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Index > Garden Blog

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Grow Your Own Food...
Affordable for everyone!

Grow your own food

Grow Food Not Lawns - this is the theme for our Garden party. But it's much more than that. It's a philosophy and a state of mind. One that more and more people are adopting as the world's food supply continues to dwindle and get more expensive...
Like all things plant and garden related, each of us can adopt this state of mind at whatever level we're capable of and comfortable with. Many of our customers just want to start small and see what it's all about. After all, the world of tropical plants can be more than just beautiful, it can be sustaining as well!

Growing your own food is more than just about price, it's also about quality, choices and availability. As you watch the choices, and quality of store bought food go down and prices continue to go up, maybe it's time to grow more of your own food?

Fun Facts

- A mature mango tree can produce 200 to 300 fruit per year
- A single avocado tree is capable of producing 500 avocados in one year
- A mature papaya plant can produce as many as 100 fruits per growing season
- One longevity spinach plant can provide you with a fresh supply of healthy spinach leaves all the time!

At Top Tropicals we offer a wide selection of fruit, including mango and avocado, and even spinach to get you started and to continue down the road on your own self sustaining journey. Even better, to help you with your food project, we have not only added to our varieties, but we have reduced prices on many items to make it even more affordable and enjoyable!

Who is cutting prices in today's world?! - We are, because...

...it's important that we do what we can to make it easier for our customers!

We have Avocados starting at only $49.95 and Mangos as low as $79.95, with dozens of varieties in stock! Use our discount coupons to save even more, and if you're local or in Fort Myers, stop by our Garden Center and save even more!

Mango fruit

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Mango trees: how to deal with cold weather

Mango lights

By Ed Jones, the Mango guy

...Well, you did it didn’t you? You love fresh mangoes, don’t you? Wouldn’t it be great to be able to pick your own mango fresh off a tree in your back yard?
So you bought a mango tree hoping to do just that. You are in USDA growing zone 10 or 11 aren't you? If so, you should have no problems with weather extremes other than possibly an occasional frost in zone 10A. If you can cover your tree, you will not likely see any damage. But what if you are a little further north and you have decided to try your luck on the magnificent mango fruit tree? Mangoes are a tropical fruit tree best grown in tropical zones with temperatures that stay above 40F. If you are in zone 9A or 9B, you may still have luck growing a mango tree...

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New Video: What to do when your mango tree freezes?

Link to YouTube Video

...It's a happy warm Summer and we hate to think about cold weather. However, when buying a tropical Mango tree, be ready to protect it when winter comes!
In this video we explain how to properly take care of your mango tree after a freeze or frost. We give you step by step directions to ensure your tree has the best chance for survival.....

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Secret Garden - 50% OFF
The point of your Garden

Secret Garden

"...A garden always has a point..."
- Elizabeth Hoyt, The Raven Prince -

Let our Secret Garden selections help you make the point of your Garden!
Each week we add a variety of plants to our Secret Garden with special savings of

50% off and more!

Check back often to find new the Secret Garden selection! Find new specials of the month from our Newsletters.

And for local customers, come visit our Garden Center for an even larger Secret Garden selection. Ask our sales reps about full list of Secret Garden plants available for local pick up!

Trachelospermum asiaticum Ogon Nishiki Gold 
Brocade

Photo above: Trachelospermum asiaticum Ogon Nishiki Gold Brocade (tri-color), very undemanding plant, can be used as an eye catching groundcover.

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New Video:
Black Surinam Cherry Lolita

Link to YouTube Video

...Black Surinam Cherry - tropical cherry variety Lolita, very hard-to-find. The fruit starts as red and turns black as it ripens. It has an exceptional flavor. The fruit is very sweet, without aftertaste, large 1-1.2 inch, very juicy. Reliable producer. The tree is upright, freely branching. Seedlings come true to seed. These cherry trees are relatively cold hardy and can take light frost. Once established, the plant can withstand upper 20's without damage....

Lolita Cherry Video

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Stay updated with TopTropicals Videos by subscribing to our channel at YouTube.com/TopTropicals and get our latest video news of what is fruiting and blooming!


Revised video:
Garden in Trenches

We apologize for the broken link in our last newsletter and repeat Garden in Trenches per our subscribers request:

Link to YouTube Video

YouTube Video from the front line. Ukrainian soldiers continue growing vegetables and herbs at the front line, right in the trenches...

