Gardening, Homesteading, and Growing Food in the Tropics
This post is going to be very real, and it may draw some criticism, but this is our journey. We bought our 5 acre farm property (homestead, if you prefer that term) just over 2 years ago now, we acquired a whole bunch of animals, grew a whole bunch of food and it’s been great, … Read blog
Gardening is not an expensive hobby if you have time and patience, infact, many plants you can grow for free. We are all feeling the pinch financially these days. Growning more fruit, vegetables, edible flowers, and herbs in our own backyard (or even indoors) is a sure-fire way to reduce food bills and save money. … Read blog
Yes, chickens will destroy a garden in a variety of ways, if they have access to that garden. If you have a small number of chickens in a very large garden you may not notice much damage, but chickens can and do destroy mature plants and can be particularly damaging to young plants and seedlings, … Read blog
Yes, you can grow many types of basil in a tropical climate, with great success. In cooler climates basil is normally grown as an annual, but in our tropical climate you can have great success growing basil year-round, so long as your winter temperatures don’t dip too low. What Types of Basil Can You Grow … Read blog
Yes, you can grow lettuce in the tropics. Many varieties of lettuce or salad leaves do well in a tropical climate, which may be surprising as they prefer cooler temperatures. The trick is, to grow them in winter, and as the weather warms up, keep them shaded. Lettuces bolt, or go to seed much faster … Read blog
Yes, you can grow chillies from supermarket chillies, in fact, chillies are one of the best plants and food crops to grow from supermarket scraps. Our post tells you how to grow chillies from supermarket chillies, to save you money by growing your own food. You can grow edible plants indoors, or outside in raised … Read blog
You can grow many of the best healthy edible plants indoors. Here on our list you can find plants that don’t take much space and are delicious when they’re ready to harvest. The best part is, they are easy to set up, taking nothing more than some water, good soil or potting compost, and light. … Read blog
Yes, you can grow many varieties of radishes in the tropics with great success. As radishes are a very fast maturing root vegetable food plant to grow from seed, theyre actually a very fast crop and can thrive in a tropical climate. Both the roots and leaves of radishes are edible and can be preserved … Read blog
People say that gardening is when you spend $300 to grow $1 worth of tomatoes. This can be true for some people, but if you get it right, growing your own fruit and vegetables can be a great way to save money. In these difficult times, with household expenses going through the roof and a … Read blog
Why won’t my plants grow? I’ve been there too. Plants not growing, seedlings not germinating, small, weak plants much smaller than they should be and taking far too long to grow. It may not be your fault, you may not have a “black thumb”. The problem could be your bought soil or compost not being … Read blog
Yes, you can grow cucumbers (Cucumis sativus) in a pot, container or raised bed so long as you provide them with good soil, adequate water, and adequate sunlight. You will need to provide a stake or trellis, in the pot or nearby if you plan to grow them vertically. A vining cucumber will trail and … Read blog
Full, deep shade isn’t the best choice, partial or dappled shade is more what we need for these shade-tolerant food plants. Shade can be very useful in summer to stop plants such as rocket and lettuces from bolting and going to seed. Shade can also reduce the rate of a plant’s growth in some instances. … Read blog
If you have chickens free-ranging in your garden, on your property, homestead or back yard, you’ll need to chicken proof your garden, pots, raised beds, and vegetables. These are the chicken-proofing ideas and designs that have worked for us in our garden over several years of keeping chickens in a garden or homestead, in suburbia … Read blog
Pumpkins are easy to grow and can give you a huge volume of food. But what grows well with pumpkins? What can you plant near pumpkins that will help them grow better? Are there plants that will not be happy near pumpkins and do pumpkins actually have any companion plants? Will pumpkins choke other tropical … Read blog
There are many, many food plants that you can grow from supermarket scraps. Don’t believe anyone who says you can’t. There are way more than I can even mention in this post, but I’ll do my best to tell you how. Once you know how, for different plant, herb, and fruit types, you can try … Read blog
