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Plantation House Eco-site, Grand Cayman



 Also available in Grand Cayman for February and March 2010 - Updates!

Dill, Rosemary, Lemon Grass, Parsley, Cilantro, Fennel, Culantro, Thyme, Broad-leaf Thyme, Basil, Greek Oregano, Sage and Mint are now available for purchase in various pot sizes, including 4", 6", 1-gallon and 3-gallon. Also, freshly-cut Sweet Basil, Rosemary, Lemon Grass, Allspice (Pimento) and Bay Leaves are available in packaging.

Mangoes are in full bloom on most parts of Grand Cayman and some trees (like Edwards and Nam Doc Mai) are already holding 30-day old fruit. The mango ripening season will therefore start earlier this year than is normal and some persons have asked why?

Generally, in temperate climates it is stress through chilling temperates that stimulate fruit tree flowering. In tropical climates, it is often drought that creates that stress, albeit similar conditions may be simulated through pruning and ferlisation regimes.

Well, the past 3 months in Cayman have been a bit unusual as we have had a "wetter than normal" December 2009 followed by a long "cool snap" in January. It is these conditions, when combined, that have likely forced early mango blooms.

The typical mango fruiting cycle is that blooming will follow after about 45-60 days of drought. For those of you that have Bougainvilla in your lawns with automatic sprinklers in place you will understand better why you often envy those beautiful blooms in the drier parts of the Islands where the natural "rainy-drought-bloom cycle" is not interuppted. Bougainvilla are similar to mango in this regard...

 

Vegetable Gardening at 20 Degrees North: Thinking Upside-Down

A. Joel Walton, Plantation House Eco Site  www.plantationhouse.blogspot.com

Caymanians have historically tended year-round “grounds” filled with the traditional starchy crops including cassava, yam, sweet potato, pumpkin, and banana/bottler/plantain suckers. Other crops including seasoning pepper, hot pepper, papaya, watermelon and coco-yam were also grown side-by-side. Not-so-traditional crops such as tomatoes, cucumber, peanuts and corn were often times grown at the “best times” by the more adventurous farmer.

Vegetable gardening of the more “non-traditional” crops such as beetroot, turnip and leek in raised beds in backyards or on allotments (starting every spring) was not popular for Caymanians but for some of our new residents who hail from temperate climates, this has been their tradition. Many of these new persons to our Islands are from strong gardening cultures but are used to far different conditions than that found at 20 degrees north.


Kitchen gardens, or potager, are easier to tend because they have clearly defined raised beds and permanent pathways.

We can successfully grow many of the same vegetables here as are grown farther North with some notable exceptions being asparagus, globe artichoke and rhubarb. In exchange, we have many more growing options such as okra, aubergine, watermelon, true sweet potato plus the usual suspects including tomato, cucumber, sweet pepper, cabbage, carrot, radish, and beetroot. This is a benefit of Cayman being located smack in between the Tropics and Subtropics – our growing palate is seemingly endless. I enjoy growing peach and strawberry and leek and mizuna as much as I do mango and naseberry and okra and tropical spinach. All are possible here at 20 degrees north.

But there is one simple challenge and often times I get asked the question: why is it that my tomatoes do not bear fruit? In response to this question I will often ask: when do you plant them? Not surprisingly, 9.99 times out of 10 the response is “I planted them in the spring and summer”.

Thinking upside-down, Rule 1 of 1: Our main vegetable growing season for “non-traditional” crop starts in the autumn and not in the spring or summer. Please note that there are many more reasons for this other than cooler days and nights but that discussion is for another article.

Our soils are in the main, very alkaline, shallow, salty (in many cases) and devoid of organic content: classic conditions for composting? Sure, and this is strongly encouraged, particularly in raised bed systems where soils can be modified and developed over a period of 2-4 years to almost perfect growing conditions. Hurricanes also provide an endless supply of green materials which can be readily mulched and used as soil amendments as well.
Compost (either purchased or homemade) and mulch are both natural ways to lower your soil’s ph (most vegetables prefer a ph of around 6.8), increase its organic content; water holding capacity, aeration and its depth. Another naturally occurring mineral, gypsum (which incidentally was the primary basis for the development of the Little Cayman Railroad) will reduce soil saltiness whilst simultaneously reducing soil compaction and providing additional calcium for the soil.

