GARDENING

April 1999 Table of Contents - Current Issue of The Abaco Journal - Abaco Bahamas' Home Page

GARDENING
by Jack Hardy

We've only just moved into spring, but the Abaco gardener must be aware that anything planted now has to be summer tolerant. On the vegetable side, we should only plant those seeds that are tropical in nature. There are many varieties, for instance, of tropical tomatoes. Second best are Italian type plum tomatoes and cherry tomatoes, particularly the large-fruited variety. Broccoli and cauliflower have tropical varieties that give surprisingly good results.

The traditional vegetable crops of summer are okra, black-eyed peas, black beans, watermelons, sweet potatoes, hot peppers, collards, Calabaza pumpkins and other field crops.

You may wish to try out a Caribbean favourite: chayote, called Christophene in the southern islands. You can buy chayote at local stores. They look like somewhat wrinkly, flattened, light green pears. They are cooked as for squash and their taste is somewhat insipid, but growing one's own usually changes perceptions about taste and quality. Plant a couple of chayotes in a heavily enriched hill near to a fence or something else that will bear a good weight. Dry the fruits as much as possible and plant them thin end down, covered to about three-quarters of their length. The large cucumber-like leaves will soon appear and growth is often at the rate of six inches a day.

On the floral side, choose New Guinea impatiens instead of the common winter favourites. Petunias, cosmos and vincas are summer reliables. Plant calladiums, callas and other tropicals as they will immediately shoot into action. Other bulbs and tubers can be planted as root growth will be established during the rainy season. Some will not flower until next year, but they'll give you consistent flowering from then on.

Feed and spray your tropical fruit and citrus plants as part of the spring, summer and autumn regimen. 6-6-6 granular fertilizer in the ground and a minor nutrient spray on the leaves should keep your individual trees or groves in good health.

Now and the next couple of months is the ideal time to take cuttings of your favourite flowering shrubs. Don't forget that Blue Daze is one of many flowering plants that will reproduce readily if a small branch is picked off and planted separately.

Now the bad news. Put a new spark plug in your lawn mower and change the oil. It's that time of year again!

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