Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

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9 tropical vegetables to grow indoors, or how to have garden-fresh produce all year. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

9 tropical vegetables to grow indoors, or how to have garden-fresh produce all year

9 tropical vegetables to grow indoors, or how to have garden-fresh produce all year
🌱 9 tropical vegetables to grow indoors, or how to have garden-fresh produce all year

Cold weather does not have to mean the end of homegrown food. According to Southern Living, vegetables like lettuce, carrots, and radishes can be grown indoors during winter. The downside is that most of these are annuals - you harvest once, then start over.

Tropical vegetables work differently. Many are perennial, long-living plants that grow well in containers and keep producing for years. Grow them indoors year-round, move them outside in summer for extra sun and growth, then bring them back indoors before cold weather. With enough light and regular care, these plants can provide fresh harvests in every season.

  • ✅ Tips for growing tropical vegetables indoors

  • 📍Place plants near a bright window or supplement with grow lights for steady growth
  • 📍Use containers with good drainage and quality potting mix
  • 📍Keep plants away from cold drafts and heating vents
  • 📍Rotate pots and prune regularly to encourage fresh, tender growth
  • 📍Feed regularly with natural Sunshine Boosters - they are formulated for edibles


✅ Tropical vegetables to grow indoors

  • 🌿 Gynura procubens - Longevity Spinach, Cholesterol spinach - a fast-growing leafy green often called a superfood. The tender leaves are used fresh or lightly cooked and can be harvested repeatedly. This plant stays compact, handles containers easily, and regrows quickly after cutting.

  • 🌿 Sauropus androgynus - Katuk, Tropical Asparagus. One of Southeast Asia’s most popular leafy vegetables. Katuk produces edible shoots and leaves that are cooked in soups and stews. It grows well indoors and rewards regular harvesting with constant new growth.

  • 🌿 Cymbopogon citratus - Lemon grass: a tough, productive plant that adapts well to container growing. The stalks and leaves are used for teas, soups, and flavoring. Indoors, it grows more slowly but stays productive, especially when moved outdoors in summer.

  • 🌿 Lippia dulcis - Aztec Sweet Herb, Sweetleaf: a low-growing herb with naturally sweet leaves. The foliage can be eaten fresh or used as a sugar substitute in teas and desserts. It stays compact, tolerates pruning, and performs well in pots indoors.

  • 🌿     Piper sarmentosum - Vietnamese Pepper, Lalot: grown for its aromatic, edible leaves rather than peppercorns. The leaves are eaten fresh, cooked, or used as food wraps. This plant stays manageable indoors with light pruning.

  • 🌿 Piper nigrum - Black Pepper: the true black pepper vine. Grows well indoors as a container vine with support. It prefers warm temperatures, steady moisture, and bright filtered light.

  • 🌿 Piper auritum     - Root Beer Plant, False Kava-Kava: close relative of Piper methysticum (Kava-Kava) known for its large, fragrant leaves with a spicy, root beer-like aroma. The leaves are used for wrapping foods and flavoring dishes. Best grown indoors with room for its bold foliage.

  • 🌿 Piper betle - Betel leaf: a traditional edible and medicinal leaf used widely in Asia. The glossy leaves are harvested continuously and used fresh or as wraps. This vine grows well indoors with warmth, humidity, and a small trellis.

  • 🌿 Piper longum - Indian Long Pepper, Pippali, Bengal Pepper: A tropical pepper relative grown for its elongated spice fruits and edible leaves. Slower to fruit indoors but easy to maintain as a leafy spice plant in containers with bright light and regular feeding.


Tropical vegetables make indoor gardening more rewarding because they do not stop after one harvest. With containers, light, and basic care, these plants can become long-term food producers that move seamlessly between indoors and outdoors - keeping fresh flavors within reach all year.

🛒 Explore tropical edibles, herbs and spices

📚 Learn more:

🎥 Karkade Tea
Longevity Spinach


#Food_Forest #Remedies #Container_Garden #How_to #Discover

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Slow down. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Slow down

Slow down
🐱 Slow down

"Slow down and everything you are chasing will come around and catch you." - John De Paola

🐈📸 Cat Masyanya, a friend of Top Tropicals PeopleCats.Garden - is thinking about life.

#PeopleCats #Quotes

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Patchouli tea: quick-n-fun exotic recipes. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Patchouli tea: quick-n-fun exotic recipes

Patchouli tea: quick-n-fun exotic recipes Patchouli tea: quick-n-fun exotic recipes
🍴 Patchouli tea: quick-n-fun exotic recipes

  • 🔵Steep a few Patchouli leaves in hot water with honey.
  • 🔵Earthy, relaxing, and perfect for winding down.


🛒 Every garden needs a fragrant Patchouli leaf

📚 Learn more:

#Food_Forest #Recipes

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Happy Hanukkah to everyone - by birth, by heart, or by friendship! A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Happy Hanukkah to everyone - by birth, by heart, or by friendship!

