(Plants) Growing In The Tropics

Thailand’s bananas: your new favourite fruit

Apr 282012

Just a banana? Overlooked as something quotidian – Thailand’s bananas hope to change your mind. Take a break from the supermarket and try out the Thai banana – you’ll find them hard to leave behind.

Thailand banana flower and fruit

Thailand’s banana varieties: hard to count?

Thailand has about, well, a lot of banana varieties (we’ve read sources that claim 20, 28, 50 and ‘over a hundred’) – all with a preferred use. As with apples, some are better eaten raw, some stand out when cooking. Visit fruit markets around Koh Samui and you’ll begin to notice that some are fatter than others, and both colour and taste differ, too. GardenWeb has some great photos of a Bangkok banana tree show: Continue reading »

Pin It

Come to Thailand for its lemongrass? Why not.

Mar 262012

Lemongrass – Thailand’s coolest plant? It gets our vote and here’s why: mosquitos completely loathe it. Lucky for us, we love lemongrass. Often seen desiccated and unhappy on the shelves of Western supermarkets, in Thailand, lemongrass is a lush, green plant full of scent and flavour.

Thailand lemongrass

We’ll be planting it the house gardens – not only to keep the mozzies away but to ensure a continual supply of life’s most indulgent treat: lemongrass-scented cold towels. A stash of these in the freezer can, in an instant, make you a new person.
Continue reading »

Pin It

Growing our own dragon fruit… 5-year status report

Jan 292012

Dragon fruit is the most evocative Thai fruit. It’s sort of like a Dalmation in a bright pink raincoat – utterly ridiculous but you can’t stop staring. Certainly there are tastier fruits, but none more gorgeous.

Growing Dragonfruit

Growing Dragon Fruit

In December 2007, we had the bright idea to grow our own. Some preliminary research told us they grow on cacti and the plants don’t bear fruit for 7 years. “It’s ok, we have time,” we told Mother Nature. So we planted some about a million seeds and waited….

Success! (And giving compost credit where it’s due)

Jan 262012

Determined to make the house as green as can be – we had a big question that (if you’re not an obsessive plant-lover and compulsive gardener) might make very little sense to you. Could we compost in the tropics?

Compost in the tropics

You only have to leave a piece of pineapple out for an hour to see it carried off by ants – the rules of nature are different in the tropics (and nature usually wins). How would composting work? It remained an enigma until we found this fantastic video from lovely Esme in Singapore. It teaches all you (and we!) need to know to get started composting in the tropics. Continue reading »

Who’s got a lovely bunch of coconuts? Samui does.

Jan 232012

Koh Samui might call to mind beaches and spas – but its coconuts are of particular acclaim. Local growers will tell you they’re the best in Thailand. You might equate coconut with a sickly Bounty bar or other fake confection – but that’s set to change.

Vietnam ´08 - 142 - baby coconut trees

3 coconut treats to try:

Fresh coconut. Happily, someone else will wield a very big, very sharp knife (machete?) to cut the coconut open. Drink the juice and then use the provided spoon to scoop out the sides. (Parents – this is a great drink to get your kids hooked on. They won’t ask for Coke or sugary drinks again.) Ask for one at any of these picture-perfect Samui Thai restaurants (a pretty and refreshing break from Thai beer!) Continue reading »