The South Florida food forest keeps kicking!
I’ve been meaning to post these pictures for a couple of weeks now. They were taken in mid-February and I’m sure everything looks even better now… but here goes.
First of all, this is the salad bed I posted on a few months ago:
As you can tell, it filled in nicely. In the foreground is a band of kale… and in the back are all perennial greens.
Next, here’s a shot of the food forest from the front:
There’s a lot going on in there and the native wildflowers have taken a liking to the undergrowth. Bees, wasps, butterflies, birds and reptiles have moved in rapidly and are enjoying the slice of paradise.
Here’s one of the other paths – notice the mango blooms to the right:
Moringa and papaya are silhouetted against a rainy sky:
The acerola cherry is looking bushy and healthy:
Again, here’s a view from another angle of the back food forest – how many species can you spot?
Papaya trees hug the wall:
Mangoes prepare to delight:
The tropical almond – which started as a seedling with two leaves – has grown by leaps and bounds:
Malanga and naranjilla exist in harmony:
Tomatoes climb the fence next to a baby Monstera.
More diversity than any other yard on the block:
The chocolate pudding fruit is even putting on some new growth. The tree was root-bound and chlorotic when we bought it… it’s a lot better now:
Altogether, this has been a most worthwhile project. Production is minimal at this point… but the bounty is on its way.
Plus, it’s a lot prettier than a regular, boring patch of grass.
6 responses to “The Great South Florida Food Forest Project: New Photos”
Wow! It's all looking wonderfully lush and exciting!! Here's to lots of delicious food for you all.
It looks beautiful. Be sure and watch out for thieves. My grandmother had about 5 or 6 fully grown mango and avocado trees in her yard in Miami, and one night thieves came and picked all of the fruit. The trees were huge, I don't know how they did it.
Thieves did the same to my grandparents a couple of times. South Florida can be an ugly place. Unfortunate, considering the lovely climate.
Jean, what is that rose in your photo? I love it!
This sure looks lovely! just came back to Vienna from Florida, I was so sad to see that nobody over there really does any gardening (at least not the families I visited) with such warm weather and abundant rain, it just seems like a waste of land and infinite time not to do some own gardening instead of just letting the landscaping company do all the work! Even indoor planting would work for those who hate to be out in the heat and inclement sun! but it just doesn't occur to anyone to throw a couple of seeds in a cup of soil and put it on the window sill. The only one I saw growing something herself was my mom, she has lovely basil and numerous flowers she takes care of herself!
I'm completely with you… it's a shameful waste of a wonderful climate.