Food Forest in Florida & Intro.

 Hello!

          Just found this sight and am so excited to be a part of it!  My family lives on the Treasure Coast in Florida and I am creating a food forest in my back and side yard on a quarter acre suburban lot.  We are growing,  Papaya, Moringa, Mango, Sugar Apple, Starfruit, Lychee, Barbados Cherry and Bananas as the main crop.

Welcome, looks lovely!
What's the thing with the big leaves growing to the right of your moringa?

Tereza Okava wrote:Welcome, looks lovely!
What's the thing with the big leaves growing to the right of your moringa?

Malanga.  Its a starchy root that I picked up at our local Hispanic grocery.  Ive never eaten it but was curious to see if it would grow!.

 Forgot to mention we have Avocado too, altho not fruiting yet.

oh wow, i thought it was some sort of climbing yam thing. I like your little elephant ears around the moringa (or is that the malanga?)

I have total plant envy!

Malanga is a kind of Taro.  I'm also trying to grow it from a root bought at the grocery store.

More about Malanga:  

Definitely looks like the leaves of some type of Dioscorea yam to the right of that moringa.  

Looking like a great start.  I suggest removing some of the grass around those trees while they are getting established, and putting some compost and a heavy layer of mulch.  Young fruit trees will grow slower when they have to compete with grass for food and water.

Tereza Okava wrote:oh wow, i thought it was some sort of climbing yam thing. I like your little elephant ears around the moringa (or is that the malanga?)

 It is an air potato?  We have 3 dogs so the chicken wire is around some of the trees so they dont dig!.  

Conner Murphy wrote:Definitely looks like the leaves of some type of Dioscorea yam to the right of that moringa.  

Looking like a great start.  I suggest removing some of the grass around those trees while they are getting established, and putting some compost and a heavy layer of mulch.  Young fruit trees will grow slower when they have to compete with grass for food and water.

Yes. It is like housework! Never done but very rewarding!. I just checked my grapvine, will have a bumper crop this year!

If you like passionfruit I bet it would do really well where you are, and you have lots of space where you could put up a line along the fence, for example.

Tereza Okava wrote:If you like passionfruit I bet it would do really well where you are, and you have lots of space where you could put up a line along the fence, for example.

Ive never tried it!  Is it seedy?

it does indeed have a lot of seeds, but you can strain them out! Usually you whiz them with water to make juice, but this year I've been experimenting with straining them straight with various tools- centrifugal juicer, augur juicer, cooking and just a plain old strainer, etc. So far the easiest thing is a whiz with the hand blender and strain through a metal strainer. Takes a little bit of time but it's no big deal. So far I've made jam and an AMAZING cake.
I've got 2 vines I put in 2 years ago, the first one gave me 20 pounds, and that was after I gave fruit to my neighbor and cousin. Second one, I haven't harvested yet, not sure what I'm going to do with all this fruit....

Tereza Okava wrote:it does indeed have a lot of seeds, but you can strain them out! Usually you whiz them with water to make juice, but this year I've been experimenting with straining them straight with various tools- centrifugal juicer, augur juicer, cooking and just a plain old strainer, etc. So far the easiest thing is a whiz with the hand blender and strain through a metal strainer. Takes a little bit of time but it's no big deal. So far I've made jam and an AMAZING cake.
I've got 2 vines I put in 2 years ago, the first one gave me 20 pounds, and that was after I gave fruit to my neighbor and cousin. Second one, I haven't harvested yet, not sure what I'm going to do with all this fruit....

Are you in Florida?  Ive got some Everglade Tomato Seeds to trade?

I'd love seeds but I'm a bit far- Brazil. lol

Lookin good.
What does the temp get down to on a winter night?

Awesome project. We have a food forest in the treasure coast region as well. Where our food forest is might see 0-3 light frosts a winter. Like 28-32 for an hour just before sunrise. Average lows in January is something like 54. Yearly average low is 62. Just a couple degrees short of an am/af climate.

Tyler Ludens wrote:I have total plant envy!

Malanga is a kind of Taro.  I'm also trying to grow it from a root bought at the grocery store.

More about Malanga:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jT2GvXqVkIg

I'm doing the same here in zone 5, to bring back down in the fall.

Dan Allen wrote:Awesome project. We have a food forest in the treasure coast region as well. Where our food forest is might see 0-3 light frosts a winter. Like 28-32 for an hour just before sunrise. Average lows in January is something like 54. Yearly average low is 62. Just a couple degrees short of an am/af climate.

 Would love to see photos of your food forest for inspration!  Id like to eventually create walking paths throughout the yard.

 Would you likr some Everglade Tomatoe Seeds?  Weve had a overload this year!

Barbara Rosendahl wrote:

Dan Allen wrote:Awesome project. We have a food forest in the treasure coast region as well. Where our food forest is might see 0-3 light frosts a winter. Like 28-32 for an hour just before sunrise. Average lows in January is something like 54. Yearly average low is 62. Just a couple degrees short of an am/af climate.

 Would love to see photos of your food forest for inspration!  Id like to eventually create walking paths throughout the yard.

 Would you likr some Everglade Tomatoe Seeds?  Weve had a overload this year!

If you look at my profile you can view my permaculture snowbird thread. Lots of pics on there, but I just started last winter, so not as far along as you. I would love some Everglades seeds. I would be happy to contact you when I'm back in Florida in the fall.

Dan Allen wrote:

Barbara Rosendahl wrote:

Dan Allen wrote:Awesome project. We have a food forest in the treasure coast region as well. Where our food forest is might see 0-3 light frosts a winter. Like 28-32 for an hour just before sunrise. Average lows in January is something like 54. Yearly average low is 62. Just a couple degrees short of an am/af climate.

 Would love to see photos of your food forest for inspration!  Id like to eventually create walking paths throughout the yard.

 Would you likr some Everglade Tomatoe Seeds?  Weve had a overload this year!

If you look at my profile you can view my permaculture snowbird thread. Lots of pics on there, but I just started last winter, so not as far along as you. I would love some Everglades seeds. I would be happy to contact you when I'm back in Florida in the fall.

👍