
Last Summer I shared my first season of successful jocote air layering. Less than one year later & that same jocote tree has begun to grow fruitš¤²š¾ When you start learning to grow food, one of the first things youāll hear is that it takes SO long before your first harvest from fruit trees. Itās
I professed my appreciation for sweet potato plants a couple years ago (https://mahabafarms.us/2023/10/02/sweet-potato-summers-hero/). Since then, Iāve only become more convinced of the wonders of sweet potato growing. Now that temperatures are warmer, I am aggressively propagating sweet potato plants & spreading them all over the farm. Theyāre not just excellent ground cover- actively smothering the
Itās no surprise that my contrarian nature also applies to my style of farmingš Though it didnāt start out this way, part of Mahaba Farmsās mission has become to reintroduce diversity to my little patch of Earth. When I started the farm mid-2023, I quickly became bored by the local nursery offerings- each with the
Local practice would dictate I grow dragonfruit (a.k.a. pitaya) on a trellis constructed of wood & cemented into the ground. I believe that even if one removes the burden of labor, this cultivation method has several shortcomings, but to each their own. For me, building a structure to RESEMBLE a tree for the naturally epiphytic
Black sapote (pronounced āsa-poe-TAYā) or āchocolate pudding fruitā is (in South Florida) a rare tropical fruit Iām grateful to have been able to enjoy on a few different occasions. Native to Central America, the fruits are variably sweet, but always with hints of cocoa in the custardy flesh. They are high in fiber; a good
Since designing & installing the electrical system in my ambulance to RV conversion this past Summer, Iāve gained the confidence to take on smaller electrical projects in order to create ease or increase efficiency. In the case of designing a portable, rechargeable water pump, both ease & efficiency would be addressed. I make my own
All around the farm, there are signs that Summer is near. My first Blanket flowers (Gaillardia) are in bloomšš¾ Sunflowers arenāt yet blooming, but their sturdy stalks are popping up around the farm now. Iāve been sowing them generously every other week with visions of continuous sunflower bouquets in mind𤩠The avocado trees I planted
Weāve got a limited supply of Cuban oregano plants in pots for $15 cash! Cuban oregano is a fast growing, low maintenance plant. It makes excellent ground cover at the base of fruit trees. The fragrant herb can be used culinarily like generic oregano. It is also heralded in some cultures for its medicinal properties.
Mahaba Farms began on land that was barren except for 3 mango trees planted along the south side many decades ago by my great grandfather. The largest of the 3 trees is a Turpentine mango. I know there are people who like Turpentine mangoes (known in the Caribbean as āStringiesā), but Iām definitely not one
Purely out of frustration at my inability to find edible flowers for sale locally, I determined to grow them myself. It took time to improve my growing conditions & identify the right flower varieties; plus learn how to best harvest & store the flowers, but now I can make my culinary art dreams come trueš¤