Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

Date: 25 Jun 2021

Peanut Butter Fruit... tastes like peanut butter!

by Alex Butova, the Witch of Herbs and Cats

...One of the most fascinating exotic fruit, as amazing as Miracle fruit, Peanut Butter Fruit is loved by both kids and adults... and yes, it tastes exactly like peanut butter!.. Yet it is much healthier food, with many medicinal benefits...
...The easy, low-maintenance Peanut Butter Fruit tree is essential for any edible landscape, rare fruit collector, or tropical/subtropical garden. It has a great ornamental or screening value. Also can be grown in container, and will fruit indoors... Similar to fast-fruiting Annonas, and its close relatives Malpighia (Barbados Cherry) and Bursonima (Nancy Tree), Bunchosia tree starts fruiting in small size and at young age: 2-3 years from seed!..

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Date: 23 Sep 2020

Fast-fruiting trees?

Photo above: Annona reticulata - Red Custard Apple

Q: More of a question than a review, but a review regarding your catalog, it would be easier for us buyers, if we could search for plants that produce fruit in 2 years or less, I don't have the patience to wait longer than that for fruit. I'm trying to buy for a fairly good sized garden but want some fast growers and fruit produced in 2 yrs. Can you help me out?

A: Fruiting time depends on many factors (established size, growing conditions, fertilizing, and even specific variety), this is why we can not just put a simple icon "will fruit within 2 years".
However, most grafted and air-layered fruit trees, including all Mango, Avocado, Loquat, Sapote, Sapodilla, Lychee/Longan, Peaches and Nectarines - will fruit right away. If you see in our store "grafted" or "air-layered" in plant description - these trees will fruit soon. Some of them already flowering and fruiting.
Some non-grafted trees or seedlings like Annona, Artocarpus (Jackfruit), Eugenia, Guava, Banana, Dragon fruit, Mulberry, Blackberry/Raspberry - will fruit within 3-4 years from seed or even sooner (Banana, Mulberry, Dragon fruit, Blackberry-Raspberry - within a year). Usually it says in description that this plant can produce fruit soon.
Bigger size plants are more established and have more energy to produce, so try to get larger size plants if your budget permits, and especially if you can pick up bigger plants rather than shipping them - obviously, shipping has size limitations.
In addition, all spice trees like Bay Leaf, Bay Rum, Allspice and many more - they will produce spice for you right away, so you don't need to wait at all!
If you have questions about fruiting time on any specific plant you put your eye on, don't hesitate to ask!

Photo above: Pimenta dioica - Allspice

Date: 29 Jul 2019

When to fertilize and prune tropical fruit trees?

Q: Can tropical fruit trees (Soursop, Mango, Star fruit, etc) be given plant food any time of year? Also can they be trimmed this time of year/summer?

A: True tropical plants (including fruit trees) need plant food most of the year in real Tropics, where temperatures have very little fluctuations, and active growth season is close to 12 months a year. In subtropical areas when temperatures in winter drop below 65F, plant metabolism slows down, so it is recommended to fertilize only during the warmest period (March through November). So yes, Summer is the perfect time for fertilizing your trees; their metabolism is at the highest point and they can use more food!

Trim your fruit trees right after harvesting. Obviously, you don't want to prune branches before or during flowering or fruiting. The specific time of the year for pruning depends on the plant - every tree has its own flowering/fruiting season. However, avoid pruning right before winter: young shoots promoted by pruning are tender and can be cold damaged.

Recommended fertilizers for fruit trees:

Fruit Festival Plant Food - Super Crop Booster
Mango-Food - Smart Release Fruit Tree Booster
SUNSHINE-Honey - for sweeter fruit
SUNSHINE SuperFood - microelement supplement

Date: 28 Nov 2025

What is the best Red Dragon fruit and what does it taste like?

Red Dragon Fruit - Halley's Comet

🔴 What is the best Red Dragon fruit and what does it taste like?

  • 🍉 Red dragon fruit might look similar on the outside, but the flavors are all over the place once you start trying different varieties. Halley's Comet is one of the reds that actually tastes rich - sweet, juicy, and full of that deep berry-like flavor people hope for in dragon fruit. It ripens fast, so you have to catch it at the right moment or it turns soft overnight.
  • 🍉 Red-fleshed types are also loaded with antioxidants, which is why the juice stains everything it touches. If you like bold flavor, check out other good reds below. These are some of the top varieties growers recommend for sweeter, stronger taste:

  • 🔴🔴 Red skin, red flesh(Hylocereus costaricensis) - Sweeter, juicier, and more intense in flavor. The deep red juice can stain, but it’s loaded with antioxidants.
  • Varieties: American Beauty, Bloody Mary, Eureka Red, Costa Rican Sunset, Mac Edwin, Halley's Comet, Makisupa, Mega Red, Physical Graffiti, Sweet Red
  • 🔴🟣 Red flesh, purple/magenta flesh(Hylocereus x costaricensis) - Hybrids, usually between red and white varieties.
Varieties: Cosmic Charlie, Edgar's Baby, Natural Mystic, Physical Graffiti, Purple Haze, Tricia, Voodoo Child, Zamorano

🛒 Bring a red dragon to your garden


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Plant Facts

Hylocereus sp.
Pitaya, Pitahaya, Dragon Fruit, Strawberry Pear
USDA Zone: 9-11
Large shrub 5-10 ft tallVine or creeper plantSemi-shadeFull sunModerate waterWhite, off-white flowersThorny or spinyEdible plantSubtropical plant. Mature plant cold hardy at least to 30s F for a short timeSeaside, salt tolerant plant
  • · More about Dragon fruit plant from Plant Encyclopedia
  • · When do I get the fruit from my Dragon Fruit?
  • · Pitaya vs Dragon fruit - what is the difference and how to grow it. Varieties.
  • · Do red, white and yellow Dragon fruit taste differently?
    📱 How to grow Dragon Fruit
    📱

    #Food_Forest #How_to #Dragon_Fruit

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  • 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:


    #Food_Forest #Remedies #Discover

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