Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

Date: 21 Jun 2022

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

Date: 12 Jan 2022

Happy Value Avocados

Avocado Lula

Variety Lula is renowned for its ability to endure harsh winters, and for its exceptionally long harvesting period. More frost resistant than most, successful in Central and South Florida where it is a formerly the leading commercial cultivar. An exceptional choice for homeowners around Orlando and Central Florida. The fruit is pear-shaped, sometimes with a neck, medium-large, the skin almost smooth. Flesh is pale to greenish-yellow. The Oil content 12-16%. Seed is large, tight. Production season is medium-late (November-December). The tree grows tall, bears early and heavily. This variety was originated from seed from a parent tree planted in 1915 by Mrs. Lula Cellon at Miami, Florida.

Avocado Marcus Pumpkin

Very rare and hard to find variety! Marcus Pumpkin Avocado - Green, Large, and Round. It is so unique in its shape: it has a pumpkin shaped fruit 30-40 oz, fruiting time October through November. Very good creamy flavor. It is hard to eat the whole one at once because of its size!

Limited 2 trees per customer. Limited time offer, while supply lasts.

Photo above: TopTropicals Avocados 2022

Date: 15 Jun 2021

Establishing Avocado tree after shipping

Q: Received my Avocado tree last week and I'm a bit concerned. Is this wilting normal with a new plant? No yellowing, or dropping of leaves. We moved it out of the sun but not sure how to handle?

A: This is normal for after-shipping stress. You did right, position the tree away from direct sun, in shade, preferably under roof (patio?) so it doesn't get over-watered with too much rain and you can control water amount. We recommend to spray the leaves with pure water and put a large clear plastic bag just over the crown (leave the soil to breath). Keep in shade. Within couple days the leaves should perk up. Do not overwater. Water only when the top of soil gets slightly dry. In a week or so, once the plant recovers, you may start moving it gradually into full sun, then to its permanent spot where you want to plant it.
Avocado is not an easy plant to establish. So be careful. It needs lots of water, however, it doesn't like wet feet - so must be planted in a well-drained spot, with at least 4-6"elevation (on a little"hill") so it never gets water-logged. It needs daily water to establish and may need more than just a sprinkler system, use additional hose water when establishing in the ground.

Date: 20 Feb 2026

What tropical plants survived Floridas historic freeze without protection

Florida historic freeze

What tropical plants survived Florida's historic freeze without protection

In the first week of February 2026, arctic air pushed deep into Florida. For many areas, this was the coldest event in over a century.
We received one question over and over: How did your gardens do?
Top Tropicals Farm in Sebring, Florida is up and running - and this freeze became a real-world hardiness test for tropical and subtropical plants. Below is our initial field report after inspecting established plantings.

📊 Weather data - February 1-6, 2026


Sebring, Florida - 132 years of recorded observations
This was not a light frost. It was prolonged, windy, penetrating hard freeze.


🌡 Minimum temperature: 25F
❄️ Wind chill: 14F
⏳ Duration: 3 nights of 8-10 hour hard freeze
☀️ Daytime temperatures: around 50F for 7 days
🌀 Wind: sustained 20 mph, gusts 40-50 mph

Cold protection



In-ground trees: selected plants covered with frost cloth, especially mango and young avocado trees.
Tender container plants: moved into greenhouses with propane heat above 34F.
Hardy container plants: frost cloth and wind protection only - no plastic
Nutrition support: plants fertilized regularly during the growing season with Green Magic and Sunshine Boosters to maintain vigor and hardiness.

However, the plants listed below had no protection at all.
All were established trees 2-3 years in the ground.

The plants below had NO PROTECTION, established trees 2-3 years old



✅ Survived with no damage
:

🍑 Tropical Fruit Trees and Edibles:


Citrus
Loquats
Mulberries
Macadamia Nut
Jaboticabas
Pomegranates
Avocado - cold hardy varieties
Feijoa - Pineapple Guava
Psidium littorale - Cattley Guavas
Eugenias (Grumichama, Rio Grande, Surinam and more)
Olive trees
Bay Leaf (Laurus nobilis)
Fig trees (Ficus carica)
Prunus sp - Peaches, Plums, Nectarines
Persimmons
Rubus (Blackberries) including Tropical Mysore Raspberry
Elderberry (Sambucus)
Yerba Mate - Ilex paraguariensis
Opuntia - Nopal Cactus, Prickly Pear

🌸 Flowering Trees and Shrubs:


Beaucarnea recurvata - Pony Tail
Callistemon - Bottlebrush
Yucca
Tabebuias
Magnolia figo and Little Gem
Calliandra tweedii - Red Powderpuff
Sophora tomentosa
Galphimia gracillis - Thriallis
Acacia trees
Osmanthus fragrans
Abutilon trees
Erythrina - several species
Monkey Ear tree - Enterolobium cyclocarpum
Bauhinia Orchid Trees - several species
Pseudobombax ellipticum - Shaving Brush Tree
Bulnesia arborea- Vera Wood
Caesalpinia mexicana, Mexican Bird of Paradise
Sansevieria - Snake Plant
Foxtail fern - Asparagus densiflorus
Lonicera - several varieties
Jacaranda tree
Eucalyptus
Plumbago Imperial Blue
Philodendron bipinnatum
Gardenias
Gingers (dormant rhizomes)

✳️ Minimal leaf damage only:
(These plants showed light cosmetic damage but no structural injury)

🍑 Tropical Fruit Trees and Edibles:


Glycosmis pentaphylla - Gin Berry
Black sapote tree
Tamarind tree
Syzygiums: Rose Apple and Java Plum

🌸 Flowering Trees and Shrubs:


Pandora vine
Jasminum - several species
Stenocarpus sinuatus - Firewheel Tree
Xanthostemon
Quisqualis indica
Schotia tree
Eranthemum pulchellum - Blue Sage
Hiptage benghalensis - Helicopter Flower

🏡 What this means for Florida gardeners


This freeze was a stress test few gardens are prepared for. Yet many species handled 25F, wind, and multi-night freeze conditions without protection.
Choosing proven survivors, planting in smart microclimates, and maintaining strong plant health during the growing season makes a measurable difference.
More updates will follow as full recovery continues - but these early results already help define a stronger plant palette for future winters.

