Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

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How to grow tropical fruit outside the Tropics. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Tropical fruit trees grown in containers

Tropical fruit trees grown in containers

How to grow tropical fruit outside the Tropics

👨‍� Can you grow tropical fruit in colder climates? Absolutely! The key is growing them in containers so you can move them indoors during cold weather. With the right plant selection, a bit of motivation, good plant food, and a little love, you can enjoy a delicious harvest of exotic fruit - enough to treat your family and even share with friends. Here's everything you need to start your own Tropical Fruit Garden in containers.

🏆 Top tropical fruits and expert tips for growing in containers

🛒 Shop top picks for your container tropical garden:

Condo Mango
Cold hardy Avocado
🍒 Tropical Cherries - Eugenias
⭐️ Carambola (Start Fruit)
🍉 Guava
🍈 Annona
🍍 Pineapple
🌶 Herbs and spices - tropical edibles right away
🕙 Fast-fruiting trees
🍊 Shop all fruit trees
Supplies and Boosters

#Food_Forest #How_to #Discover

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Starry fruit and rusty leaves: the tropical tree full of surprises. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Chrysophyllum cainito - Caimito, Star Apple

🌟 Starry fruit and rusty leaves: the tropical tree full of surprises

Is it Star Apple, Star Fruit, Cainito or Caimito? Are you lost? Don't be - and here is the truth:
  • ⭐️ Don't confuse Chrysophyllum cainito (Caimito) with Pouteria caimito (Abiu), or Averrhoa carambola (Star Fruit) - which are all different fruit entirely!
  • ⭐️ The Star Apple tree - Chrysophyllum cainito, also known as Caimito, is a tropical treasure admired for both its fruit and foliage. It is related to Sapote and Sapodilla and produces round, glossy fruit that comes in stunning purple and green varieties.
  • ⭐️ When sliced open, the juicy flesh reveals a star-shaped pattern - hence the name "Star Apple"!
  • ⭐️ The flavor is mildly sweet, often described as a mix of grape, lychee, and apple with a hint of caramel.
  • ⭐️ The tree also features lush green leaves with a striking rusty-red underside, making it as beautiful as it is bountiful.
  • ⭐️ Caimito thrives in warm climates and is popular in the Caribbean, Central America, and Southeast Asia.


🛒 Plant your own exotic Star Apple tree

📚 Learn more:

#Food_Forest #Nature_Wonders

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Secret Banana Daiquiri Recipe: Healthy Never Tasted So Good! A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Secret Banana Daiquiri Recipe: Healthy Never Tasted So Good!
🍌 Secret Banana Daiquiri Recipe: Healthy Never Tasted So Good!

  • 🍹 Banana Daiquiri Recipe Ingredients:

  • · 1 ripe banana
  • · 2 ounces light rum
  • · 1 tablespoon sugar
  • · 1 ounce lime juice
  • · 1/2 ounce triple sec (optional for added depth)
  • · Ice cubes
  • · Slice of lime or banana for garnish

  • 🍹Instructions:

  • · Prepare the Banana: Peel the banana and cut it into chunks.
  • · Blend the Ingredients: In a blender, combine the banana chunks, light rum, sugar, lime juice, and triple sec.
  • · Add a handful of ice cubes. Blend on high until the mixture is smooth.
  • · If the mixture is too thick, you can add a small amount of water or more lime juice to adjust the consistency.


🍹Garnish and Serve:

  • · Pour the mixture into a chilled glass. Garnish with a slice of lime on the rim of the glass or a small wheel of banana. Serve immediately and enjoy the refreshing tropical flavors!
  • · This Banana Daiquiri is not only refreshing but also offers a creamy texture and a perfect balance of sweetness and citrus. It's a fantastic choice for hot days or when you're in the mood for something a bit exotic. Cheers!


📚 About Banana from previous posts:

🛒 Banana Bliss Starts Here

#Food_Forest #Recipes

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See the Difference: Grow Plants That Protect Your Vision. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

See the Difference: Grow Plants That Protect Your Vision
👁 See the Difference: Grow Plants That Protect Your Vision

Your eyes work hard every day - give them the nutrition they deserve!
These tropical fruits and plants are rich in Vitamin A and beta-carotene, known to support clear vision, retinal health, and even help prevent age-related eye decline. Grow them in your garden and harvest real, living eye care.


👁 Top 12 Eye-Supporting Fruit and Plants (Vitamin A - Retinol)

  • 🟡 Mango - Packed with beta-carotene, which your body converts into Vitamin A to support sharp, healthy vision.

