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:
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
DATE: February 2000
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