Compost is one of nature’s best mulches and soil amendments and you can use it instead of commercially manufactured fertilisers. Compost also loosens clay soils and helps sandy soils retain water. Adding compost improves soil fertility and stimulates healthy root developments in plants. The organic matter provided in compost provides food for micro-organisms, which keeps the soil in a healthy balanced condition. The 3 main plants nutrients: nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus will be produced naturally by the feeding of micro-organisms, so few if any soil amendments will need to be added once a healthy balance has been achieved.

Gardening at 20 degrees north, Rule 1 of 1: Add, add, and add.



Cayman Island Orchid House and Orchid Farms - Orchid species of the Cayman Islands and the Caribbean
I have been collecting and growing Orchids for over 26 years. At present I am operating a 3000sq ft shade house, filled to capacity with Phalenopsis, Cattleyas, Dendrobiums, some Vandas and other warm growing species. We also maintain a small collection of a few Cayman Species. I also grow Tropical Fruits such as Mango, Sapodillas, Papayas, Bananas, Plantains, Peppers, Pumpkins as well as many vegetables during the growing season (November to April). I am also actively engaged in the conservation of native Orchids. I am presently the President of The Cayman Orchid Society.

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Jan 2010

The entire Plantation House Eco Site will open to the general public January 2010. More details will follow. In the interim, our plants and farm produce are available at the site on Saturdays, 2-6pm and Sundays, 12 noon-6pm. We have tomato (many types), aubergine/eggplant (3 types), corn, Cayman season peppers, parsley, cucumber, basil, oregano, broad-leaf/french thyme, and several other vegetable and herb plants available for the 2009/2010 planting season. Some tomato plants are already flowering.
 
The October/November rains are here and our vegetable for the "cooler growing season" should are now in. This year, we planted our usual beds of carrot, radish, beetroot, turnip, leeks, parsnips, spinach, kohlrabi, Florence fennel, chinese cabbage and pak choi. Cucumber, eggplant, spring onion/scallion, watermelon, pumpkin, sweet basil, rosemary, lemon grass and okra continue to be harvested from our summer plantings. All of our tomato (many varieties), sweet pepper (3 varieties), watermelon and various salad leaves have all been planted out. Some fruits and vegetables continue to also be harvested including cucumber, eggplant, spring onion, breadfruit, watermelon, pumpkin, papaya, june plum (golden apple, pomme cythere), bilimbi, chella mella, and ju plum.
 
We have many fruit trees including grafted mango (Carrie, Lancetilla, Mallika, Po Pyu Kalay, Fairchild), grafted avocado (Simmonds)), grafted Jackfruit (7 varieties), cayman/key/mexican lime, carambola/starfruit (4 types), cinnamon, olive, atemoya, jujube (Kong Thai Thornless), sweet sop, soursop, custard apple, cashew, ackee, white grape, passion fruit, pineapple, guava, roseapple, jackfruit, malay apple, and may more available for sale. Also, fresh herbs including basil, thyme, culantro, parsley, lemon/fever grass, oregano, mint, broad-leaf thyme, rosemary, and more. In addition, several types of ornamentals including various gingers, arabian jasmine, coleus, black taro, achemea, seagrape, etc. All prices are very competitive and trees are in excellent condition and ready for planting out.

Cayman Islands Featured Agrotourism and Cayman Islands Ecotourism Destination - Plantation House - Updates  September 2009

 

I planted a Green Sapote (Pouteria viridis)in 2005. The tree did blossom during late-2008 (along with a Yellow Sapote tree which is nearby) but no fruit held as the tree was infested with ants. Earlier this year many new blossoms appeared and now several fruit have held. The Sapote-named family is quite varied and includes un-related fruit like the Black Sapote (more of a tropical persimmon) and the White Sapote (a citrus relative) plus more closely related ones such as the Mamey Sapote, Yellow Sapote (eggfruit, canistel)and the Naseberry (Sapodilla).

