Growing vegetables under the Dominican Sun.

[johne]

Hate to sound like the stereotyped Italian gardening every day in a vegetable patch loaded with vegetables. However, that works for me.
The DR is an amazing! place to grow so many things year round. You might dislike spinach but according to some articles written it is the #1 healthiest vegetable you can eat. I happen to like it raw or cooked and it grows like a weed in the right conditions year round. Right now I pick off small leaves everyday and use, give it away, or take pictures and send to those people in the north sitting in the cold...just to annoy them.
You can grow spinach from seed in about a month. You can harvest the seeds from the flowers and grow more spinach. All for a $2 package of seeds.
Tomatoes. Without a doubt not as easy as they need more care but once you get started you can have all the tomatoes you want year round. The climate here in the DR is perfect for Italian Roma , small cherry, larger cherry, beefsteak, and mid size round. I favor the small cherry as they grow "bush size " and they grow fast close to the ground. Yesterday I picked a couple of pints for fresh pasta sauce this weekend. Again, save the seeds and continue to plant year round.
Admittedly, I spend a good deal of time with this hobby but it's totally worthwhile. A few hours in early morning, and then again an hour or two before sunset.
If you need any help or advise I'll be glad to assist... virtually that is. LOL.

 

[william webster]

Yes, spinach is good for you..... the greener the vegetable, the more healthy for you..... broccoli is another...... dark green

 

[bob saunders]

The actual act of gardening is good for your health. Lowers your BP, puts in in touch with the earth and nature, and it feels good to eat what you produce. My MIL had a couple of overripe tomatoes that were beyond the eating stage. We sliced them up and planted them. We now have a dozen or so very healthy-looking plant that should start producing in a few weeks. Worth the effort to know at least some of what you are eating is chemical and pesticide free.

 

[Exodusbywind]

Hate to sound like the stereotyped Italian gardening every day in a vegetable patch loaded with vegetables. However, that works for me.
The DR is an amazing! place to grow so many things year round. You might dislike spinach but according to some articles written it is the #1 healthiest vegetable you can eat. I happen to like it raw or cooked and it grows like a weed in the right conditions year round. Right now I pick off small leaves everyday and use, give it away, or take pictures and send to those people in the north sitting in the cold...just to annoy them.
You can grow spinach from seed in about a month. You can harvest the seeds from the flowers and grow more spinach. All for a $2 package of seeds.
Tomatoes. Without a doubt not as easy as they need more care but once you get started you can have all the tomatoes you want year round. The climate here in the DR is perfect for Italian Roma , small cherry, larger cherry, beefsteak, and mid size round. I favor the small cherry as they grow "bush size " and they grow fast close to the ground. Yesterday I picked a couple of pints for fresh pasta sauce this weekend. Again, save the seeds and continue to plant year round.
Admittedly, I spend a good deal of time with this hobby but it's totally worthwhile. A few hours in early morning, and then again an hour or two before sunset.
If you need any help or advise I'll be glad to assist... virtually that is. LOL.

Nice to hear from a fellow gardener. Is your soil naturally loamy? Do you amend it with compost? What do you have difficulty growing that we can grow up in the northern states?

 

[Kipling333]

A most refreshing post and I am an avid gardener also but with flowers and fruit and not with vegetables nor herbs so far because I do not have very good soil. However, I have been hunting around for a property in the East with good soil and access to a water supply to build a large garden with a vegetable garden included . Hope I can achieve success before I fall of the perch .

 

[johne]

Nice to hear from a fellow gardener. Is your soil naturally loamy? Do you amend it with compost? What do you have difficulty growing that we can grow up in the northern states?

Naturally loamy. I add nothing Many things I start in cups with store bought seed starter but vegs. such has squash (3 types) , cabbage, lettuce , beets, cukes, bata, I sow directly in the ground.

