Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

Date: 17 Jul 2024

Mango Rainbow tasting table: whats the taste of that Mango variety?

Mango Rainbow tasting table

🌈 Mango Rainbow tasting table: what's the taste of that Mango variety?

🥭 We just had a mango tasting table of a few early and mid-season varieties and here is our impression:
  • 🟠 Tommy Atkins (purple) - the earliest variety, sweet a juicy, but a bit fibrous. The fruit is super colorful! The tree is an excellent producer, vigorous and problem-free.
  • 🟠 Haden (red) - a full sweet flavor, less fibrous than Tommy. Very colorful, large fruit.
  • 🟠 Florigon (yellow-green, round) - completely fibreless, sweet and flavor is somewhat mild pineapple-like.
  • 🟠 Baptiste (bright yellow) - very sweet, firm flesh, good flavor.
  • 🟠 Val Carrie (green elongated) - reminds large Asian mangoes, with firm flesh, very sweet, fibreless and juicy. It is a cross between Valencia Pride (large fruit) and Carrie (excellent flavor). It took the best from its parents. Very aromatic flesh has no fiber at all.
  • 🟠 Kent (large green-and-red) - excellent flavor, large size, and very little fiber. Eat before fruit gets too ripe.


What Mango varieties have you tried this year?
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📝 See also earlier posts:

🛒 Shop Mango Trees

#Food_Forest #Mango #Mango_Rainbow

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Date: 21 May 2025

How to grow the Fern with Elephant Ears

Platycerium elephantotis - Elephant Ear Staghorn Fern

🍀 How to grow the Fern with Elephant Ears



Continued from previous post
  • 🐘 If you love dramatic foliage but don't want the diva attitude, this gentle giant is for you!
  • 🐘 Platycerium elephantotis - Elephant Ear Staghorn Fern - is native to tropical Africa, it loves warm temps, high humidity, and indirect light. It thrives in partial sun to bright indirect light and should be kept evenly moist. As it matures, mount it on a wooden plaque, since as one of the largest staghorn ferns in cultivation, it can become a massive specimen! Elephant Ear Staghorn Fern is sure to impress your gardening friends.
  • 🐘 A fantastic choice for shaded patios, trees, or fern walls - it brings jungle vibes without being fussy. More sculptural than spiky, elephantotis is a must-have for collectors, houseplant lovers, and fern fans who want something out of the ordinary. It's big, bold, and undeniably cool.
  • 🐘Fun_facts: The bigger the fern, the better it gets - this species just keeps getting more majestic with age!


🛒 Claim your gentle giant

#Container_Garden #Shade_Garden #Nature_Wonders

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Date: 21 May 2025

So rare, it should come with a passport!

Platycerium elephantotis - Elephant Ear Staghorn Fern

Platycerium elephantotis - Elephant Ear Staghorn Fern

🌿 So rare, it should come with a passport!

  • 🐘 The most laid-back member of the staghorn clan is Platycerium elephantotis - Elephant Ear Staghorn Fern.
  • 🐘 The Gentle Giant of the Fern World, this rare Elephant Ear Staghorn Fern has tall shield fronds and deeply veined, round fertile fronds that look like elephant ears instead of stags horns.
  • 🐘 It features huge, rounded shield fronds that resemble elephant ears - soft, wavy, and deeply textured. Unlike its antler-shaped cousins, this species has broad, floppy fronds that hang down like giant green sails.
  • 🐘Epiphytic by nature - grows mounted on wood, hanging baskets, or trees, just like in the wild.

Continued in next post...

🛒 Bring the Elephant home

#Container_Garden #Shade_Garden #Nature_Wonders

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Date: 30 May 2025

What is Chanel No5 made of? The story of Ylang-Ylang

👑 What is Chanel No5 made of? The story of Ylang-Ylang



This video is about Cananga odorata - legendary Chanel No5 or Ylang-Ylang tree, history of the plant and its role in the famous perfume, and guess what - how you can grow your own!
📱

Everyone can grow their own Chanel No5, and it's easy as 1-2-3 - we have them for you at TopTropicals!

#Perfume_Plants #Trees #Container_Garden

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Date: 28 May 2025

How to make your own coffee from homegrown beans

Coffee Tree in a cup (Coffea arabica)

Coffee Tree in a cup (Coffea arabica)

Coffee Tree with fruit (Coffea arabica)

Coffee Tree with fruit (Coffea arabica)

Coffee beans (Coffea arabica)

Coffee beans (Coffea arabica)

Coffee beans (Coffea arabica)

Coffee beans (Coffea arabica)

Coffee beans (Coffea arabica)

Coffee beans (Coffea arabica)

Coffee cherries on a tree (Coffea arabica)

Coffee cherries on a tree (Coffea arabica)

☕️ How to make your own coffee from homegrown beans



Q: Can you make coffee from your
own tree? Isn't there a process involved to prepare beans for it?
A: Absolutely! Yes, it is quite a process... But homegrown coffee lets you enjoy the freshest, chemical-free beans with rich flavor and the satisfaction of growing it yourself. Besides, it's fun! Below is a quick guide how to grow and make your own coffee from freshly harvested coffee fruit (called "cherries").
  • Harvest the ripe cherries


    Pick the bright red fruits when they are fully ripe. These contain the coffee beans inside.
  • Remove the beans


    Squeeze the cherries to pop out the seeds (beans). Rinse off any pulp and soak them in water for 1-2 days to ferment and remove the slimy coating.
  • Dry the beans


    Spread the clean beans on a tray in a sunny, dry spot. Let them dry for 1-2 weeks, turning them daily, until they feel hard and papery.
  • Remove the parchment


    Once dried, crack and remove the thin husk around each bean. You now have green coffee beans ready to roast.
  • Roast the beans


    Use a dry skillet or oven. Heat until beans turn brown and fragrant, stirring constantly. The longer you roast, the darker and stronger the flavor.

Cool and grind


Let roasted beans cool completely, then grind them just before brewing. Enjoy your homemade cup of fresh coffee!

🛒 Grow it. Pick it. Roast it. Drink it. Buy your coffee tree now!

📚 Learn more from previous posts:


#Food_Forest #Container_Garden #Shade_Garden #Discover

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