Strange Plant: Chia Growing in our Garden

In August I found this plant growing right outside the house:Young Chia Plant

I’d never seen it before so I assumed it was something we had inadvertently introduced. I took a guess that it might by physalis (Incan berry, Physalis peruviana – yes even with a name like that it grows well in Europe!), it looked somewhat similar.

Anyway, as the months went by I realised it wasn’t physalis, but I didn’t know what it was. It has beautiful small blue flowers. Then yesterday by chance I saw a photo of a chia plant and the lightbulb went off in my head! So soon, we might be able to harvest some chia seeds

Chia plant in flowerChia Plants in flowerTall Chia Plant in flower

So, now you know, chia plants are easy to grow, just soak the seeds, scatter and wait!

Lemon Guava producing fruit so quickly!

I am completely amazed by this tree – we planted it in early spring this year (maybe March, I can’t remember exactly) and now it’s full of amazingly delicious fruit! And they are so much better than any lemon guava I have eaten in the past. They are smaller than fruit I have purchased, a lot softer and juicier, I guess as I am picking and eating them at perfect ripeness compared to buying them.

I am slightly confused by the colour of the fruit – they look like strawberry guavas. When we bought the tree, it was sold as a lemon guava, and I think they taste like lemon guavas… Anyone got any comments on this?

Lemon Guava

Lemon guava fruits