  • 🟡 Loquat - Naturally rich in Vitamin A, known for supporting retina and eye tissue health.

  • 🟡 Papaya - A tasty source of beta-carotene, great for protecting your eyes and immune system.

  • 🟡 Carambola (Starfruit) - Offers a dose of Vitamin A, beneficial for maintaining clear eyesight.

  • 🟡 Moringa - A leafy powerhouse loaded with beta-carotene that helps support visual health.

  • 🟡 Annatto - High in carotenoids, especially bixin, which may support eye health and clarity.

  • 🟡 Annona - Contains antioxidants, including beta-carotene, to help nourish your eyes.

  • 🟡 Eugenia Cherry (Cherry of the Rio Grande, Brazilian Cherry, Surinam Cherry, Pitomba) – A sweet fruit rich in Vitamin A, promoting overall eye wellness.

  • 🟡 Peach - Supports both skin and eye health with its naturally high Vitamin A content.

  • 🟡 Peanut Butter Fruit - Contains beta-carotene, a powerful nutrient for eye and vision support.

  • 🟡 Canistel (Eggfruit) - Extremely high in beta-carotene, offering deep support for vision and skin.

  • 🟡 Dragon Fruit - Offers beta-carotene and antioxidants that may protect your retinas and night vision.


📚 Learn more about health benefits of tropical plants:
TROPICAL FRUIT HEALTH BENEFITS GUIDE - Part 1 and Part 2

🛒 Shop Vision-Boosting Plants - buy tropical fruit trees for your eye health

#Food_Forest #Discover #Remedies

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Hop into Easter Week Sale - Plant Joy and Save! A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Hop into Easter Week Sale - Plant Joy and Save!
🐰 Hop into Easter Week Sale - Plant Joy and Save!

  • 🐣 Happy Easter Week, Tropical Gardeners!

  • Spring is here - and so is your chance to grow your own magic. Eggs may be pricey... but guess what? You can grow your own food instead! Plant a fruit tree this Easter and watch it hatch into something better than chocolate - like juicy Mangoes, Dragon Fruits and Carambolas, sweet Papayas and Bananas, healthy Avocados and Jackfruits or your very own exotic Sugar Apples hanging from the branches!

  • 🐣 Easter is about hope, renewal, and starting fresh - just like your garden! Whether you're planting your first tree or adding a rare gem to your edible jungle, now is the perfect time.

  • 🛍 Get 15% OFF everything in our store using this code:

  • 🛍 EASTERWEEK 🛍


Min order $150, excluding S/H. Exp. Exp 4-20-25.

🐰 Hop to it! Don't put all your eggs in one basket... unless it's a basket full of fruit trees of flowering shrubs. Let's plant some hope together - one tree at a time.

🛒 Plant Your Easter Joy!

#Discounts

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Hop into Easter Week Sale - Plant Joy and Save!

Happy Easter Week, Tropical Gardeners!

Spring is here - and so is your chance to grow your own magic. Eggs may be pricey... but guess what? You can grow your own food instead! Plant a fruit tree this Easter and watch it hatch into something better than chocolate - like juicy Mangoes, Dragon Fruits and Carambolas, sweet Papayas and Bananas, healthy Avocados and Jackfruits or your very own exotic Sugar Apples hanging from the branches!

Easter is about hope, renewal, and starting fresh - just like your garden! Whether you're planting your first tree or adding a rare gem to your edible jungle, now is the perfect time. Get 15% OFF everything in our store using this code:

EASTERWEEK

Min order $150, excluding S/H. Exp. Exp 4-20-25.

Hop to it! Don't put all your eggs in one basket... unless it's a basket full of fruit trees of flowering shrubs. Let's plant some hope together - one tree at a time.

Date:

TROPICAL FRUIT HEALTH BENEFITS GUIDE, Part 2: A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

TROPICAL FRUIT

TROPICAL FRUIT

🍑 What fruit and edibles can help with health issues and VITAMIN deficiencies

...Continued from previous post ⤴️

7. 💅 Beauty Enhancer

(Vitamin B7 - Biotin):

Banana, Avocado, Aloe Vera, Clitoria (Butterfly Pea), Patchouli.

8.Blood Builder
(Vitamin B9 - Folate):

Avocado, Guava, Papaya, Moringa, Chaya (Maya Spinach Tree), Mulberry.

