Can you name all the fruits on this tray? One of them will stump you!
Papaya, Avocado, Egyptian guava and Cas guava, Barbados cherry, Peanut butter fruit
Can you name all the fruits on this tray? One of them will stump you!
🥭 This morning I walked the garden and came back with a tray of fruits! That’s the joy of living in Florida with your own tropical garden: something new is always in season.
Q: We just moved to Florida from New York. The weather is so hot
and I wonder if I should wait till Fall to plant my garden? I tried to plant some seeds of annuals but nothing grew, just weeds. I also planted
tomato seeds, they germinated but died in few days. What am I doing wrong?
A: Growing from seeds during hot season can be tricky. Here in Florida, we still can grow anuals and vegetables from seeds, but only during
winter season. Annuals and tomatoes need cooler temperatures and protection from
rain water which we have in abundance during summer. Combination hot + wet
can kill those seedlings. On the other hand, seeds of tropical species love the heat and
humidity, and germinate in no time, they just require a little experience.
However, Summer is a perfect time to plant and establish starter plants in your garden.
Five advantages of summer planting
1. Root growth. High temperatures promote rapid root growth - this is one secrets of a plant nursery. If you grow plants in pots, putting a pot on top of
black ground cover will increase the effect, and the roots will grow even faster than the tops! This is a great head start for a plant. Make sure to provide adequate watering. 2. Fast development. With bright sun and longest day light, photosynthesis is more efficient. In simple words,
during hot summer tropical plants have faster metabolism, they produce cells faster and grow leaves and stems faster. 3. Bugs be gone. Bright sun in combination with good air circulation will help to stay away from insects, leaf fungus, and
other diseases. 4. Fertilizing can be generous and will be most efficient. In summer, there is less chance to overdose, as plant food is consumed fast, and summer rains help to prevent nutrient lock up in soil. 5. Rain water works like magic. Rainy season in Florida is our blessing. It can not be replaced by sprinklers or even daily hose water. Rain penetrates
evenly and saturates not only a root ball but also the surrounding area that gives room to spread even bigger roots. Rain water
also works like a "flush" to rinse off all excessive salts that may build up in soil.
As a result, plants will establish faster and grow bigger before
winter, which will give them a better chance to survive possible cold spells.
Plant in summer and watch plants grow healthy and happy
every day!
...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!..
Byrsonima crassifolia - Nancy Tree or Golden Spoon
by Alex Butova, the Witch of Herbs and Cats
Once Dr. David Fairchild bought in Panama seeds of a fruit plant unknown to him, which looked a little like
Acerola (Malpighia). When he asked what it was called, the woman who sold the seeds
answered - Nance, wild cherries from Brazil! The famous horticulturist brought the seeds from Panama to the United States Department of Agriculture in 1899. A few of
his specimens still exist in private collections in South Florida... Nancy Tree fruit are not only delicious, but also very useful, they are widely used by many local people for medicinal purposes and include all of Vitamins B,
Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Vitamin E, Calcium, Cooper, Iron, Magnesium, Manganese,
Phosphorus, Potassium, Sodium and Zink. The whole multi-vitamin prescription in
one fruit!..
Smokey: Winter roots make spring easy. Keep that plant straight.
Sunshine: I am keeping it straight by not touching it at all.
Smokey: That is exactly what I was afraid of.
November is the month when the garden finally stops yelling at you.
The heat backs off, the bugs calm down, and the weeds take a breath.
This is when we get to take control again.
And as gardeners, we know the truth:
Either you use your garden, or your garden will use you in
spring.
Let me walk you through this, gardener to gardener.
"November is when the garden finally listens.
Give it a little direction now, shape it, guide it, and prepare it for
spring.
It will reward you all year." - Tatiana Anderson, Top Tropicals Plant
Expert
🌴
When The Garden Uses
You
We have all lived this scene:
March weeds appear, and two days later it looks like a jungle.
One missed watering turns into five wilted plants and a full week of
recovery.
A skipped feeding shows up as yellow leaves and panic searching
online.
Bugs return fast, and suddenly you are washing leaves every other
day.
Random plant purchases fill your yard with chaos and mismatched care
needs.
When the garden takes control, spring feels like hard work, not
joy.
Overgrown Tropical Garden Showing How a Garden Can Use You
📊
When You Use Your Garden
November flips the script.
Plants slow down. Soil stays warm.
This is the safest month to experiment, move plants, fix mistakes, and
redesign.
What you do now pays off huge in March.
You map out sun zones and shade zones.
You mulch now so weeds do not explode later.
You move plants to better positions without heat stress.
You remove the high-drama plants before they start another season of
complaints.
You pick what you want for next year instead of letting impulse buys
rule you.
Spring becomes smooth instead of overwhelming.
And honestly? It feels good to walk outside in March and see order instead
of chaos.
In the photo: Every garden starts in small steps. Biquinho Pepper
(front) in the garden.
What Benefit
Do You Get Personally?
Less watering.
Fewer bugs.
Bigger fruit.
Better flowering.
Less money wasted.
Less time fixing problems you could have prevented now.
This is why experienced tropical gardeners adore November.
In the photo: Organized Tropical Garden. Firebush (lemon gold
variety) and Cordylines (Ti Leaf) make colorful spots in the garden.
🐭
Start With Something Small Today (5 Minutes)
Pick one:
Add mulch to the driest spot in your yard.
Cut one dead branch from any tree.
Move one pot to a better sun angle.
Pull three weeds from the worst area.
Water deeply once this week.
Small steps now save hours later.
⭐
One Short Story
Last year we planted a
Star Fruit in November.
By March, it was already covered in flowers, and have been harvesting fruit
non-stop since then!
That is what winter planning does: it gives plants a head start you can
actually see.
🐍
Plants That Will Use You If You Let Them
These are great plants, but only if you plan before planting them:
Papaya
- fits any yard, delicious fruit and natural digestive remedy
Pick even one of these and your garden starts giving back.
In the photo: Cattley Guava brings not only tasty fruit but also a
wonderful character with its amazing multi-color twisted trunk.
🌡️ November Advantage
You cannot ruin anything in November.
This is the safest, calmest month to shape your garden the way you want.
If you act now, spring becomes a victory lap.
If you wait, spring becomes a rescue mission.
In the photo: Adenium is a colorful accent in the
garden.
💐
Thanksgiving Tie-In
This is the season to reset, breathe, and be thankful for your outdoor
space.
A garden that works for you is one of the best gifts you can give yourself
going into the new year.
Start your November plan today.
Use your garden.
Do not let it use you.
In the photo: Megaskepasma, Iris, Colocasia, Crotons, Dracaena and Ti
Leaf bring instant tropical look to your garden.