Happy Hanukkah to everyone - by birth, by heart, or by friendship!
🕎 Happy Hanukkah to everyone - by birth, by heart, or by friendship!

"The Hanukkah lights are symbols of a universal message - a message of freedom and tolerance." - Ronald Reagan

#PeopleCats

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgTh5Gk9nrU. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgTh5Gk9nrU

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Holiday Plant Market Event Mementos. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Holiday Plant Market Event Mementos

🎄 Holiday Plant Market Event Mementos

  • Thank you to everyone who came out for our Holiday Plant Market!

    • It was a joy watching the garden fill up with familiar friends and first-time visitors all exploring, chatting, and discovering new favorites.

  • Our PeopleCats took their jobs very seriously, trotting ahead of guests, inspecting carts, and making sure no one left without the perfect plant. The whole place buzzed with good moods, warm weather, and that fun holiday energy only a tropical garden can create.

  • If you see yourself or your friends on the photos, save or forward to share the memories!

    • If you spot yourself or someone you know in the photos, go ahead and save them or pass them along. We hope your new plants settle in beautifully, and we look forward to seeing you back in the garden soon. Happy holidays and happy growing!

  • Check out more pictures of the Event


📱 Watch this slideshow on YouTube

#PeopleCats

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The Prince and the Pea. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

The Prince and the Pea

The Prince and the Pea
🐈🐈🐈The Prince and the Pea

"Living with me is a bit like The Princess and the Pea - I notice everything, especially when I pretend I don’t."

🐈📸 Cat Bob is quality-testing pillows at TopTropicals PeopleCats.Garden

#PeopleCats

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PeopleCats Garden Tours. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

PeopleCats Garden Tours

🎉PeopleCats Garden Tours

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/zz8oHUzpBvc

🎄 It is almost here! December 13, 2025 - Holiday Plant Market, proudly hosted by the #PeopleCats of TopTropicals.
Our big end-of-season Plant Day. All year we grow the rare and unusual plants that will be featured at this event, and Saturday is the day they finally meet their new homes. The garden turns into a small holiday escape: fresh air, bright colors, music, snacks, and the PeopleCats greeting everyone like they have known you for years.

📱 Event discounts and specials valid at both locations:

🎁 Learn more about this Event, Holiday deals and extras

#PeopleCats

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Banana skillet fritters: quick-n-fun exotic recipes. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Banana skillet fritters: quick-n-fun exotic recipes

Banana skillet fritters: quick-n-fun exotic recipes Banana skillet fritters: quick-n-fun exotic recipes Banana skillet fritters: quick-n-fun exotic recipes
🍴 Banana skillet fritters: quick-n-fun exotic recipes

  • 🟡Mash a ripe banana with a spoon of flour.
  • 🟡Pan-sear little spoonfuls until crisp outside and caramelized.


🛒 Explore Banana Varieties

📚 Learn more:
📱 Why every garden needs a banana tree

#Food_Forest #Recipes #Bananas

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🎄 Holiday Plant Market:
Saturday, Dec 13, 2025, 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM 🎉

Smokey the tuxedo cat and Sunshine the ginger cat sitting at a table, studying a Holiday Plant Market flyer with a notepad, coffee cup, and donut.

Smokey: We invited people, so we need to be prepared for the crowd.
Sunshine: I am prepared. I saw yummy donuts on the flyer.
Smokey: Of course you did, genius. You are responsible for donuts and coffee.

It is almost here. Our big end-of-season Plant Day. All year we grow the rare and unusual plants that will be featured at this event, and Saturday is the day they finally meet their new homes. The garden turns into a small holiday escape: fresh air, bright colors, music, snacks, and the PeopleCats greeting everyone like they have known you for years.

Meet PeopleCats crew in charge

TopTropicals CatPeople: cat King
King
TopTropicals CatPeople: cat King
Sushi
TopTropicals CatPeople: cat Snitch
Snitch
TopTropicals CatPeople: cat Paisley
Paisley
TopTropicals CatPeople: cat Persephone
Persephone
TopTropicals CatPeople: cat Loki
Loki

Why you should come

It is December in Florida - warm breeze, sunshine, and perfect planting weather. While the rest of the country is scraping frost off windshields, you're choosing which banana tree to take home. Come enjoy a colorful Saturday surrounded by plants, music, snacks, and friendly PeopleCats. This is your holiday escape, your plant-hunting adventure, and your chance to bring home something amazing before the season ends.

Not Local?

Not everyone is lucky enough to live close by. For our online customers, here is 20% for online orders:

EVENT2025

Valid for online orders only. Minimum order $120 (excluding shipping and handling). Cannot be combined with any other discounts, coupon codes, automatic promotions, or special offers. Not valid on previous purchases. One use per customer. Code must be entered at checkout. Offer valid through the end of Sunday, 12/14/2025

Learn more about the event

🛒 Go Shopping

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