Innovative Intensive Farming for the Humid Tropics

     I really enjoy this diagram for a self-sufficient farm in the semi-tropics. This particular plan calls for a large crop of sugar cane, which is processed into juice to feed the ducks and pigs. Perennial nitrogen-fixing forage trees are chopped to feed sheep, and azolla is cultivated to feed fish, sheep, ducks, and pigs.
     All the wastes are managed and recycled into the system to fertilize and prevent erosion. When done on a large enough scale, the meat and vegetable production could be great enough to take to market.
     This particular system could easily be modified for Florida by not changing a thing. Sugar cane grows well in most parts of the state, as does azolla and duckweed. The system might slow down in our cool winter, but should restart without any troubles in our warm spring. The daily chores would involve collecting food for the animals and managing livestock and manures. Like on any farm or homestead, the family's vegetable garden would need periodic tending. Overall, it looks like a balanced system with minimal outside inputs.
     The full description can be found here.
   

Spring is Coming

     With the weather finally warming, I have high hopes that we will get no more cold weather this winter. It has been the wettest winter that I can remember, with rain coming almost every week. Most of the neighborhood's plants have not really achieved dormancy, including the grasses and weeds.

     In celebration of the upcoming warmth I have planted some more banana trees. These were soon-to-be homeless plants that were rescued from some property renovation my mother was performing at her place at Myakka River. With any luck, these small trees will root and thrive along my path to the rabbit cages. Even if the trees bear no fruit, the leaves are a welcome change from the rabbits' usual diet of grass clippings and alfalfa pellets.

     My plans for this spring's plantings are minimal. We are six months pregnant with our second child as I'm posting this, resting from planting those bare-root bananas with some hibiscus flower and strawberry leaf tisane. It was surprisingly tiring! For the most part, we will be focusing on family and readying the household for the baby. Perhaps I will get some more chances during naptime to slip out and divide some of my favorite perennials, the cannas, and propagate. This spring I most likely will not be doing much with seeds, even the cowpeas. Kind of a shame, but it's not as much of a priority right now as it was last year. Distributing the parrot and rabbit manures, plus a layer of mulch, will be more than enough outside work to keep us busy this spring.

     There are a few events we will probably be attending... please join us!

• Bay Area Renaissance Fair - It looks like the bloodmobile will be there, giving away free tickets for donations. Also discounts by city/date seem to be new this year. Tickets available at Walgreens and Circle K. Coupons available from Subway?
• Nature Coast Botanical Gardens Annual Spring Sale - Does not yet have the date posted on their site.
• USF Botanical Gardens Annual Spring Sale - April 12th and 13th.

Survival Gardening in Florida, Part 2

     As far as growing carbohydrates, nothing really jumps out at me beyond sweet potatoes, cassava, sugarcane, the safe yams, and coontie, which are all very nutritious and pack a good deal of fiber as well. Also, kids like them. The leaves of all but coontie can be eaten or used as fodder. White potatoes are great too, if you are really good at growing them. Some grains that do well in Florida include amaranth and sorghum. Sorghum can be made into a tasty molasses if a person desired it. There are a ton of fruits that grow very well in Florida, the most well-loved being citrus, which can, with choosing proper varieties, be available for picking fresh about half the year. Canna, carrots, lilies, and cassava roots are all loaded with vitamins and nutrition. Sugarcane grows very well through most of the state. Bees love it here too.
     As far as growing fats, that's going to be a tough one. This might be a good time to mention micro-livestock like rabbits, guinea pigs, or chickens. Quail are great, but need an extremely high-protein feed as they naturally eat insects. Rabbits can live almost completely on grass and weeds. Chickens can live on almost completely grains and bugs. Fish can be raised in ponds or containers and fed things like azolla, duckweed, or garden worms.
     If I had to choose just three plants to grow to survive on, it would be cowpeas, cannas, and sweet potatoes. Cowpeas are a nitrogen-fixing legume that grow very well in poor soil and can be grown twice a year. The beans are high in protein and fiber, while the plant is high in protein for the rabbits. Cannas, aside from being beautiful and able to handle our hot, humid weather, can yield a starchy root and the leaves are high in vitamins for the rabbits. Sweet potatoes are a nutrient-dense starch, with very excellent tasting leaves which are high in protein. The leaves from all three plants can be eaten raw or cooked.
     Areas of the property which are not actively gardened can be, over time, landscaped with perennials that produce nutrition, fodder, or both. My favorite useful perennial is probably the wild rose bush. They don't have much of a smell, but make large, beautiful flowers that turn into rose hips - very nutritious. The leaves are good fodder and the thorns make the plant valuable for fencing. Thorned or thornless prickly pears are also a wonderful perennial, as the leaves are edible and the fruit is delicious. Plant those with an asiatic lily in between each bush and you will have created lush, flowery nutrition.
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