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Topics - TheVeggieProfessor

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1
Tropical Fruit Discussion / 10b - best snacking fruits for kids
« on: January 23, 2023, 11:31:22 AM »
I'm putting together a play area in the yard for my daughter. For both shade and foraging, I'd like to have fruiting trees, shrubs, and ground covers. Jamaican cherry tree is great for snacking for kids and for shade. She also loves everglades tomatoes, so I'll plant those around probably as ground cover.
What else should I consider? The plants don't have to be super productive, but I'd prefer if it's not very unproductive.

2
Tropical Fruit Discussion / 12x12 nut tree
« on: November 21, 2022, 09:59:41 AM »
Hi all. I am looking to plant a tree to the south of my house that can help to provide some shade. From my house to the fence, there is about 20'. My roof has an over hang of a few feet, plus I want to be able to walk comfortably around the tree, so I'm looking for something that can be maintained in the neighborhood of 12x12 or so (a little bigger is fine). I thought macadamia could be nice. I'm more interested in tropical almond, but am not sure if that will fruit well if I attempt to maintain it at 12x12. Any experiences? Other recommendations?

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Tropical Fruit Discussion / Neighbor pesticide spray
« on: October 18, 2022, 03:01:52 PM »
Hi all. My neighbors use this perimeter mosquito repellent: https://mosquitonixsouthflorida.com/
It goes for 45 seconds 3x per day. I get considerable drift onto my property. What would you do if you were me? Plant fruiting plants along the fence and accept that the pesticide will affect the fruit, or plant a non-productive hedge to block the spray?

4
Tropical Fruit Discussion / What to plant north of my house?
« on: October 06, 2022, 07:54:31 PM »
I'm thinking about what to plant immediately to the north of my house - just a few feet from the wall. Technically, it's not due north, but a bit northwest, so I get a very small amount of afternoon sun even in December. I was going to plant ginger there, but have been thinking about some other ideas. One thought I had was to plant some tropical persimmon seeds and see what happens. I figure it won't have leaves when that area gets a very small amount of sunlight. Plus they don't grow that big. What do you think? What other plants can I try? Something that doesn't grow too big and will play nice with my foundation.

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Tropical Fruit Discussion / Ma'afala breadfruit
« on: October 02, 2022, 05:07:53 PM »
I hear that ma'afala is slightly more cold tolerant than other breadfruit varieties and somewhat of a compact grower. I was thinking about giving it a try in south FL (10b). Any experiences with this, especially the growth habit? I have a spot that can accommodate a tree that I keep maxed out at 15x15 (though smaller would be preferred). Would this fit the bill, or too vigorous a grower?

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Tropical Vegetables and Other Edibles / Tree collards in subtropics
« on: September 27, 2022, 08:10:17 AM »
I'm in 10b (SE FL). Has anyone had luck with any varieties of tree collards making it through the summer? Project tree collard says that their "Big Blue" variety might be okay up to zone 11, but hasn't been tested much. I'm thinking of giving it a try, but wondering if anyone found one that works?

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Tropical Fruit Discussion / Front yard tree - east of large oak
« on: September 25, 2022, 02:33:50 PM »
I have a mamey sapote planted in my front yard just outside the drip line of a large oak - to the east. It gets about 4.5-5 hours of sun per day. The mamey just doesn't seem happy there. I have lots of trees planted all around the mamey and it's the only one experiencing any substantial pest pressure. Maybe it's not getting enough sun, or maybe the roots of the oak are making the soil too acidic. I'm thinking about moving the mamey and replacing it with something else that might like those conditions better. I don't want to do a jabo, because it's too far from my spigot to care to run irrigation. I don't want to do carambola either. I'm interested in something that is attractive and where the fruit is not likely to be stolen. I though maybe rolinia. Macadamia could be good, but I won't be able to shoot squirrels in the front yard. Maybe a bird feeder in the back would be enough - I could knock them out back there and then won't have them in the front either. Maybe a tropical persimmon? Any other ideas for a tree that would be happier there? Preferably a nut or off-season tree.

