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Growing Food in the Tropics
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African Blue Basil - Ocimum kilimandscharicum x basilicum 'Dark Opal’
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October 12, 2018
Melanie
14 Comments
African blue basil is a perennial hybrid basil that was created by crossing two basil species. It can be used as a sweet basil replacement. The African blue basil is frequently grown as an ornamental because of its purple leaves and constant flower production. Another benefit in the garden is that it attracts a large amount of beneficial insects.
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Ground Covers and Mulch
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September 22, 2018
Melanie
4 Comments
Cover your soil with ground covers and mulch to increase the health of your soil and, in turn, the health of your plants. In a natural setting the soil is always covered, one way or another; whether it be a field with grass as a ground cover or a forest floor with brown leaves as mulch. The soil needs to be covered in order for it to be protected from the elements. Exposed soil gets blown away by the wind, compacted by the rain, and baked by the sun. This then causes a decrease in soil biodiversity.
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Guava - Psidium guajava
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September 21, 2018
Melanie
5 Comments
The guava is a tropical fruit that has green skin, and either pink or white flesh. The pink flesh guavas are overall preferred because of their vibrant color. Guavas tend to be 2 to 4 inches long, with white ones generally being larger than pink ones. It fruits twice during the year, once in the summer and once in the winter. The guava has a very distinct flavor that is appreciated by many. That is why it is often made into juices, ice cream, and preserves.
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The Pros and Cons of Vining Plants 
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August 31, 2018
Melanie
4 Comments
Vining plants grow too fast, too much, and too wild. They don’t bother growing strong trunks to support themselves, so they rely on their neighbors for support. All that energy that they would have spent growing a tough stem or trunk, instead is spent searching for sunlight and reproducing. In a couple weeks a strong vine can easily reach the top of a tall tree or sprawl on the ground and choke out the surrounding plants. 
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How to Grow a Pineapple From a Store-Bought Fruit
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August 24, 2018
Melanie
2 Comments
Want to grow a pineapple? Then, head over to the grocery store! The grocery store is often a great place to find plant propagation material. If you do not have access to any producing pineapple plants then a store-bought pineapple is a good way to get started. You can easily grow a pineapple plant for yourself with the top of the pineapple fruit. In this video, I show you exactly how to do that with a method that I believe works very well.
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Sugar Apple - Annona squamosa
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August 1, 2018
Melanie
13 Comments
The sugar apple is a tropical fruit that has creamy white flesh and a prehistoric looking skin. It is very sweet, however, the flavor is mild. The tree does best in a tropical climate, but it can be grown in sub-tropical regions too. The fruit has a thick segmented rind that easily breaks apart once it’s ripe. The white and creamy flesh contains multiple seeds.
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Our Dog is Designing Our Edible Landscape
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July 20, 2018
Melanie
2 Comments
We have a male dog named Sultan and he primarily lives outside. He enjoys relaxing under the shade of the trees, chasing the squirrels, and peeing on everything. He pees on all the bushes and fruit trees that we have. Urine is a great fertilizer, but the thought of eating fresh vegetables that were once directly peed on by our dog is more then just unpleasant. When we first started our home garden it was decided that it would be planted on the side of the house where it was a little less visible to our neighbors. We built a fence to close it off to keep our dog from peeing on everything.
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Cuban Oregano - Plectranthus amboinicus
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July 18, 2018
Melanie
18 Comments
The Cuban Oregano is a shade loving perennial tropical herb that doubles as an ornamental plant. This plant is very easy to grow and pest free, so it is a great choice for beginner gardeners. When searching for the uses of an herb, there tends to be more than anyone can count and this is the case with the Cuban oregano. It is used both as a cooking and medicinal herb. The taste and smell is very strong and it is used to replace traditional oregano and sage in recipes.
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How I Ended up Becoming a Gardener 
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July 6, 2018
Melanie
8 Comments
I have never been a picky eater so for as long as I can remember I have loved all kinds of fruits and vegetables. I ate the produce that was available at the grocery store because that is what my parents bought. I claimed oranges to be my favorite fruit, which is really not a surprise considering Florida is the largest producer of oranges in the country. The only fruits I ever actually picked myself were strawberries and mangoes. My interest in edible plants finally exploded when I visited a greenhouse at my university that had a cacao tree growing inside. I harvested a fruit and proceeded to plant the seeds in little handmade newspaper pots. I have been hooked ever since then and I have been planting everything that I can get my hands on. It first started off with fruit trees where I would find these tropical fruits and plant the seeds. I then wanted to grow vegetables and so I needed to start a garden.
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Hi, I am Melanie.
I grow food in the tropics. Copious amounts of food till the point I am so overwhelmed about how to preserve it all that I eventually start crying. Can anyone relate?
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