lived in Corralejo I could dig holes, albeit one per day, but there I could lever out the rocks, here I can't.

Thanks for explaining. I hope where I go the soil is not that hard. Good luck with your project though.