iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

𝐀𝐤𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐢 𝐀𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐬 @akhateli.farm · 07/10/2026

Next step for Dr. Hanning: honourary Albanian citizenship!

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𝐀𝐤𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐢 𝐀𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐬 @akhateli.farm · 04/10/2026

First year bearing. We were sold these two pomegranate trees as the same varietal. Compare pics 1/2 vs 3/4. 🙃🌱

many large mottled multicolour pomegranates on somewhat defoliated branches

large mottled closeup on pomegranate, defoliated branches

medium-size (unripe) red pomegranate twins with lush foliage

medium-size (unripe) red pomegranates, lush foliage

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Rob Crow @robcrow.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

I feel like it’s been 1995 for over 30 years.

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𝐀𝐤𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐢 𝐀𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐬 @akhateli.farm · 01/10/2026

🌱 Spidey’s Last Stand (its the final red sunflower).

creepy white spider with a criminal record perched in a half-open red sunflower blossom

creepy white spider perched in a half-open red sunflower blossom

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𝐀𝐤𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐢 𝐀𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐬 @akhateli.farm · 29/09/2026

Some languages conflate these two, but unlike Paliurus, this showy roadside honeylocust (Gleditsia triacanthos, ხეეკალა) is defying its reputation as a ruderal menace by standing alone. 🌱

golden hour on a 5m tall honeylocust tree with bright red/yellow seed pods, a rural road to its right

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𝐀𝐤𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐢 𝐀𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐬 @akhateli.farm · 27/09/2026

Catch of the day: the first-ever ✨homegrown passionfruit✨ + a striated chilli pepper, some wooly blue/yellow tomatoes, a huge Aswad eggplant, and a Cucurbita that was SUPPOSED to be spaghetti squash. 🌱 All frivolous experiments come to fruition.

group shot of a large eggplant (Solanum melongena), large unknown green-patterned squash, one chilli pepper, two plum tomatoes, and one precious passionfruit

closeup on a curly chilli pepper, two fancy, wooly plum tomatoes, and one precious passionfruit

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𝐀𝐤𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐢 𝐀𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐬 @akhateli.farm · 27/09/2026

They're invasive of the greenhouse! Yuzu are good, too (and bigger than this) but in a place where I never bring a camera. Almost 100% germination there.

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𝐀𝐤𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐢 𝐀𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐬 @akhateli.farm · 27/09/2026

Should add: these are from Réunion, where they're both invasive and appreciated (perhaps not in equal degrees).

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𝐀𝐤𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐢 𝐀𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐬 @akhateli.farm · 27/09/2026

That's what I'm talking about! Seems only fair we should be able to import these, since the USDA genebank has been extracting germplasm samples annually from this region since the 2000s.

A USDA 'expedition report' from Joseph Postman et. al. that reads like a great adventure in our region, as they search for wild primordial fruits and the Ark of the Covenant

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𝐀𝐤𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐢 𝐀𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐬 @akhateli.farm · 27/09/2026

Sometimes! You reminded me that we've got Yuzu and these guys on hand from volunteer couriers. But there are also affordable international shipping companies (with US addresses) that can handle small, private packages. They just aren't fast. bsky.app/profile/akha...

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𝐀𝐤𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐢 𝐀𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐬 @akhateli.farm · 27/09/2026

Quick end-of-season update for these ‘strawberry guava’ (Psidium cattleyanum) still benefitting from constant rain. Declared a menace in tropical places - protected here. 🌱 Thanks to @trematomus.bsky.social for the donated seeds.

on a gravel road, a couple harvest crates full of two groups of potted P. cattleyanum - one wild, one domesticated. average 20-30cm tall.

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𝐀𝐤𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐢 𝐀𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐬 @akhateli.farm · 25/09/2026

Not my continent, but you might consider reaching out to @savannainstitute.bsky.social whose primary focus (I believe) is working farms/farmers, but may nevertheless have programmes & ideas that can tailored to your situation.

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𝐀𝐤𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐢 𝐀𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐬 @akhateli.farm · 25/09/2026

Opposite end of the spectrum, micromini tomato plants are impossible to fully harvest - thus, self-seed everywhere. Which might be fine, except they’re always the first victim of blight - magnetizing fungi to innocent nearby tomatoes. A fun novelty in a pot maybe, but never again in the field. 🌱

a spoonful of micromini tomatoes over a colander of more micromini tomatoes, with some ‘normal’ cherry tomatoes thrown in for scale in background

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𝐀𝐤𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐢 𝐀𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐬 @akhateli.farm · 25/09/2026

This post put me on a hit-list. Hope you're entertained!

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𝐀𝐤𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐢 𝐀𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐬 @akhateli.farm · 25/09/2026

Ah, then I misread your post, thinking this was only in place since last winter. Very impressive diagonal tree. Pears have a physical elasticity that apples could never.

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𝐀𝐤𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐢 𝐀𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐬 @akhateli.farm · 25/09/2026

Wow! Have you had any arborist assess the tree? Any plan to slowly raise and secure it vertically?

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𝐀𝐤𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐢 𝐀𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐬 @akhateli.farm · 19/09/2026

Brutal alt text. Symbolic of the global attention to the ethnic cleansing that took place right around the corner. Three years ago, today.

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𝐀𝐤𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐢 𝐀𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐬 @akhateli.farm · 17/09/2026

Pretty sure this is the most convoluted (and yellow) of them; they double over on themselves and engulf the stem junction. Makes a challenge to photograph.