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Tropical Fruit Discussion / Fruiting Shade Tree - Worth it?
« on: September 17, 2022, 03:06:09 PM »
I'm in SE FL. Interested in adding a shade tree to the south of my house to help to keep my living room a bit cooler. I like for all of the trees I grow to serve a purpose and producing food is the most appealing purpose. However, I'd want to let the tree grow tall to shade as much of the home as possible (1 story only). So harvesting the fruit would be a pain. Perhaps something that drops fruits (such as macadamia) would be worthwhile? Or maybe something that I can trellis yams up. Any recommendations?

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Tropical Fruit Discussion / 10b (south florida) perennial staple foods
« on: September 04, 2022, 08:20:11 AM »
In the vein of living more sustainably, I've been buying more local food and growing more and more of my own food. It's easy to find locally and grow your own "nutrition" crops, like green leafies. I can also find local fruits easily. But staple foods are harder to come by. So now I am growing my own annual staple crops (e.g., sweet potatoes, cassava, etc.). But I am more interested in perennials; tree and shrub crops. Here's what I have going on right now and what I have in mind.

Currently:
Jackfruit (for the seeds)
Pigeon pea
Bananas

Potential:
Macadamia
Oyster nut

Any other ideas for perennial crops that can provide meaningful amounts of calories and macronutrients like carbs, proteins, and fats that grow in my climate?

10
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Help filling out a hedge
« on: August 28, 2022, 09:36:04 AM »
Hi all. I was in need of privacy along my fence, so I planned to plant a hedge of fruiting plants. However, my neighbors have a mosquito spray that the wind carries over to my property, so I didn't want to plant anything with edible skin. Along most of the hedge, the space I am working with is pretty narrow (about 9 feet or so until you reach my pool fence). I decided to plant bananas along the hedge, which worked great for a while, until a disease showed up, which has been spreading to many of my bananas. I am in the process of diagnosing and treating the disease, but it has underscored to me the importance of avoiding a monoculture. This would be much easier to treat if it didn't spread so rapidly down my hedge. So I am going to pull out some of the bananas that appear to be too far gone and replace them with other plants. However,  am still not sure what to choose, given that I need a plant that will grow to at least 8' to provide some privacy, but also that won't encroach too much on the pool fence. I still need to be able to walk around there. I am going to do some pigeon peas, but I am looking for additional ideas. I thought that araza might be a possibility.
This spot along my fence gets full sun. It is along the east of my property, running from north to south. Thanks for any ideas.

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Tropical Fruit Discussion / Compact, anthracnose resistant, late season mangoes?
« on: July 24, 2022, 04:17:32 PM »
Any recommendations for the above? I've heard that Venus has good resistance.

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Tropical Fruit Discussion / Bilimbi size
« on: July 17, 2022, 11:23:02 AM »
Can bilimbi be maintained as at 6 feet wide and still fruit?

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Tropical Fruit Discussion / Help me choose my next fruit trees/shrubs?
« on: July 07, 2022, 08:38:21 PM »
On the north side of my backyard and my front yard, I am loaded down with trees. Most of them get pretty large - mangoes, avocado, black sapote, jackfruit, san pablo custard apple, mamey, persimmon, fig, barbados cherry, mulberry, and jabo. I have lots of bananas, papayas, and pineapples too. I am now thinking about plants for the south side of my backyard. This is where I currently have my annual vegetable garden. The space is only ~22' wide (from my house to the fence). I'm looking to retain a small vegetable garden. My plan is to plant deciduous trees to the south so that sunlight can get in for my winter vegetables, and trees to the north that are either deciduous or let in dappled light, so that I can grow veggies underneath them.

I'm looking for small trees and shrubs that meet a few criteria:
1. Are deciduous or let in dappled light.
2. Can be managed at a fairly small size (lets say up the 8' wide. Maybe a little more)
3. Are productive. It's okay if some of them produce "snacks," but not all of them.
4. Ideally, are interesting. I have all of the "usual suspects" already, so something that's a bit more unique would be nice.