 

Burdekin Plums and Macademia Nuts have finally arrived at Planation House. Both trees were planted in the early 1990s but, until April 2009, we got no fruit but now both trees are bearing and the Plum (Australian "bush tukka")is heavily laden. For many years, Macademia nuts were promoted as Hawaiian but they really originated in Australia so please welcome my 2 new Australians.

 

I planted a White Sapoote Tree in 1995 in my east yard and nothing happened until this April. The tree grew prolifically over the years but I kept pruning to check its growth as it is located between Keitt Mango and Nam Doc Mango trees, and acts as shade for some young coffee trees. The tree (now about 20 foot tall, after major Hurrican Ivan damage in 2004) is now filled with fruit (possibly over 200) and all are doing extremely well. Never really expected success with this one (more of a sub-tropical/temperate fruit) although I have succesfully fruited Black Sapote (more of a tropical persimmon) for several years in my front yard. Peaches now White Sapote, it is truly been an exciting year.  I planted a Peach Tree in my front yard in early-2006 to replace a Red Ceylon Peach which I had planted since the early-1990's but lost during Hurricane Ivan in 2004. Earlier this year, with the prolonged cooling we had I did some hard pruning, withdrew irrigation and the result was many pink/lilac blossoms during February/March/April. We now have about 30 fruit, approximaely the size of a cherry tomato holding on the tree. Looking forward to tasting in a couple of months.

 

Herb and Vegetable Plants available now include: Basil (many types), Cilantro, culantro, parsley (2 types), lemon grass, thyme, peppermint tree, sage, mint, oregano, cabbage, pak choi, tomato (2 types), and sweet pepper.



Fruit Trees available include 5 different types of Mango and 6 different types of Avocado plus many more such as Carambola/Starfruit, Purple Sweetsop "Kampong Mauve", Soursop/Guanabana, Peanut Butter Tree, Strawberry Tree, Coconut, Naseberry/Sapodilla, Red Guava, Botler Suckers, Plantain Suckers, Banana Suckers, Cayman/Key/Mexican Lime, Lychee, Sweet Tamarind, Sour Tamarind, Custard Apple, and so on.



This year, we planted our usual beds of carrot, radish, beetroot and, for the first time, turnip and parsnips. Cucumber, eggplant, spring onion/scallion, watermelon, pumpkin and okra continue to be harvested from our summer plantings. All of our tomato (several varieties), sweet pepper (3 varieties), watermelon, cantelope (6 varieties), mushmelon, and various salad leaves have all been planted out. Some fruit continue to also be harvested including papaya, mango (Keitt), june plum (golden apple, pomme cythere), guava, bilimbi, chella mella, and ju plum.


Plantation House Eco Site is located on 2 acres of land in the Cayman Islands in the Caribbean. The site is a working small farm, residence and graden structures specialising in the limited-scale growing of tropical and sub-tropical fruits, nuts, spices, vegetables, medicinal and ornamental plants, and their products.

All of the traditional Caribbean plantation crops such as sugarcane, coffee, cocao, tobacco and pineapples are grown alongside newer crops such as atemoya, dragon fruit, santol and jaboticaba. Visitors are able to easily view these crop and learn much about how to grow your own within limited spaces.

The Site also has a small waterfall, stream and pool, a reflection pool, and a fresh-water fish pond. The Garden Shop offers products such as fresh juices and food, preserves, teas and coffees. Plantation House Nursery is also located on the Site and has plants for sale in sizes ranges from 1/2 gallons to 15 gallon pots, seeds and cuttings. Visit us!

Joel Walton - Vegetables, Herbs, Fruits and fresh expresso coffee


Grand Cayman Farmers Market