Plants as Food
04 Jul
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30
Title image above is copyright © Kristi Ellinopoullos
First published 4th July 2026
This post complements this earlier one, in which I listed three ways to propagate sugarcane: in water; planted vertically in soil as with a cutting; and buried shallowly and horizontally in the ground.
There I also..
04 Jul
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22
Title image above is copyright © Kristi Ellinopoullos
First published 4th July 2026
Back in March 2026 I wrote about an aerially-rooting and shooting sugarcane stem of Cultivar 1, which you can read about here.
That post ended with this photo, of the original stem in two pieces which were then pot..
02 Apr
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309
Title image above is copyright © Kristi Ellinopoullos
First published 2nd April 2026
By far the best all-round pest control method is to simply exclude them. This is of course often easier said than done, but for many many set-ups exclusion netting is the most efficient and practical way to ensure..
01 Apr
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235
Title image above is copyright © Kristi Ellinopoullos
First published 1st April 2026
Arabica Coffee (Coffea arabica)
Family: Rubiaceae (includes Cinchona (source of quinine) and Gardenia)
Genus: Coffea (includes Coffea canephora, the ‘Robusta’ coffee)
Botanical/Binomial Name: Coffea arabica
Mean..
26 Mar
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304
Title image above is copyright © Kristi Ellinopoullos
First published 26th March 2026
The other day I lopped the top off some sugarcane (Saccharum sp.) for a customer and was taken by how similar to lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) the cross-section looked.
So I thought I’d grab a piece of growing..
20 Mar
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501
Title image above is copyright © Kristi Ellinopoullos
First published 15th March 2026
Updated on 20th March 2026
I cut a roughly 2 m cane of Cultivar 1 that other day and was absolutely transfixed by its top piece:
copyright © Kristi Ellinopoullos
Zooming in:
copyright © Kristi Ellinopoullos
Not..
21 Feb
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632
Title image above is copyright © Kristi Ellinopoullos
First published 21st February 2026
Strong winds once again brought down some especially tall and very mature canes of Cultivar 2 the other day, so what else could it be but chewing time!
And oh my, these were sweet juicy deliciousness! We’re ta..
09 Dec
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549
Title image above is copyright © Kristi Ellinopoullos
First published 9th December 2025
Here we are going to explore the botanical structure of a sugarcane stalk. These parts are common to all stems and branches regardless of species, but they are particularly distinct here in sugarcane (and the s..
21 Nov
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890
Title image above is copyright © Kristi Ellinopoullos
First published 21st November 2025
I like to grow saffron in a 38 L Air-Pot. The 20 L Air-Pot works too but you can’t fit as many in :)
Mind you, when I first began with just three corms, I grew each one in its own 3 L Air-Pot as a hedge agains..
17 Nov
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637
Title image above is copyright © Günter
First published 17th November 2025
This post was inspired by Günter, who both gave me these cuttings and provided all the following information and photos — thank you Günter!
Maybe you are reading this because, like me, you have never been able to grow drago..
12 Jun
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1086
Title image above is copyright © Kristi Ellinopoullos
First published 12th June 2025
If you love alliums (of genus Allium) — onions, garlics, leeks, shallots, chives, and garlic chives — but are unfamiliar with society garlic, you may well need to become acquainted!
The name ‘society’ garlic comes..
11 Jun
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1168
Title image above is copyright © Kristi Ellinopoullos
First published 11th June 2025
Some strong winds recently snapped at the base a bunch of canes growing at an angle out of a tall concrete pot. Decision made: it’s processing time!
Sugarcane is typically processed anywhere between twelve and eig..