In mid April, I have my days set on clean up.  Pulling grass, pruning chilis and eggplants, and replanting for the seasons ahead.  In the ever variable weather conditions of upcountry Hawaii, “now or never” springs to mind.  So here I am showing you how my mini kitchen gardens dapple the farm.  Though the invasive grass of the area may smother, it also protects the freshly made soil from wind erosion, as well as dehydration from the sun.

So try to think your way through tough situations, like how to deal with a smothering, drought hearty invasive grass that was brought in for the cattle industry, yet smothers the rest of us.  You are never going to win in this battle, you can only figure how to work with it’s existing properties. Kikuyu grass exists in Hawaii from 6000 ft elevation on down.  It also smothers other places like Australia.  Mowing it is one use, but the grass can be used as a living mulch that will retain soil moisture as squash vines crawl on top of it.  The grass can make bee pollination difficult, but at the same time, for squash, it can also make it difficult for melon fly and pickle worm to attack your squash plants.  There is an upside and usually a downside to just about any farm related matter in Hawaii.