Island Farm: Organic Farming on the Caribbean

While holidaying in Malaysia, on my last day, i st...

2012-03-28T00:14:16.304-07:00

While holidaying in Malaysia, on my last day, i stopped by a nursery in (Johor Bahru) and bought a 30 cm chempedak plant,with 8 healthy dark green leaves, wrapped it in cotton, and it eventually survived its trip from Singapore all the way to Nigeria, Port Harcourt.

Immediately, it was transplanted, the first week all the leaves turned yellow and fell. Soon after new leaves popped out, and its growing well.

Time will tell, if it will survive in the West African climate..

Nice Blog ! Thank you for your very nice articles....

2012-03-15T00:36:39.749-07:00

Nice Blog ! Thank you for your very nice articles. I look forward to visiting your site in the future! I like this very much.
Methods of Modern Farming

I haven't encountered anything even a fraction...

2012-03-13T12:05:11.336-07:00

I haven't encountered anything even a fraction as handsome as that parrot, but I was walking along the cycle path and heard the most wonderful song coming from a tree right next to me. I saw the bird almost immediately, although more by luck than judgment since it was a tiny little dark brown thing with a soft brown throat. It made a noise out of all proportion to it's size. I looked away and pretended I hadn't noticed it because they don't sing when you look at them - self-consciousness I expect - and it sang a few more times. A heartbreaking rising and falling which trailed away into nothing. As so often with birds and people, it's the dowdier ones with less in the way of plumage that sing most beautifully.

Nice update, Ancel. Sounds peaceful, yet exciting...

2012-03-11T09:49:00.818-07:00

Nice update, Ancel. Sounds peaceful, yet exciting with that toucan display. I bet that is mating behavior. :-)

My goodness! I'm not that keen on snakes and a...

2012-03-08T13:21:40.695-07:00

My goodness! I'm not that keen on snakes and am happy to live on an island that doesn't have any. Still, they are beautiful creatures and have their part in nature's plan.

I am also into gardening. My practice, including...

2012-01-20T07:13:19.900-07:00

I am also into gardening. My practice, including guerrilla gardening/pavement pimping, gardening in the roof, propagation and planting in a difficult, not talk about concrete/asphalt urban context.

Our residence in Santurce in one mile from the Atlantic. The soil is 95 percent sand. One has to consider the saline breeze, drought and heat to have a significant collection. We have over one hundred species identified with their botanical names and a writing/photographic trajectory of five years.

This is a nice blog/work. In Puerto Rico there are some people into similar practices.

Good luck in your projects!

Here a couple of reviews on my work.

http://www.guiaverde.com/blog/destacadas/jardin-tropical-en-puerto-rico

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/7741396/5_gardening_blogs_you_should_read.html?cat=32

Hi Ancel, its so good to see you're back to bl...

2011-10-29T02:14:25.911-07:00

Hi Ancel, its so good to see you're back to blogging again. Missed your posts.

Hurray for toucans, fig trees, and Ancel being bac...

2011-09-24T15:57:29.802-07:00

Hurray for toucans, fig trees, and Ancel being back online!! we've sold our property and moved closer to the sea (30 minutes south) The new property has lots of established fruit trees (lemon, lemonaide, mandarin, mulberry, pecan, 3 macadamias, fig) and it borders a creek!!! remember my water harvesting efforts? ;) and theres a cedar house with a little creekside cabin. the kids love it, we all do. I'm getting a certificate in massage, and might set the cabin up for treatments. enough about me, I'm happy to see you on here again.
much love my friend,
Atulya

I have never met this tree and don't think I&#...

2011-09-18T19:18:37.817-07:00

I have never met this tree and don't think I've seen anything anything like it! Fascinating.

Ancel!! Hi! I have e-mailed you 4 or 5 times since...

2011-09-11T17:56:21.821-07:00

Ancel!! Hi! I have e-mailed you 4 or 5 times since May with no response. I must have the wrong email address. I just want to get back in touch, we will be in CR for six weeks right after Thanksgiving. I would love to see you while we are there. Please e-mail me again so we can reconnect. Hugs! Angie

Great to have you back, Ancel! Hope you have been...

