In spite of living in the South Florida Megalopolis, fortunately in an unincorporated sector of Miami-Dade county near Pine Crest and South Miami, we practice a Permaculture type of agriculture throughout our whole yard. Since coming to the area in 1980 I’ve been collecting so many useful plants; from fruit to nuts, to spices, fibers, dyes, edibles of every sort, and putting them in the landscape. The permaculture aspect is really just the process of discovering what will grow and prosper under ambient conditions, in spite of or without much interference from the neglectful and ever-busy gardener.

Post Hurricane Fruiting
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Averrhoa bilimbi first cousin to the Carambola or Starfruit

2016

Jakfruit conveniently fruiting close to the ground. Foreground: Sweet potatoes in a grow bag.

MANGOS, MANGOS, MANGOS

Photo Attribution: Pine Island Nursery, TropicalFruitNursery.com

I really should Blog out a yearly Mango report but alas didn’t get around to it in 2017, the year I signed on to the STEEMIT machine, cryptically seeking crypto. Even 75 years ago it used to be said around Homestead (the real farming community) that “Limes are a business, Avocados are a gentleman’s hobby but Mangos are a religion!” There is that much passion around this luscious, colorful, generous and fruitful plant that comes in so many varieties. And there are several summertime events every year to whet your interest; namely the International Mango Festival at Fairchild Tropical Gardens and The Redland Summer Fruit Festival at the Fruit and Spice Park just to name two.

Pine Island Nursery, TropicalFruitNursery.com

In brief, as far as production was concerned, it was a mediocre Mango season in 2017 from late May through August and we normally look forward to Fall, for the barely perceptible seasonal changes here in South Florida. But this year around the 8th and 9th of September we got a big blast from Hurricane Irma. Where I live we had twelve nights of candlelit dinners cooked on the camping stove, no A/C and no communications of any kind until power and cell towers were restored.

Photo: W-Lyfo -- luckily not my pile.

Typical street scene post Irma.

Fortunately one small generator kept our refrigerator on and a couple of 6" fans allowed some air to circulate. I was prepared enough to have food, water, gasoline, flashlights and headlamps with batteries as well as implements of destruction such as chain saw, gloves, goggles, machetes, clippers, loppers and enough cash to pay a couple of crews to assist in the clean up.

Giant Ficus trees overturned closing a major N-S Avenue for over a week in September 2017.

Photo: W-Lyfo

Every roadside still looks something like this weeks later.

Once the debris is removed the earthy smell of decaying vegetation remains.

However by mowing the weeds as they come up, the grass returns without reseeding it.

At home there are breaches in the fence, and we still have logs and brush laying around the yard and perhaps a dozen fewer tropical fruit trees on the grounds. On the endangered list are three mango trees, two Caimito (Star Apple) a Lychee, a Jakfruit, Malay Apple tree, Black Sapote, Ylang ylang tree, and we don't even count Pineapple, Papaya or Bananas since they will regenerate quickly.

25 yr. old grafted lychee crushed the fence

Limbs from the neighbors' 50 year old Mango tree breached the fence in the SW corner.

Even badly uprooted trees will regenerate given a few years of favorable conditions. This Malay Apple tree is down but not out. The single surviving side branch will become the new central trunk. As the exposed roots dry up, they will be trimmed off and the upturned soil will settle back down to ground level, leaving a slight mound around the tree. Sub tropical heat and over 60" of rain per year allow for a greenhouse effect. If massive Global Warming were to occur we would grow these plants along the shores of Lake Michigan. Ha!

Malay Apple tree

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