Gardening in Costa Rica. A closet Gringo farmer living off the fat of the land.

[mdpfeifer]

Thanks so much for sharing this article. I really enjoyed it 😀

[ https://www.welovecostarica.com/members/3481.cfm ]

I would love to hear from anyone else about their gardening successes and failures and what they have learned about gardening in Costa Rica.

[costaricafinca]

It’s nothing like you expect it to be … and nothing like you have gardened before, unless of course you are used to gardening in the tropics…and the Kootenays ain’t tropical!
From an ex-kootenay gardener 😆

[mdpfeifer]

[quote=”costaricafinca”]It’s nothing like you expect it to be … and nothing like you have gardened before, unless of course you are used to gardening in the tropics…and the Kootenays ain’t tropical!
From an ex-kootenay gardener :lol:[/quote]

Thanks so much for your reply costaricafinca:D I also love gardening in the kootenays!! I would really appreciate knowing what was different than what you expected. My husband and I own a few acres (up the mountain at about 900ft elevation) between Dominical and Uvita. The first couple of months we were there I went crazy poking all sorts of tropical sticks into the ground (from hibiscus to titi plants) and by the time we had to leave they had already started to sprout leaves. (This was very exciting for me). This time I am hoping to plant some form of veggie garden and a lot of this will be experimental as I know nothing about gardening in the tropics…but I am very excited to learn 😀

[costaricafinca]

Yes, it is great to see ‘sticks’ grow!

Unfortunately, so does the supply of insects that can decimate your garden overnight.

If planting veggies you should try to use short-day seeds. Again, there really isn’t a good selection here.

The success I have had is to directly plant the seeds from tomatoes, chilies, sweet peppers that I have purchased from the [i]feria[/i].

Many folk don’t think it [i]ever gets hot[/i] in Canada 🙄 but of course it does, so in the cooler temps of the evening some like to tend their garden, but here, it gets dark so early, hence it has to be done during the day.:oops:

Since the weeds grow quicker, better, taller than any vegetable … possibly with the exception of Okra …which I don’t think appears in many Canadian gardens, it may be better to plant in raised beds. You may to provide covering for both the protection for both sun and the very heavy ‘showers’ you may get, that can flatten a crop.

[mdpfeifer]

Thanks so much for sharing and happy gardening in the jungle to you costaricafinca:D[quote=”costaricafinca”]Yes, it is great to see ‘sticks’ grow!
Unfortunately, so does the supply of insects that can decimate your garden overnight.
If planting veggies you should try to use short-day seeds. Again, there really isn’t a good selection here.
The success I have had is to directly plant the seeds from tomatoes, chilies, sweet peppers that I have purchased from the [i]feria[/i].
Many folk don’t think it [i]ever gets hot[/i] in Canada 🙄 but of course it does, so in the cooler temps of the evening some like to tend their garden, but here, it gets dark so early, hence it has to be done during the day.:oops:
Since the weeds grow quicker, better, taller than any vegetable … possibly with the exception of Okra …which I don’t think appears in many Canadian gardens, it may be better to plant in raised beds. You may to provide covering for both the protection for both sun and the very heavy ‘showers’ you may get, that can flatten a crop.[/quote]

[VictoriaLST]

I think what we need is a site just for gardeners new to CR. I will be new to CR in about 4-6 weeks and can’t wait! We will be in the low hills on the NE end of Lake Arenal. There are some trees already on the property, but I love the idea of planting “sticks” and watching them grow. Here in Georgia, USA, I have been in gardening clubs for years but I am new to the tropics. Books are still coming in the mail, but I doubt if that is adequate preparation for the reality of CR gardening. We will soon know….. 😀

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