🛒 Explore cold tolerant tropical plants and cold hardy Avocados

📚 Learn more:


· To trim or not to trim? When and how to trim damaged plants after winter
· Cold-hardy avocado varieties - what freezing they really survive
· Cold-hardy avocado survival groups - what the numbers really mean

🎥 These Avocados survived 3 nights of 25F hard freeze, Florida Record Freeze

#Discover #How_to

🟢 Join 👉 TopTropicals

Date: 26 Feb 2026

Stop Sugar Crashes: 5 Tropical Fruit Hacks for Healthy Dessert

Exotic Tropical Fruits for Blood Sugar Management. Stop the sugar crash cycle. Learn how to manage glucose levels and insulin spikes using tropical fruits, healthy fats, and metabolic hacks for healthy dessert.

Exotic Tropical Fruits for Blood Sugar Management. Stop the sugar crash cycle. Learn how to manage glucose levels and insulin spikes using tropical fruits, healthy fats, and metabolic hacks for healthy dessert.

🍨 Stop Sugar Crashes: 5 Tropical Fruit Hacks for Healthy Dessert



The smarter way to handle sugar cravings - no restriction required

Tired of the post-cookie slump? Sugar cravings are a physiological response to blood glucose fluctuations, not a lack of willpower. Refined sugars trigger an insulin spike followed by a hypoglycemic crash, trapping you in a cycle of fatigue and hunger.
The secret to metabolic health is managing glycemic load. By choosing nutrient-dense tropical fruits, you satisfy your sweet tooth while maintaining stable energy homeostasis.
The solution is not to give up dessert. It is to change what dessert means. Here is how to use tropical horticulture to hack your biology and regulate insulin:

🍭 1. Choose fruit that comes with fiber


Whole tropical fruits deliver sweetness wrapped in fiber, water, and nutrients. That slows sugar absorption and keeps energy steady.
Try:
· Mango, chilled and sliced
· Sapodilla - naturally caramel-sweet
· Mulberries by the handful
· Loquat halves straight from the fridge
· Dragon Fruit for light, clean sweetness
Same pleasure. Less crash.

🍭 2. Pair sweet with fat to blunt the glucose spike


Healthy lipids are a biological hack for your metabolism. Fats slow gastric emptying, ensuring a steady glucose release rather than an inflammatory spike. Furthermore, lipids trigger cholecystokinin (CCK) - the hormone that signals satiety to the brain - effectively "turning off" cravings at the source.
· Avocado blended into a chocolate-style mousse: The monounsaturated fats create a creamy texture while blunting the sugar response.
· Banana with nut butter: Combining fast-acting fruit sugars with dense protein and fats.
· Pineapple with raw nuts: The bromelain in pineapple aids digestion, while the fats in nuts provide long-lasting satiety.
· Mango mixed into full-fat yogurt: The combination of probiotics, protein, and lipids turns a simple fruit into a complete, low-glycemic snack.
When fruit is balanced with fat, cravings calm down instead of escalating.

🍭 3. Use naturally rich fruits in place of sugar


Some tropical fruits taste like dessert already.
· Jackfruit has candy-like sweetness
· Sapote is creamy and custard-like
· Guava brings floral depth
· Cherries add brightness
· Mash Banana into baking instead of white sugar.
· Blend Mango into yogurt instead of syrup.
· Top oatmeal with Mulberry instead of brown sugar.
Dessert stays. The crash disappears.

🍭 4. Balance sweet with tart


Adding contrast reduces the urge to overeat sweetness.
· Carambola adds crisp tang.
· Pineapple brightens the palate.
· Loquat gives gentle acidity.
Balanced flavors satisfy faster.

🍭 5. Start the day right


Skipping breakfast increases late-day sugar cravings.
A morning smoothie with Avocado, Banana, and Mango prevents the afternoon energy dip. Hydration also matters - thirst often disguises itself as a sweet craving.

🍭 In essence


Dessert is not the enemy. Refined sugar is.
When sweetness comes from nature's bounty, it nourishes instead of draining energy.
You do not need to quit dessert.
You just need to let nature handle it.

Consult with a healthcare professional before making significant dietary changes, especially if you have diabetes or metabolic conditions

🛒 Start your tropical fruit journey

Annona · Guava · Mango · Sapodilla · Mulberry · Pineapple · Avocado · Banana · Loquat · Dragon fruit · Jackfruit · Sapote · Cherries · Carambola

📚 Learn more:


A leaf you grow, not a pill you buy: Insulin ginger - the plant people actually use
How to lose weight naturally with tropical fruit and plants
What's for breakfast? Guava versus Banana
11 tropical fruits to eat instead of taking a fiber supplement
How to make lots of Insulin Ginger plants quickly and get more health benefits
Truth about which fruit helps you lose weight faster: Mango or Papaya?
Five best tropical fruits to naturally boost your energy
Finally: a sugar that’s good for your health

#Food_Forest #Remedies #Discover

🟢 Join 👉 TopTropicals