The Great South Florida Food Forest Project: June 2013 update

As I've written before, I've got something cool going on down south.

I visited last week and got some new photos. It's amazing how fast tropical plants grow - everything is looking pretty darn good. I need to get some nitrogen-fixers going, though. Maybe I should mail Dad some pigeon peas...

Check out what's going on - the 6th Street Mulberry I got from the Edible Plant Project and gave to Dad has almost doubled in size. Crazy.

 

Below is a look at the food forest from the back fence side. Here you can see Senna alata (with the yellow blooms), Tithonia diversifolia to the left, malanga near the bottom, some cassava, a glimpse of moringa trunk and a bit of banana tree.

 

The next shot shows a giant papaya on the top left. I grew that thing from seed. In the lower middle is a chaya plant, also known as "Mexican spinach."

 

And now, take a look at the little grumichama we planted earlier this year. See the sign? That's so Dad doesn't forget what it is. He's not quite the plant nut I am.

 

And here's a shot from the house side. Look at that cassava coming along!

Next, here's my little tropical avocado seedling. It's about 4' tall now. Not as amazing as Eddy's, but it's gonna get there.

Remember my previous story about cutting down the scheffelera tree? The acerola cherry we planted to replace it is doing wonderfully... and it's bearing fruit already. Dad's been sharing them with visitors. Look!

And... here's one last shot for the road. I may not be able to grow the tropical subsistence plot I want up here, but at least I get to play around every few months ago in my parents' backyard.

Not bad at all. Mom and Dad have already been harvesting fruit, beans and even the occasional self-seeded tomato from this little patch of jungle.