Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

Date: 20 Jul 2024

Why Bananas? They are good for you and are fun to grow!

Red Banana

Red Banana

Praying Hands Banana

Praying Hands Banana

Banana fruit

Banana fruit

Rojo Banana

Rojo Banana

Variegated Banana

Variegated Banana

🍌 Why Bananas? They are good for you and are fun to grow!

💛 Bananas are berries, not fruits!

💛 They float in water like apples and watermelons.

💛 Bananas are high in potassium, which helps muscles work properly.

💛 They can improve your mood because they contain tryptophan, which your body turns into serotonin.

💛 Bananas are great for your heart because they have lots of fiber and potassium.

💛 Eating bananas can help with digestion since they are rich in fiber.

💛 They are a natural energy booster, perfect for a quick snack.

💛 Bananas can help keep your blood pressure in check due to their low sodium and high potassium content.

💛 They contain vitamins like B6 and C, which are good for your immune system.

💛 Rubbing the inside of a banana peel on mosquito bites can reduce itching and swelling.

❔ What is your favorite Banana or Plantain variety?
Share in comments👇

🛒 Shop Banana varieties

#Food_Forest #Bananas

🏵 TopTropicals

Date: 21 May 2025

Finally: a sugar that is good for your health!

Sapodilla (Manilkara zapota) - the Brown Sugar fruit tree

🍯 Finally: a sugar that is good for your health!

🍩 Sapodilla (Manilkara zapota) - the Brown Sugar fruit that loves you back with a health kick! Sapodilla is a delicious tropical fruit with soft, brown, sweet flesh and a malty, caramel-like flavor. It's loved not just for its unique taste, but also for its rich nutritional and medicinal value. Sapodilla is a sweet, nourishing fruit that doubles as a natural energy snack and a digestive aid.

🍴 Culinary Benefits: The sweet you don't have to feel guilty about!

🍩 Eaten fresh - Just scoop the flesh out and enjoy! Tastes like brown sugar or caramel with a hint of pear.

🍩 Smoothies and shakes - Adds creamy sweetness without the need for added sugar.

🍩 Desserts - Used in ice cream, custards, or fruit salads.

🍩 Jams, preserves - Makes a rich, flavorful jam.

🍩 Dried sapodilla - Can be sun-dried like dates for a chewy, candy-like snack.

💚 Sapodilla's Health Benefits:

🍩 Rich in fiber - Helps regulate digestion, prevent constipation, and support gut health.

🍩 Natural energy booster - High in natural sugars and calories, great for quick energy.

🍩 Packed with antioxidants - Contains polyphenols and flavonoids that help fight inflammation and cell damage.

🍩 Vitamins A, C - Supports eye health, immune function, and skin regeneration.

🍩 Iron, potassium, and folate - Supports blood health and may help maintain heart function and blood pressure.

🛒 Grow your own Sugar Fruit

📚 Learn more:

When does Sapodilla start fruiting and what is the best variety
New variety of Sapodilla: Thai Brownie

#Food_Forest #Discover

🔴 Join 👉 TopTropicals

Date: 8 Jun 2025

Curcuma - the tropical tulip with a secret spice twist

Curcuma flowers

🌷 Curcuma - the tropical tulip with a secret spice twist

🌷Curcuma, also known as Siam Tulip or Turmeric, is a plant with personality! It looks like it came straight from a fairy tale with bright, showy blooms in pink, purple, white, yellow, and even orange - that rise above lush green foliage like floral fireworks.

🌷Despite its exotic looks, it’s super easy to grow. Keep the soil moist, give it filtered light, and this beauty will reward you with long-lasting blooms. This is an excellent cut flower that lasts up to 2 weeks in a vase!

🌷And here's the kicker: beneath the soil, it hides a spicy secret - its rhizomes are the source of Turmeric, the golden powder used in curry and traditional medicine. So yes, your flower garden can also be a spice rack!

🌷Curcuma thrives in warm zones but grows happily in pots too - just bring it inside when things get chilly. With its striking looks and health-boosting roots, Curcuma is your new garden showstopper and wellness booster all in one!

🛒 Plant Curcuma: add color, spice, and charm to your garden

#Food_Forest #Container_Garden #Hedges_with_benefits

🟢 Join 👉 TopTropicals

Date: 21 Oct 2022

Grow your own food:
Pouteria campechiana - Canistel
The curious heart-shaped Egg Super-Fruit

by Alex Butova, the Witch of Herbs and Cats

...You will be surprised how many health benefits this fruit can offer! Yet is is a beautiful, curiously shaped piece of Nature's Art, and the tree is super easy to grow. It is relatively cold hardy and fast growing, providing with the first crop within a year or two...

10 greatest health benefits of Canistel fruit

1. Canistel is good for the heart
2. Canistel lowers the risk of diabetes
3. Canistel lowers the risk of cataract
4. Canistel treats osteoarthritis
5. Canistel prevents cancer
6. Canistel is immunity booster
7. Canistel is great for digestion
8. Canistel prevents anemia
9. Canistel promotes healthy bones
10. Canistel reduces the risk of Alzheimer's

LEARN THE DETAILS >>

Continue reading...

Date: 22 Feb 2022

How to survive Winter in South Central Florida

A touching story

by Ed Jones, the Booster Guy

...As much of the country is still in the midst of winter, I believe the worst has passed for us here in the South Central part of Florida...
...This Winter, almost all of zone 9b and some of zone 10a had frost and many had a hard freeze...
...Now, many of us here in this part of the state enjoy growing subtropical plants and trees. There are many that grow well here and most can handle a frost or even a dip to the high 20s for a short time. Smaller and more recently planted trees and bushes are most at risk...
...At the Top Tropicals nursery here in Sebring, home to over 20,000 plants, we scrambled for several days to try to protect as many of our plants as possible. We moved smaller plants into some of our hoop houses that had propane heaters...
...After 2 weeks of moving plants in and out of protection, we were all pretty worn out; happy that everything survived and hoping that we would not have to do that again anytime soon. Slowly, things at the nursery are beginning to resemble our old normal. Seeds are being planted, cuttings are continuing to grow and grafting season will be upon us soon. We are all very happy for that...
...What to do and not to do when the freeze is coming and you have mango, avocado, and other tropical fruit trees and tender tropicals? Here is some news from the Orchard and many more coming... check it out and stay with our updates to learn more!

CONTINUE READING >>

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