9. Immunity Booster
(Vitamin C - Ascorbic Acid):
Guava, Pineapple, Carambola, Mango, Dragon Fruit, Loquat, Longevity Spinach (Gynura), Moringa, Allspice, Camphor Tree, Bay Leaf, Yerba Mate, Cherry, Peach, Passion fruit, Mulberry, Eugenia, Cinnamon, Piper sarmentosum (Vietnamese Pepper), Wiriwiri and Biquinho Pepper.

10. Skin Shield
(Vitamin E - Tocopherol):

Avocado, Sapote, Dragon Fruit, Moringa, Patchouli, Aloe, Annatto, Camphor Tree.

11. ❣️Clot Controller
(Vitamin K - Phylloquinol):

Moringa, Sauropus (Katuk), Chaya.

12. 🍲 Digestive Aid
(Enzymes):

Pineapple, Papaya, Ginger, Turmeric, Mango, Lemongrass, Cinnamon, Black Pepper, Bay Leaf, Betel Leaf, Peach, Eugenia, Jackfruit, Lippia dulcis, Allspice, Lippia alba (Poleo), Wiri wiri and Biquinho Pepper, Passion fruit.

📚 Learn more in our next posts about specific benefits of each fruit or plant...

🛒 Explore tropical fruit trees with benefits

#Food_Forest #Discover #Remedies #Bananas

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TROPICAL FRUIT HEALTH BENEFITS GUIDE, Part 1: A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

🍑 What fruit and edibles can help with health issues and VITAMIN deficiencies

We've got a handy little cheat sheet to help you choose the right foods when you're low on vitamins or dealing with health issues.
Save it and give your body a tune-up!


12 powerful vitamins and their food sources

1. 👁️ Eye Sight Protector
(Vitamin A - Retinol):
Mango, Loquat, Papaya, Carambola, Moringa, Annato, Annona, Cherries, Peach, Blueberry.

2. ⚡ Energy Booster
(Vitamin B1 - Thiamine):

Jackfruit, Pineapple, Banana, Pigeon Pea (Cajanus cajan), Camellia sinensis (Tea plant), Coffee, Yerba Mate, Wiriwiri and Biquinho Pepper

3. 💧 Cell Repairer
(Vitamin B2 - Riboflavin):
Dragon Fruit, Sapote, Avocado, Moringa

4. ❤️ Heart Helper
(Vitamin B3 - Niacin):

Guava, Jackfruit, Sapodilla, Pigeon Pea (Cajanus cajan), Passion fruit, Hibiscus sabdariffa, Yerba Mate, Cacao, Annona, Mulberry, Cinnamon, Camellia sinensis (Tea Plant), Curry Leaf

5. Stress Fighter
(Vitamin B5 - Pantothenic Acid):

Avocado, Mango, Dragon Fruit, Camellia sinensis (Tea plant), Clitoria (Butterfly Pea), Lippia alba (Poleo)

6. 😊 Mood Balancer
(Vitamin B6 - Pyridoxine):
Banana, Jackfruit, Sapote, Passion fruit, Banisteriopsis caapi (Ayahuasca), Cacao

Continued in next post...⤵️

🛒 Explore tropical fruit trees with benefits

#Food_Forest #Discover #Remedies

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Date:

Carambola Jam recipe. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Carambola Jam recipe

⭐️ Carambola Jam recipe

😁 Ingredients:

  • · 4 ripe carambolas, washed and thinly sliced
  • · 1 cup granulated sugar
  • · 1/2 cup water
  • · Juice of 1 lemon
  • · 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger (optional)


📞 Instructions:

  • · In a saucepan, combine the water, sugar, and lemon juice. Bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
  • · Add the sliced carambola and ground ginger. Reduce heat and simmer for 25–30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the fruit softens and the mixture thickens.
  • · Remove from heat, let cool slightly, then transfer to sterilized jars.
  • · Refrigerate and enjoy on toast, with yogurt, or as a glaze for meats.


🎁 This simple yet unusual jam highlights carambola’s unique star shape and tangy-sweet flavor! 😏

🛒 Plant your own Carambola Tree

#Food_Forest #Recipes

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When young Carambola trees are covered with fruit. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

When young Carambola trees are covered with fruit

Carambola trees

😎 When young Carambola trees are covered with fruit

😇 Young Carambola trees, planted just last year (2024) at Top Tropicals garden, have been fruiting non-stop since fall! Though small, they’re loaded with fruit, and with so many trees, we’ve had more than we knew what to do with. So, we turned our bounty into jam - and it came out absolutely delicious! Stay tuned for the recipe in our next post. 👎

🛒 Plant your own Carambola Tree

#Food_Forest

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