2011-09-11T17:02:03.595-07:00

Great to have you back, Ancel! Hope you have been well.

cheers,
Wilma

Just to share my experience. The first time I got ...

2011-08-16T01:00:20.992-07:00

Just to share my experience. The first time I got coconut oil I did think whether I should use it or not. My sister bought it from http://products.mercola.com/coconut-oil/ Then, I checked a lot of website and found out that it's good on skin and hair. So, that was where I first used it. Eventually, I used it for cooking especially when frying. Coconut oil is really awesome! I love it so much! Thanks for this post! Hope to see the cheese-making part soon. :)

This blog is incredible. Love it! But how do you g...

2011-08-01T13:45:38.380-07:00

This blog is incredible. Love it! But how do you guys handle the pest control? Do you use any particular pest control company or are you just handling it in house? I know the tropics can be an awful place for bugs. Especially ones that eat crops and flowers.

Wow, good idea to have kindergarten with farming t...

2011-04-25T20:28:25.712-07:00

Wow, good idea to have kindergarten with farming teachings. They both look so naive.
dean graziosi

It's so interesting to compare the plants that...

2011-04-25T07:56:31.978-07:00

It's so interesting to compare the plants that I use to teach children about the garden (here in Massachusetts, USA) with what you are growing there. It sounds like they will really enjoy seeing and learning about all of those plants.

This post also reminds me to plant more herbs for tea this year!

Just dropping by from Puerto Rico, USA. Excellent...

2011-01-16T17:01:05.486-07:00

Just dropping by from Puerto Rico, USA.

Excellent post!

Hey ciao! I wanted to try homemade coconut oil......

2010-11-23T21:18:39.141-07:00

Hey ciao!
I wanted to try homemade coconut oil...I've got time and coconuts! Not as good as a Asian Coconut but it's fine! Im in Brisbane, Australia! But I'm Italian.
Now I'm going to get some coconuts...tonight I'll make it! I'll let you know!
cheers
J

Oh by the way I loved the way you explained it! :) The dog? So sweet!!!

What an amazing post. We also have the fer-de-lanc...

2010-08-18T14:06:15.517-07:00

What an amazing post. We also have the fer-de-lance in Trinidad. They are called mapepires here and we have two kings - the mapepire balsain and the mapepire zanana. The zanana is more rare and lives at a higher altitude. She is very shy which is a good thing because she is very dangerous. Really glad I found this blog. I'll be back to visit.
Sharon

Wow. AmaZzzZzing. Quite the garden.

2010-08-15T07:07:51.366-07:00

Wow. AmaZzzZzing. Quite the garden.

It's the dried roasted bean I've used (acc...

2010-08-06T06:28:20.473-07:00

It's the dried roasted bean I've used (accidentally of course, with a container left open, or a spill on the floor). I've also had some success with regular powdered cocoa, dark for full effect. I don't think husks would do it: it's the bean that has all the active ingredients, likewise I don't think the flesh would have much affect either. But try the boric acid cookies. They work well, not as quickly as the cacao, but are super effective here.
Good luck everyone!

cacao kills cockroaches...detail please, the dried...

2010-08-05T20:41:15.752-07:00

cacao kills cockroaches...detail please, the dried beans the pod the wet beans just scooped out of the pod? I hate roaches any info as to their demise is welcome

Hi Nicole, Yes, sorosi is Momordica charantia! Wh...

2010-07-30T20:13:52.634-07:00

Hi Nicole,

Yes, sorosi is Momordica charantia! What do you use it for?

Thats sounds like quite a garden! Is sorosi Momord...

2010-07-30T15:28:45.908-07:00

Thats sounds like quite a garden! Is sorosi Momordica charantia?

I am glad you had a nice trip! How was the vanilla...

2010-07-23T07:34:46.744-07:00

I am glad you had a nice trip! How was the vanilla farm? Thank you for the e-mail last night...it was a real comfort. You are a good friend. I'll be writing you back shortly. Hugs! Angie

ugh! nasty, nasty creatures! I hate it when they s...

2010-07-01T19:56:18.187-07:00

ugh! nasty, nasty creatures! I hate it when they stink (even worse than usual) to drive off predators / attackers.
Thats a great tip, Ancel. But cacao sounds too good for them :P