Jamaican Farming Experience

This past week has involved a lot of planting and we also began harvesting some things that have been growing for a while on their own.

The things that we harvested this week were 24 pounds of Gungo Peas and over 100 pounds of Cho cho. These were here before we got here so we are taking advantage of the situation and not letting these things go to waste.

This past week at Pepper Ridge we have planted Gungo Peas across the front wall at bottom of property. These will give privacy and cut down on the noise and dust. The back wall also got some Gungo planted. These peas are a staple food and are one of the easiest foods to grow with little or no chemical dependence.

The melons that we planted last week are coming up already. Will have plenty of extra plants to transplant to bare areas. The hardest part is keeping the weeds down. Constantly hoeing and weeding. Once an area is weed free we put down a heavy mulch. This keeps weeds from starting, conserves the soil's moisture and gives the melons a nice soft bed to grow on.

We will be selling the Bok Choy in the next few days. I think that we will have between 50-60 pounds. A guy will come around in a truck and will pick up anything that you have for sale. We really need a pick-up so we can deliver the goods when we are ready and cut out another middle man. Sorry middle man.

I almost forgot about the corn. We planted it when we first arrived at Amity (our rental house). It is ready to start harvesting slowly. We have an Heirloom white corn and the local yellow. We will really concentrate on the Heirloom because it is delicious and much bigger than the local variety. Can't wait to make a soup out of pumpkin, grated corn and Cho cho.

There is still a lot to do and the upcoming week will include finishing the melon area. Will be transplanting peppers, papaya, tomatoes and Jamaican sorrel. We have begun the process of planting the land with fruit trees and ornamental plants and palms. These will be the basis of the permanent landscaping of Pepper ridge.

For more Jamaican gardening go to www.gardeningdirections.com

Jamaican Farming Experience

Just got back from fertilizing the watermelons. They were planted Thursday and Friday. Actually, there are three different melons in the field. I had a small number (30) of Green Honeydew Heirloom Melons and about 60 Icebox Heirloom Watermelons. The rest of the field is planted with the local variety hybrid seeds. Dug the holes last Tuesday and Wednesday after finishing the weeding.

This was the first large scale planting that we have done on the one half acre that we are farming here in Jamaica. From here on in these blogs we will call our half acre "Pepper Ridge". We are in St Elizabeth parish on the southwest coast. This area is known as the "Breadbasket of Jamaica". There are more farmers here than in any other parish in Jamaica.

We have been growing in Jamaica since last March, but have just gotten started on our own half acre.
We have planted crops at a friends farm and harvested them and are planting at the house where we presently live and are getting ready to harvest our first crops of White Stem Bok Choy and the local favorites Cho cho (Chayote) and Gunga Peas. We also have been eating our own pumpkins for a while.

At Pepper Ridge we are completely transforming the property that was up until a few months ago deep impenetrable "Bush". I have cleared it completely except for a Mango and Soursop tree. In the past month we have planted Gunga Peas, Jamaican Sorrel, Papaya, Heirloom Cherry Tomatoes, Rutgers Tomatoes, Cauliflower, Avacado Tree, Cocoa, Pumpkin, Sunflower, Habanero Peppers, Hungarian Yellow Hot Peppers, Chocolate Habanero, Red Slim Sweet Peppers, Bhut Jokia (Ghost) Peppers, King Palm, Coconut Palm and Buccaneer Palms.

This is my first attempt at blogging. I did not know how to start, so I just started writing about what I did this morning. So begins my blogging experience. I have a lot to say and to share. If you enjoy gardening and travel that is where I am beginning. I hope that you will share your thoughts with me.