There is nothing that we can't grow here that I desire. Some things such as melons and chayote need a LOT of care in handling. Hanging support, trellis to be built etc but I welcome the challenge as it was all new to me.

 

[johne]

A most refreshing post and I am an avid gardener also but with flowers and fruit and not with vegetables nor herbs so far because I do not have very good soil. However, I have been hunting around for a property in the East with good soil and access to a water supply to build a large garden with a vegetable garden included . Hope I can achieve success before I fall of the perch .

At first the "water supply" was a major obstacle to say the least. Got it worked out through a lot of bartering and 300 feet of hose.

 

[johne]

Once you get "in the loop" things come your way. Recently I traded vegetables for honey. Another time I traded chinola cuttings for a giant squash.Pretty easy since I had 15 of them laying in the ground. Now I have a chinola vine wrapped around a tree 30 feet up. Chinolas soon.

 

[NanSanPedro]

Johne, when you started up, where did you buy your seeds and small pots?

 

[JD Jones]

Once you get "in the loop" things come your way. Recently I traded vegetables for honey. Another time I traded chinola cuttings for a giant squash.Pretty easy since I had 15 of them laying in the ground. Now I have a chinola vine wrapped around a tree 30 feet up. Chinolas soon.

That Chinola vine will drive you nuts one day.. ha ha

 

[bob saunders]

Naturally loamy. I add nothing Many things I start in cups with store bought seed starter but vegs. such has squash (3 types) , cabbage, lettuce , beets, cukes, bata, I sow directly in the ground.

There is nothing that we can't grow here that I desire. Some things such as melons and chayote need a LOT of care in handling. Hanging support, trellis to be built etc but I welcome the challenge as it was all new to me.

Things like swiss chards, garlic,...etc are cool weather crops and normally dont do well under the tropical heat. I am lucky to have a source for well composted cow manure as well as chicken manure. We also compose.

 

[johne]

Johne, when you started up, where did you buy your seeds and small pots?

The seeds I have bought in 3 places. (1) Home Depot Sav. Ga. (2) China Town NYC (my favoite seeds. Imported from China of course...but are supper GREAT for greens that grow in the ground.) And a great line of seeds that are available in the produce dept of Jumbo in Mega Centro. Foil lined packages imported from Spain (I think?). Fabuluos seed.

 

[johne]

Seeds should be stored in a box or container in the refrigerator. Don't wrap in paper towels or let them get wet. They will start to germinate in the paper towel under the right conditions. LOL.

 

[Exodusbywind]

Things like swiss chards, garlic,...etc are cool weather crops and normally dont do well under the tropical heat. I am lucky to have a source for well composted cow manure as well as chicken manure. We also compose.

They say compost, is "gardeners gold"

 

[Exodusbywind]

The seeds I have bought in 3 places. (1) Home Depot Sav. Ga. (2) China Town NYC (my favoite seeds. Imported from China of course...but are supper GREAT for greens that grow in the ground.) And a great line of seeds that are available in the produce dept of Jumbo in Mega Centro. Foil lined packages imported from Spain (I think?). Fabuluos seed.

Here in our local community we have a seed exchange. Trading seeds, some of them have been in the area for 3 or 4 generations they do very well, the seeds adapt to the growing conditions.

 

[AlterEgo]

 

[bob saunders]

View attachment 7126

I like cheese and onion with mine.

 

[NanSanPedro]

I like cheese and onion with mine.

I love it with pepper, black or red.

 

[LindseyKaufman]

Once you get "in the loop" things come your way. Recently I traded vegetables for honey. Another time I traded chinola cuttings for a giant squash.Pretty easy since I had 15 of them laying in the ground. Now I have a chinola vine wrapped around a tree 30 feet up. Chinolas soon.

Be careful with the chinola wrapped around the tree. I had some vines like that. They grew up into the branches of my caoba. I finally decided to cut them down only to realized that they killed the tree.

 

[CristoRey]

Fish soup with spinach.
DELICIOUS!