Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

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Edible cactus with health benefits that your tortoise will love too. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Edible cactus with health benefits that your tortoise will love too

Opuntia cochenillifera - Velvet Nopal Cactus, Nopales, Prickly Pear, leaves and flower

Opuntia cochenillifera - Velvet Nopal Cactus, Nopales, Prickly Pear, leaves and flower

Opuntia cochenillifera - Velvet Nopal Cactus, Nopales, Prickly Pear, leaves

Opuntia cochenillifera - Velvet Nopal Cactus, Nopales, Prickly Pear, leaves

Opuntia cochenillifera - Velvet Nopal Cactus, Nopales, Prickly Pear, leaves and flowers

Opuntia cochenillifera - Velvet Nopal Cactus, Nopales, Prickly Pear, leaves and flowers

Opuntia cochenillifera - Velvet Nopal Cactus, Nopales, Prickly Pear, large plants

Opuntia cochenillifera - Velvet Nopal Cactus, Nopales, Prickly Pear, large plants

🐢 Edible cactus with health benefits that your tortoise will love too
  • 🌵 Opuntia cochenillifera - Velvet Nopal Cactus, Nopales, Prickly Pear - is one of the most useful and forgiving cactus species you can grow. Unlike most desert cacti, this one thrives even in humid tropical climates like Florida, making it one of the few rain-tolerant cacti that actually loves moisture. Fast-growing and ornamental, it produces bright red flowers and makes a beautiful, low-maintenance landscape plant that thrives in heat, drought, and even neglect.
  • 🌵 Prickly Pear is a very valuable edible, used as a vegetable with impressive medicinal properties. The young pads, called nopales, can be stir-fried or sauteed with onions and garlic for a tangy, nutrient-rich side dish.
  • 🌵 In Hispanic cooking, this plant is known simply as Nopal or Nopales – a traditional ingredient used in dishes like ensalada de nopales (nopal salad), nopales con huevo (eggs with cactus), and nopales asados (grilled cactus).
  • 🌵 Regularly eating Nopales has been linked to improved blood sugar control, and many people who include it in their diet report significant help in managing diabetes.
  • 🌵 Nopales is also a favorite treat for tortoises and other herbivorous pets. Its smooth, spineless pads are packed with hydration and nutrients, making it a safe, natural food source.
  • 🌵 So, this is not just a cactus - it’s a food, medicine, and ornament all in one. Tough, beautiful, and endlessly useful!


🛒 Plant your own food and pharmacy Nopales

#Food_Forest #Remedies

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Rose apple salad: quick-n-fun exotic recipes. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Rose apple salad: quick-n-fun exotic recipes

Syzygium jambos - Rose Apple

Syzygium jambos - Rose Apple

Rose apple salad

Rose apple salad

🍴 Rose apple salad: quick-n-fun exotic recipes
  • 🔴Slice rose apples, toss with cucumber, lime, and mint.
  • 🔴Light, crunchy, and fragrant.

Rose Apple Salad

Ingredients

  • Rose apples
  • Cucumber
  • Lime
  • Mint

Instructions

  1. Slice rose apples and cucumber.
  2. Toss with lime and fresh mint.
  3. Serve fresh and chilled.

🛒 Plant exotic Rose Apple Tree

📚 Learn more:
Fruit that smells like roses

#Food_Forest #Recipes
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Marinated green olives: quick-n-fun exotic recipes. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Marinated green olives: quick-n-fun exotic recipes

Olive fruit

Olive fruit

Marinated green olives

Marinated green olives

🍴 Marinated green olives: quick-n-fun exotic recipes
  • 🟢Soak fresh Olives in brine with garlic, lemon peel, and herbs.
  • 🟢A zesty snack after curing.

    • Marinated Green Olives

    Ingredients

    • Fresh olives
    • Garlic
    • Lemon peel
    • Herbs
    • Brine

    Instructions

    1. Soak fresh olives in brine with garlic, lemon peel, and herbs.
    2. Allow to cure until the flavor develops.
    3. Serve as a zesty snack.

🛒 Grow your own Olive tree

📚 Learn more:
▫️How to grow your own Olive Oil

#Food_Forest #Recipes

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How to protect Avocado from cold and how hardy is it? A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

How to protect Avocado from cold and how hardy is it?

Avocado tree fruiting indoors

Avocado tree fruiting indoors

❄️ How to protect Avocado from cold and how hardy is it?

Growing Avocado trees in cooler regions is possible with the right variety and care. By choosing Cold Hardy types and protecting them during cold spells, you can successfully grow avocados outside tropical climates. The more mature your tree, the better it handles the cold.
  • ❄️ What is Avocado cold hardiness?


    • Most Avocados are sensitive to frost, but some Mexican varieties can survive lows around 15°F once established, and brief dips near 10°F with good care.

  • 👉 Cold tolerance depends on:

  • ✦ Duration of cold: Short freezes are easier to survive.
  • ✦ Sun exposure: More sun means better cold resistance.
  • ✦ Wind protection: Wind can do more harm than temperature alone.
  • ✦ Tree health: Regular fertilization, such as Sunshine Boosters, helps strengthen plants.

  • ❄️ How to protect avocados from cold

  • ✦ Bigger is better: Mature trees resist cold better than young ones.
  • ✦ Wind protection: Plant on the south or southeast side of a building for warmth.
  • ✦ Good fertilization: Healthy trees are stronger and more resilient.
  • ✦ Watering: Water less in winter; overwatering in cold weather can cause root rot.


❄️ Protection for young plants
  • ✦ Cover and mulch: Before a freeze, mound mulch around the base and cover with a blanket. Add Christmas lights or a small heater for extra warmth (use caution).
  • ✦ Use microclimates: Plant near walls or buildings where it’s warmer and wind is reduced.


With a little planning and protection, you can enjoy fresh avocados even in cooler climates!

✔️ Check outAvocado Variety Guide interactive chart. Sort them by flower type A or B, tree habit, fruit shape and quality, cold hardiness, origin, season and more!

🛒  Shop Cold Hardy Avocados

📖 Our Book: Avocado Variety Guide, Snack or Guacamole?

📚Learn more:

#Food_Forest #Avocado #How_to

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