PLANT SELECTION FOR A DRY TROPICS PERMACULTURE / RARE FRUITS BACKYARD GARDEN

BACKGROUND
The original idea of listing what plants Ted and I grow in our backyard occurred in 1993 when we were asked to host a Permaculture Field Day. The focus of that afternoon was to help newcomers (both to Permaculture and to Townsville) to become aware of what plants can be grown in the dry tropics and to also look at how some basic permaculture concepts work in a backyard.

We had 50 people come and so the list was collated with the help of those people. A couple of years later I gave a talk to the Permaculture group and extended the list to include reasons why we had chosen those plants.

In February, the RFC Townsville/Thuringowa group combined with the Permaculture group of Townsville to re-visit our back yard as many people were keen to see how the yard had developed/changed.

FRUITING PLANTS/TREES

PLANTS THAT FRUIT OVER A LONG SEASON
Carambola, Star apple, Sapodilla, Paw Paw, Passionfruit, Rollinia, Sweet Sop, Soursop, Avocado, Jakfruit

EDIBLE HEDGES - (ie to screen out the neighbours!)

SMALLISH
Barbados Cherry*, Strawberry Guava, Grumichama, Coffee, Jaboticaba, Cedar Bay Cherry, Cherry of the Rio Grande, Pitomba

TREES FOR WHEN THE HUNGRY HOARDS ARRIVE ( ie short season; lots of fruit or BIG fruit)
Carambola, Mulberry, Sweet Sop, Grumichama, Banana, Strawberry Guava, Jakfruit, Mango*

LARGISH
Bunchosia, Carambola, Star apple, Sweet Sop, Soursop, Avocado, Jakfruit Chempedak, Carambola, Banana

PLANTS THAT PRODUCE QUICK GROWTH
Banana, Paw Paw, Santol, Passionfruit, Barbados Cherry*

FRUIT THAT ARE CONVERSATION PIECES
Jaboticaba, Cedar Bay Cherry, Cherry of the Rio Grande, Pitomba*, Jakfruit, Chempedak, Mamey Sapote, Red Jakfruit, Bunchosia, Santol, Manilla Sweet Bean*, Miracle fruit, Pitaya

PLANTS THAT PRODUCE QUICKLY FOR NEW LANDSCAPES
Banana, Paw Paw, Passionfruit, Barbados Cherry

PLANTS THAT ADD COLOUR TO THE LANDSCAPE
Santol, Manilla Sweet Bean, Grumichama, Star Apple

PLANTS THAT ADD PERFUME TO THE LANDSCAPE
Coffee, Pomelo, Pitaya

PLANTS THAT SURVIVE DROUGHT
Chinese Date, Syzygium eucalyptoides, Jakfruit

PLANTS THAT GROW IN BOGGY CONDITIONS
Banana, Mulberry

PLANTS WITH FRUIT TO SAVOUR (ie don't tell anyone when they are ripe)
Sapodilla, Abiu, Mamey Sapote, Pitaya

TREES THAT PRODUCE SHADE
Rollinia, Jakfruit Chempedak, Santol, Mulberry, Star Apple, Carambola, Mango

DESSERT FRUIT - ie put out and eat - no preparation
Rollinia, Jakfruit Chempedak, Mango, Soursop, Sapodilla, Mamey Sapote, Abiu, Pitaya, Sweetsop, Passionfruit

JUICE FRUIT
Carambola, Mango*, Soursop, Pomelo, Passionfruit

USEFUL FOR DRYING / PRESERVES / FREEZING / LIQUEURS
Drying - Jakfruit, Chempedak, Mango*, Banana

Jams/Jellies/Chutneys - Jaboticaba, Cedar Bay Cherry, Cherry of the Rio Grande, Mango*, Barbados Cherry*, Mulberry, Paw paw

Freezing - Jaboticaba, Mango*, Mulberry, Jakfruit, Soursop

Liqueurs - Jaboticaba, Mango*, Banana, Mulberry

NOVELTY FRUIT - for when the inquisitive kids arrive!
Miracle Fruit, Manilla Sweet Bean*, Santol, Ceylon Hill Gooseberry*

