Vegetable gardening in the tropics

[Dora M]

Hi, are there any members here who would like to share their tropical gardening experiences?
I am currently living in a harsh, damp climate with poor soil. I decided to create raised garden beds and build a big fence around my precious vegetables and herbs to protect them from hungry wallabies (a small type of kangaroo if you are not familiar) and other wandering gourmets. I also put chicken wire on top with a canvas cover to protect the beds from the heavy rains. So far I managed to grow several climbing bean varieties, cherry tomatoes, zucchinis, eggplants, pumpkins, strawberries and different varieties of of Asian Greens. But I find the taste of my vegetables very different from the ones I grew previously in rich volcanic earth in a milder climate. There seems to be a certain dry and woody taste about them. Is it the soil, the water, the humid air that gives them that particular taste?

 

[kate23]

I'm betting it's the soil. Where I am we don't have very rich soil either (it's mostly sand) so using compost and fertilizer is necessary. And what some people do a season or two before they plant is put newspaper on the ground, then cardboard on top of it, and then mulch on top of the cardboard and that really enriches the soil.

 

[Trellum]

I'm with Kate on this one as well, I'm almost sure it is the soil the one to blame. My father's pomegranates and almost everything he planted had a strange taste, but that was because our soil was and still is so poor (we were told). Kudos on keep on trying

 

[Dora M]

Thanks for replying. I actually bought a really good quality soil for the beds. I figured I couldn't work with that bone dry, rocky soil. I was very diligent with composting, mulching and everything else, but still it was different. I think it has a lot to do with the water. The rain here is unpredictable. Sometimes monsoon comes really late or it lasts for 5 months. And in between everything is possible. I'll keep on experimenting and researching.