Growing Tropical vegetables
Do you fall into the same rut every summer with your vegetable garden? We can grow many of our favourite vegetables in our gardens most of the year, but when the summer heat strikes, most of our plants just seem to wilt away. No wonder so many people give up on their gardens when summer arrives!
But this need not be. Summer in this part of the world is the perfect time for growing tropical vegetables. In this wonderful sub- tropical climate of ours we can grow vegetables that are easy to care for as they need very little irrigation and thrive in our summer heat. Some of these tropical vegetables are perennials and generously keep producing year after year.
The tropical vegetables fall into three basic categories; starchy tubers, leafy greens and beans and gourds. There are so many variations of these and they are so tasty too.
Edible landscapes can so easily be created with these hardy plants and they make quite a presence in the front or backyard. Full sun does not deter them and watering is hardly an issue as these plants are deeply rooted into the soil. Once the plants are established and even when there are long dry periods, they just seem to sit there doing nothing much until the rains come again. The heat and the rain then bring on rapid growth and a few weeks later the garden will show you a dramatic difference.
We also touch on creating a food forest garden the Permaculture way. The Permaculture concept of gardening in a food forest will help to create a balanced eco system where there is a micro-climate with built in pest control.
Cooking with these unusual vegetables is also very easy. A lot of these dishes have the addition of coconut cream and recipes are often cooked in one pot. The taste of tropical vegetables is very appealing to most people and they are good for us as well.
In this one day workshop, participants will have an overview of the tropical vegetables that we have available in our Permaculture gardens here in
South East Queensland. Tropical vegetables that are in season will be featured more closely and we will look at how they grow in the community gardens at Yandina or on a PowerPoint presentation. Participants are then assigned a simple recipe to cook up a very unusual but delicious lunch so there will be plenty of taste testing. Plants are for sale as they are available in season.
If you can gather fifteen people or more I will come out to you anywhere in South East Queensland. Cost is $75 per person and bookings can be made by contacting Elisabeth Fekonia.