PLANTS THAT ARE "PROBLEM KIDS" BUT WORTH THE EFFORT
Salak - but it hasn't done much yet!, Pitaya, Granadilla

CLIMBERS
Passionfruit, Pitaya, Grape, Granadilla*

BUSHFOODS
Midyim, Syzygium eucalyptoides, Wombat Berry, Cedar Bay Cherry

PLANTS THAT GROW IN SHADED AREAS - ie not full sun
Guava - Red Cherry and Pink, Salak palm, Coffee, Cedar Bay Cherry, Avocado, Jaboticaba, Grumichama,

CONTAINER FRUIT
Strawberry, Midyum Berry, Pineapple, Miracle Fruit, Pepinos

HATERS OF WET FEET (ie trees that didn't survive seasonal inundations in clayish soil)
Paw Paw, Rollinia, Mamey Sapote, Chinese Date, Pitomba*

OTHER TREES/BUSHES THAT COULD GROW BUT THAT WE DON'T GROW
Pitomba*, Ceylon Hill Gooseberry*, Mangoes*, Lychees, other Citrus trees, Black Sapote, Persimmon, Granadilla*

RE-LANDSCAPED PLANTS - and reasons:

Mango - died from waterlogging - also we get given lots so why waste space?
Pitomba - died from waterlogging
Ceylon Hill Gooseberry - died- too shady
Manilla sweet Bean - only one use and didn't fruit much and had prickles
Barbados cherry - too big, had prickly stems and only I liked it
Chinese Date- died - waterlogging
Illama - poor bearer
Granadilla - was shaded out by neem tree

NOTE:
Those plants that are marked with an asterisk in a list were initially planted but are no longer in the yard.

Plants on these lists are only the ones that we have grown and used. There are any number of fruit trees that we have not mentioned that would be suitable to grow in the dry tropics without too much TLC.

VEGETABLES, HERBS and OTHER USEFUL PLANTS

DRY SEASON

GREENS
Lettuce - all types, Beetroot - tops, silverbeet, various Chinese cabbage varieties

LEGUMES
Snow pea, sugar snap peas (if you can time the fruiting to occur at the coldest time of the year), French beans

ROOTS AND BULBS
Potatoes, beetroot, salsify, carrots, kohl rabi, leeks, arrowroot

GRAINS and NUTS
Corn, sunflower, amaranth

OTHER
Tomatoes, zucchini, pumpkin

HERBS
Basils (of all kinds), sage marjoram, oregano, chives, galangal, ginger, thyme, shallots, parsley - Italian and curly, comfrey

DRY SEASON SELF-SEEDERS
Tomatoes

WET SEASON GROWERS - ie perform better in the wet season than the dry

GREENS
Aibika, pumpkin tips, sweet leaf, sweet potato tips, Basella, botany bay spinach

ROOTS
Cassava, sweet potato, yams, winged beans, arrowroot

LEGUMES
Peanuts, long beans, winged beans, cow peas

WET SEASON SELF-SEEDERS
Peanuts, winged beans, long beans

ALL YEAR

HERBS
Chives - garlic and society, galangal, basil - perennial and sweet
* note most herbs will survive the wet if put in pots and kept out of the rain

OTHER
Pumpkin, some types of tomatoes - ie cherry

ROOTS
Sweet potatoes, cassava, arrowroot, yams

WATER PLANTS
water chestnuts, arrowhead

OTHER USEFUL PLANTS
Neem tree, vanilla orchid

OTHER REASONS TO GROW PLANTS

GROUND COVERS
Sweet potatoes, pumpkin, peanuts

SURVIVAL FOOD/ CYCLONE RATIONS
Cassava, arrowroot, Basella, aibika, botany bay greens, sweet potato

CALENDAR OF PLANTING/PREPARING THE GARDEN - for Townsville

WHEN STORM BIRDS COME BACK ie start of the wet season
Winged beans, cassava sticks, sweet potato cuttings, pumpkins

ST PATRICKS DAY
Get vege patch ready for the winter/dry season plants

EASTER
Plant the winter/dry season plants plants

Ted Priester and Anne Bruyeres
(with help from Jim Clerkin and Charlie Nolan)

DATE: February 2000

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