Growing things in the tropics

[investor2009]

Hi!

I've recently been out gardening on our 2.5 acres, and let me tell you that theres always something to do there which is fine with me.

I planted strawberry yesterday in a planter we have under a shadecloth, and pumpkin & some carrots so hoping they will do well there. I bought a 1m tall black Mulberry tree yesterday and know that they usually prefer full sun, but not tropical environments so I've found a nice cool place for it in a pretty heavily wooded area where there is a clearing that would receive about 3 hours full sun per day here so it won't get too hot. I'm hoping this will thrive in this position here. The area is nicely mulched and gets water every day. Is there any possibility that I could get away with growing raspberry in this heavily shaded/cool area aswell?

We have a couple of mango trees and a lime, banana, passionfruit, dragonfruit but thats it. What else can we grow in Darwin? I'd like to get a mini orchard going on over time, we have a great watering system on bore water with 6 channels covering the entire 2.5 acres which is great!

 

[INVSTOR]

We bury all our vege scraps and recently moved from Perth to Bris. In Perth we would have heaps of avocado's and potato's pop up in the garden. In Bris I'm growing a mango tree that I buried the seed, (almost 1yr old already!), some strawberries have just popped up, rockmelon, potatoes, tomato's and there's a few things that are popping up that I'm not sure what they are yet. I love it!! Free fertilizer, soil conditioner and worm food too.

 

[investor2009]

Hmmm. Good idea! I've grown an avocado tree that way before come to think of it. I'll just start throwing scraps in garden beds and see what happens. We feed alot to the chooks though, but they're unhealthy chooks cause' they only like junk food, like us

We bury all our vege scraps and recently moved from Perth to Bris. In Perth we would have heaps of avocado's and potato's pop up in the garden. In Bris I'm growing a mango tree that I buried the seed, (almost 1yr old already!), some strawberries have just popped up, rockmelon, potatoes, tomato's and there's a few things that are popping up that I'm not sure what they are yet. I love it!! Free fertilizer, soil conditioner and worm food too.

 

[INVSTOR]

It's best to bury. you get heaps of vinegar flies otherwise and they breed like flies. They are so small they crawl through flywire and attack your fresh fruit, wine and beer.

 

[weg]

INVSTOR,

Just curious to know if these avacados you grew from stone/seed bore fruit?

My understanding is they don't, but I could very well be wrong - what I read somewhere (and I told my SIL not to bother planting one she grew).

 

[INVSTOR]

We pulled all of ours out in Perth as they grew in wrong spots. I think it's 6-7 yrs to fruit if you grow from seed according to hubby. We grew a mulberry tree from a cutting that fruited straight away.

 

[INVSTOR]

I just remembered also my husband had already bought a avocado plant we were growing in a pot. Someone in Perth is looking after it for us. Hope it's still alive!! I think grafted plants take a couple of years to fruit.

 

[investor2009]

Yes, Invstr is right. Most fruit seeds take twice as long to fruit when grown from seed. I'm unsure about our avocado because it got left behind at our old place less that 1 year after it sprouted. Graftings fruit much quicker but are not as hardy because of their root system.

 

[weg]

Our neighbours Avocado tree, planted very near our boundry, bore fruit in the forth year - and we've had many successful seasons fruiting from it too .

The problem however is our newish neighbours have mentioned that they'll be removing it .

Time for us to grow our own I think, but I might still just buy one from a nursery though, to be on the safe side.

 

[INVSTOR]

Do some research before buying Weg. Do they have one or two plants in yard? I could be wrong but I'm thinking you need two to pollinate. I don't think it matters if they are different varieties. If a neighbour has one, that's good. If they are pulling out one another neighbour might have one. There is different varieties and sizes of plants. Prob cost around $30 depending on size.

 

[rachels]

You could travel through Asia or other tropical countries for a tropical fruit and veggie adventure to see them all for yourself. There are a wide variety of plants that you might only find out about from visiting local towns and provinces in some countries.

 

[investor2009]

Hmmm. I was hoping I'd be able to find out over the net instead of GOING AROUND THE WORLD! to find out.


















































Although it would be nice!

 

[INVSTOR]

I got this idea off Micheal Hutchence. I was at an INXS concert many years ago and they chucked out to the audience a Pineapple Head. I promptly grabbed it off someones back. I tried selling it on the night for $50 but had no takers. I planted it and a few years later I had a baby INXS pineapple. We plant all our pineapple heads now. They are quite easy to grow.

 

[Miss V]

What about custard apple, macadamia, coffee, lychees, rambutans, mangosteens, sepote?

Have a look at the local farmers markets (Parap etc) and go from there. Most asian stuff would have to grow easily in Darwin.

Cheers

 

[The Y-man]

We have a couple of mango trees and a lime, banana, passionfruit, dragonfruit but thats it. !

What about custard apple, macadamia, coffee, lychees, rambutans, mangosteens, sepote?

Droooool................ if only we could grow them here

Definitely Custard Apple/Cherimoya (I may give Cherimoya a go here in melbourne)

Lychee mangosteen rambutans as mentioned by Mias V as well as Longan

Panama Berries (our didn't make it through winter)

Ice Cream Bean

Vanilla

Blacke Sapote (choc pudding fruit)

White sapote (our tree is ok bu hasn't fruited in 3years)

Papaya/Paw Paw (I guess it's as common as grass up there)

Some ideas for you
http://www.daleysfruit.com.au/fruitindex.htm

The Y-man

 

[gottabespotless]

I got this idea off Micheal Hutchence. I was at an INXS concert many years ago and they chucked out to the audience a Pineapple Head. I promptly grabbed it off someones back. I tried selling it on the night for $50 but had no takers. I planted it and a few years later I had a baby INXS pineapple. We plant all our pineapple heads now. They are quite easy to grow.

I am laughing so hard at that story! Atleast you got a pineapple at an INXS concert - I went to one of their concerts once and the only thing I ever got was kicked out! I swear to God I will NEVER tell my kids about that one ) ...

 

[Sunfish]

Paw paws are not as common as you might think. They are susceptible to a virus spread by the green vegetable bug. And whenever you get a nice tree it turns out to be male and thus non-fruiting.

The star apple is a nice easy tree to grow with deep green leaves on the top and a bronze underneath. The kids might like the fruit, not really to adult's taste.

 

[Miss V]

The panama berry sounds very nice as does the ice cream bean tree. Apparently there is one growing in west end so may have to go for a drive by!!
I have just planted a custard apple in brisbane, and then read the instructions that it can be kept trimmed to 3 meters . Oh well, I guess it is going to have to compete with the pecan tree!!

Cheers

 

[INVSTOR]

I am laughing so hard at that story! Atleast you got a pineapple at an INXS concert - I went to one of their concerts once and the only thing I ever got was kicked out! I swear to God I will NEVER tell my kids about that one ) ...

He,he, yep, some things are better left unsaid! I'm not sure if I should ask why you got kicked out. I got the roady get me a guitar pick too.

Paw paws are not as common as you might think. They are susceptible to a virus spread by the green vegetable bug. And whenever you get a nice tree it turns out to be male and thus non-fruiting.

There must be some secret to it. I was driving around brissy today and someone had about 6 -7 really tall paw-paws plants planted about a 1.5m apart along the side boundary of their yard and it looked like each one was full of fruit. I guess one would have had to of been male though? It looked really cool. Maybe a bugger to pick the fruit though.