TREE FIDDY! Today I planted a velvet apple tree, Diospyros blancoi that I got from Joe. Velvet apple is a relative of ebony and persimmons from the Philippines and Malaysia where it is considered almost extinct due to over logging. The wood is highly prized for construction and is very dense. The fruit has short hairs giving it a velvety appearance and the Filipino name mabolo means hairy. I haven’t tried this fruit yet but a guy on youtube called Weird Fruit Explorer (I’m a big fan) says that it tastes kind of like mango strawberry yogurt. The taste can vary from tree to tree.
Velvet apple can grow to 100 feet tall so I had to plant it beyond the fence where the wild pigs roam. I made sure to put a pokey wire cage barrier around it to prevent them from digging around it. I did the same thing with the monkey pod trees I planted on day 199 and they are doing great with tons of new growth.
I can’t believe three hundred fifty days have passed since I started planting something every day. My friends have been asking me about it, but unfortunately the plan is to stop at the end of this year. I will continue planting trees but probably not every single day. The goal line is so close!
Originally posted on 2021-12-16, part of the daily planting journal behind Ha’a Chocolate’s food forest on Hawai’i Island.