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Ukrainians: Nation of Growers

Ukrainian Team

104 days of war in Ukraine... Our friends and customers ask how our Ukrainian Team is surviving... Here is a brief update.
...Most Ukrainian people are gardeners. Plants and flowers, fruit and veggies - growing is in their hearts and their blood. Ukrainians are people of Peace; however, when it came to protecting their Home, they have already shown the world their strength and pride. What is the secret of these people to keep optimism and strong will? They just love life and know how to stay happy, no matter what. We all should learn from them...

Garden in Trenches

Video above is from the front line: Ukrainian soldiers continue growing vegetables and herbs at the front line, right in trenches! This Nation is invincible!

Reminder:
All Sunshine Boosters proceeds go to Ukraine!

If you want to help, simply feed your plants and help Ukrainian families at the same time! Get your plants Sunshine Boosters - the Fertilizer that Works, proudly developed in Ukraine, proudly made in the USA.
As always, we appreciate the support of our loyal community of Top Tropicals customers and enthusiasts.

Ukrainian Team

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NEW VIDEO and ARTICLE:
Vietnamese Pepper - Lalot

Akee tree youtube video

...We are featuring today another useful plant for your healthy and delicious meals! The leaves of Lalot pepper are used as food wraps in Vietnam and make delicious, flavorful meals for BBQ!
Lalot is eaten raw in salads or cooked with other greens or dishes, or used to wrap meats and cook in the oven or on the stove or grill. It is used medicinally in India and South China as well as Indonesia...

Lalot Video

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What is the Lalot plant?

by Alex Butova, the Witch of Herbs and Cats

Lalot

Discover the health benefits that Lalot pepper can bring you in a simple BBQ... In addition, the Lalot - Piper sarmentosum - has a great ornamental value, which is popular in urban landscape gardens as ground covering shrubs. The plants can be grown in pots as bushes by pruning the creeping branches. The bushy, abundant procumbent branches are about 1-2ft in height... CONTINUE READING >>

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Plant Horoscope - Gemini

What is your lucky Zodiac plant?

Plant Horoscope - Gemini

By Alex Butova, the Witch of Herbs and Cats

... Gemini are very fond of plants, especially flowers. They are able to devote their lives to favorite plants, selecting new varieties, planting gardens, parks and arboretums. In addition, the planet-ruler Mercury gives them with business ability - Gemini are excellent flower merchants of any level: from flower growers who sell their plants to everyone, to wholesalers who supply their delicate fragrant goods around the world. In their house, Gemini do not keep too many plants, they have enough of those that grow outside in their nursery and garden. However, among those who nevertheless became piece of the family (exactly this way Gemini perceive their house plants), preference is given to graceful forms, pubescent and curly, like Farfugium, Monstrous epyphyllum, often carved leaves (Monstera) and plants with aroma. All these properties not only improve the physical well-being of Gemini, but also helps save the spiritual and mental balance of their contradictory but all while tender and romantic nature. Gemini don't care about common spices, they love unusual plants and especially those with a sweet scent. Their favorite aroma is rose and similar, like fragrances of Clerodendrums, Jasmines, Gardenias, Plumeria, and Brunfelsia. At critical moments sweet scents awaken them into the life!..

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New Video:
Giant Potato Tree - Solanum macranthum

Akee tree youtube video

...The Giant Potato Tree is a showy and very fast growing specimen tree of small to medium size. This plant grows quickly into a bushy tree of 15 feet in height and 15' wide. So this is a great solution when you need to get shade right away - within a couple of months! The leaves are huge, lobed and prickly. Flowers are slightly fragrant and change their color from white to pink to lavender as they mature. This tree is a great choice if you need to create a shady area in your yard within just a few months!..

Giant Potato Tree

Giant Potato Tree

Subscribe to our Channel:

Stay updated with TopTropicals Videos by subscribing to our channel at YouTube.com/TopTropicals and get our latest video news of what is fruiting and blooming!

Date:

Plant Horoscope - Taurus

Plant Horoscope - 
Taurus

By Alex Butova, the Witch of Herbs and Cats

...Taurus is the second astrological sign in the modern zodiac. This sign is associated with several myths and bull worship from several ancient cultures. It was the first sign of the zodiac established among the Mesopotamians, who called it "The Great Bull of Heaven"...
Taurus, like other earthly signs, refers to plants in a peculiar way. This is not to say that he does not love them, and how can he not love the grass that feeds him or trees in the shadow of which he rests during the midday hours? Yes, he loves them. Well, just need someone else to grow all these flowers and trees, someone else look after them, making sure that they are always in good condition and would be apt to give Taurus full portion of sensual pleasures!..