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𝐀𝐤𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐢 𝐀𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐬 @akhateli.farm · 17/09/2026

Tula gets planted every year, its such a favourite. I'd like to try that red reisetomate - but found these yellow seeds first (importing is inconsistent and complicated).

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𝐀𝐤𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐢 𝐀𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐬 @akhateli.farm · 17/09/2026

🌱 Small harvest of yellow, distorted «reisetomaten», an oversized heirloom Carbon tomato, and friends to compare them to.

yellow ‘traveler tomatoes’ with a medium-sized lemon, a giant carbon, assorted others in the background

closeup: ‘traveler tomatoes’ & lemon + a Tula heirloom

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𝐀𝐤𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐢 𝐀𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐬 @akhateli.farm · 14/09/2026

I see NO SINGING IN YOUR AUTHENTIC ACCENT was finally removed. Also: wtf is this?

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𝐀𝐤𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐢 𝐀𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐬 @akhateli.farm · 13/09/2026

🌱 That’s a giant, yellow, spiky, rotating «reisetomate» (‘traveler tomato’, because it breaks into tidy fragments). Plus, an assortment of items to gauge scale.

flipped over, closeup reisetomate, spherical corn cob

yellow reisetomate wth a regular red tomato, some (failed) tiny spherical corn cobs, a pencil, and a lot of reisetomate fragments

closeup reisetomate with tiny bottle hot sauce on a granite surface

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𝐀𝐤𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐢 𝐀𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐬 @akhateli.farm · 13/09/2026

Rather more pleasant daily harvest: vine-ripened Carbon and Tula tomatoes. 🌱🍅

several carbon (larger ones) and tula (smaller) tomatoes, along with a few other straggler varieties + rocks as garnish

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𝐀𝐤𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐢 𝐀𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐬 @akhateli.farm · 09/09/2026

Just a hügel update: squashes, aveluk (wild sorrel), tomatillos, surrounded by sunflowers - all shadowed by the imposing fig branches overhead, and a new loquat tree thriving in the centre of the chaos of these former reservoirs. 🌱

a very crowded, cluttered couple of soviet-era water/chem reservoirs filled with an aggressive hügelkultur mix in early spring, now supporting squash, sorrel, loquat (Eriobotrya japonica), with sunflowers in foreground; drooping fig branches hang over the lot

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𝐀𝐤𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐢 𝐀𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐬 @akhateli.farm · 08/09/2026

Burning the retinas, brightening grim vineyards. 🌱🥀

two near-fluorescent red/pink striped roses

several near-fluorescent red/pink striped roses

many near-fluorescent red/pink striped roses cluttering overloaded stems

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𝐀𝐤𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐢 𝐀𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐬 @akhateli.farm · 06/09/2026

Water stewardship is so wanting - even amidst summer drought, these charming wetland specimens thrive near village pipe leaks. Surrounded by desiccated farmland. 🌱

Lythrum salicaria (among many other thriving weeds) in huge tall purple clusters around pools generated by village watermain pipe leaks, trees in distance

Lythrum salicaria around pools generated by village watermain pipe leaks

Lythrum salicaria (among many other thriving weeds) in huge tall purple clusters around pools generated by village watermain pipe leaks, persimmon trees in distance

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𝐀𝐤𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐢 𝐀𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐬 @akhateli.farm · 06/09/2026

"This is just for developing film photography, officer."

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𝐀𝐤𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐢 𝐀𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐬 @akhateli.farm · 06/09/2026

There's also the comparatively low-effort 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘵𝘦, which is a more popular use for cornels around here. Then the most challenging option: spirits.

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𝐀𝐤𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐢 𝐀𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐬 @akhateli.farm · 06/09/2026

We’re always making a sauce from them (google a recipe for Georgian “tkemali”; replace plums with cornels, but same herb/spice inventory). Yours there is the best looking cornus I’ve ever seen though. bsky.app/profile/akha...

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Orchard Notes @orchardnotes.com · 05/09/2026

The Cornus mas ("cornelian cherry") fruits on our back garden tree are definitely ready for picking. Questions: can I be bothered, and what would I do with them if so? 🤔 Any thoughts or suggestions..?

A section of a variegated-leaved Cornus mas tree, with bright red fruits amongst the green-and-white leaves.

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Richard Delevan @richard.wickedproblems.earth · 05/09/2026

Probably a good time to note that supporting local growers is only going to become more important as we go forward into...whatever the fuck is going to happen now.

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𝐀𝐤𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐢 𝐀𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐬 @akhateli.farm · 04/09/2026

🌱 Can’t even leave for a few days, you know? These are the tomatoes that didn’t drop off the plants when touched.

a large strainer full of a mess of Tula and Carbon tomatoes half rotted from too-late harvesting

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𝐀𝐤𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐢 𝐀𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐬 @akhateli.farm · 31/08/2026

In the dirt floor of an unfinished basement, inspired by some grasses growing in this near-dark, I thought I’d try garlic, onions, potatoes. 🌱 Many seemed to survive through the season, but after a sudden collapse last week the total harvest is pictured here.

a tiny harvest of potatoes, AA battery for scale

(artificially brightened shot of) a glum dirt floor basement, random construction debris surround former site of somehow once-living plants

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𝐀𝐤𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐢 𝐀𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐬 @akhateli.farm · 31/08/2026

The same storms struck so many farms in the region. But on our lot we grow a motley collection of rare grapes, so these few survivors escaped just by flowering a bit later. They’re just demonstration varietals - not enough volume here to make a large bucket of juice. #viticulture 🌱

full bunches of red/purple grapes, post-veraison

full bunches of purple grapes, post-veraison

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