Growing Carrots in the Tropics
How to Grow Organic Carrots in the Tropics Note: This article is also available in Spanish/Español Seeds: Very small, planted shallow Soil Type: Sandy not clay, not rich in Nitrogen, excellent drainage Ph: 6-6.5 Germination Time: 4-20 days Spacing: Rows 25cm apart. Plants 10-15cm apart Water: Daily Sun: Full Sun Harvest Time: 12-18 weeks History […]
Giant Cucumbers
Cucumbers seem to grow very easily here, and to tremendous size. And contrary to popular belief, we’ve found that even the largest cucumbers till taste great. Did you know that cucumbers are covered with prickly little spines before being picked? They are easily knocked off and aren’t too sharp, but they give a bit of […]
Caterpillar That Eats Passion Fruit Leaves
This beautiful orange and black butterfly looks sweet, but it lays hundreds of eggs on our passion fruit vine leaves. At first, the eggs are bright yellow, but after a time, they turn a browner shade before hatching. The tiny caterpillar babies favor these passion fruit vines leaves (maracuya) and will quickly grow much larger. […]
Papaya Leaf Cure for Dengue Fever
With the number of people catching dengue fever seemingly on the rise every year in Costa Rica, especially during this rainy season, the demand for a simple and inexpensive remedy has never been higher, and as with so many common ailments, the modern medical system is not very helpful. The good news is that researchers […]
Giant Mushrooms
We found some mushrooms growing in the corner of the shade structure, seemingly connected somehow to the roots of a large Melina tree. We thought they were gigantic to begin with, but they just keep growing larger and large and now are much larger than the original huge size. They’re by far the largest […]
Artificial Wasp Nest for Caterpillar Control
There are hundreds of species of wasps in the jungles of Costa Rica. Many or most are predators of other insects, and we’ve learned that they’re already being used in other parts of Costa Rica to control flies. A Plague of Caterpillars that Eat Spinach and Arugula We have several types of small caterpillars that […]
Natural Predators as Allies on the Farm
Here I’m creating an ongoing article exploring the symbiotic relationship between our farm, and the natural creatures that live in the jungle around us. How can we help each other? What can we do to encourage the right type of critters to come to dine on the bugs and beasts that bother us? The following […]
Using Tarantulas for Pest Control
We are Using Tarantulas to Help Us Control Unwanted Insects The downside of having an enclosed space for growing plants is that not many birds can get inside to help us control the bugs that inevitably do get in there. We need nature’s helpful predators on our side, and since we’ve created a protective bubble, […]
Passion Fruit
Permaculturists like to talk about “stacking functions” which means that we try to find multiple uses for an given thing. From that standpoint, Passion Fruit Vine is a dream plant. This incredibly hardy vine will grow on just about anything, so it has many great uses: Fruit: The tasty “maracuya” passion fruit has a […]
Broccoli! We have done the “impossible” once again!
They said it couldn’t be done, but our meter-high broccoli plants are proving them wrong. We have a couple dozen growing in various spots around the farm, and at this moment, two of them are sprouting broccoli heads, which are expanding daily. How to Grow Broccoli in the Tropics We’re located in the Southern […]