I have some ideas, but would love to get some advice from the forum members. I greatly appreciate your input!

14
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Mamey - 5 hours of sun
« on: July 03, 2022, 02:29:03 PM »
I planted a mamey to the east of an oak - just at the edge of the end of the canopy. It gets about 5 hours of morning sun. Then some dappled sun and shade. Should it be alright there or should I move it?

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Tropical Fruit Discussion / Bilimbi alternative and growing macadamia
« on: July 02, 2022, 08:47:02 PM »
Hi all. I have 2 questions.

First, my wife loves bilimbi but it is high in oxalates and contains s a neurotoxin , so not into eating it too often. Are there any similar tasting fruits to consider?

Second, what is the smallest size that macadamia can be maintained at and still be productive?

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Tropical Fruit Discussion / Didn't root prune when transplanting - problem?
« on: July 02, 2022, 01:11:19 PM »
I planted a number of trees a few months back. At the nursery, they told me not to prune the roots, so I didn't. Now I have some worry that I should have. Anything that I can do at this point?

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Tropical Fruit Discussion / Grafted San Pablo near broward county fl?
« on: July 01, 2022, 08:34:58 PM »
Anyone know where I can find one?

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Tropical Fruit Buy, Sell & Trade / Where can I find a grafted San Pablo near broward county?
« on: July 01, 2022, 08:32:22 PM »
Any ideas?

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Tropical Fruit Discussion / Seeking understory tree - morning sun, afternoon shade
« on: June 28, 2022, 02:54:37 PM »
I have a spot for a fruit tree just east of an oak right under the edge of the canopy. This spot gets full sun until around 1:00, then some dappled shade, then full shade. I'd like to identify some fruit trees that I can plant here. I'm particularly interested in a bilimbi or tropical cherry (i.e., rio grande). I believe that these would fit the bill, but not sure. Would they? Any other suggestions?

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Tropical Fruit Buy, Sell & Trade / Who is selling mangoes in broward county?
« on: May 29, 2022, 11:45:26 AM »
The subject says it all  ;D

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Tropical Fruit Discussion / At what temp to protect young fruit trees?
« on: January 24, 2022, 06:53:45 PM »
I'm in Broward county (SE FL), 10b. I made the risky move of planting some trees a few weeks ago. Now we're getting hit with lots of cold weather. On Saturday it's projected to get down to the mid 30s! At what temperature should I provide cold protection? I planted a mamey, jackfruit, and custard apple. Any tips for actually providing the cold protection if needed?

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Tropical Fruit Discussion / Most disease resistant mangoes for west Broward county FL
« on: January 18, 2022, 01:52:27 PM »
Hi all. Im out west in Broward county (SE FL). As I understand it, mangoes are more disease prone when out west. I'd like to increase my chances of success by planting the most disease resistant mangoes possible. I believe that pickering makes the list. Are there any other mangoes that are particularly good to grow from a disease resistance perspective?
Thanks

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Tropical Fruit Discussion / Do mysores tip?
« on: January 12, 2022, 03:42:07 PM »
I read a lot that mysore bananas have a strong root system so they don't tend to tip over. I have a mysore planted a few feet off of my fence and it's also a few feet from my pool (which has a screen around it). I don't want a massive stalk to tip over and either end up in my neighbors yard or break my pool screen. Is it true that mysores tend not to tip? Or should I consider replacing it with something smaller? If so, any recommendations for something smaller with a similar flavor profile? I love mysores!

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Tropical Fruit Discussion / Planted mamey tree at ~15 degree angle - okay?
« on: January 08, 2022, 08:13:18 PM »
Sorry for the noob question. I planted my mamey tree and when I stepped back to admire, I noticed I didn't get it perfectly straight; it's leaning by about 15 degrees or so. Would it be best to stake it up or just leave it be?
Thanks in advance.

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Tropical Fruit Discussion / "pumpkin pie" dwarf mamey
« on: January 04, 2022, 06:47:31 PM »
Anyone know anything about this new variety of mamey? From Zill. I can't find any information on it.

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