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Topic starter
Hello to the board members who have been here over the years. To all the newbies - you will not find a better source of island info. than here!
It has been a while since posting. This is my latest update and a few questions I need help with.
Over the summer I needed to get ready to retire and help my unit with a trip to the desert. After dealing with a few small medical issues, I am now waiting on the paperwork to process. I had hoped it would have been completed before the holidays, but the Govt doesn't move that fast! (To all the residents - YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN - LOL). So I am looking at Jan/Feb for my move! One good thing, it has given me the time to deal with my household goods, while Eve takes care of the issues on the island (Guess who got the better end of that deal 🙂 ).
In my last few visits back home (I love to say that!) I have been surprised on how fast the plant life grows! We have a fairly good size yard with lot of different foliage including banana trees, coconut trees, avocados, limes beautiful flower etc. And I don't know a thing about taking care of them. It looks as if the original owners were into horticulture and did a great job with the yard. But over the years it has not been taken care of. I would like to restore it back to the way it was without destroying anything due to my ignorance.
My questions are:
How do i dispose of coconuts? (In Oct I think I piled up about 200 - Eve tells me there are about double that now - lol)
I tried contacting UVI horticulture dept. to see if there was a student program that I might be able to tap some experience - I got no response. Is there anyone I might be able to contact?
Disposal of large branches with leaves as big as you face? In Ohio I can use a chipper but these are to fibrous.
Is it true that banana trees are good for only 1 harvest?
And the last question - WHAT IS A BREAD FRUIT???
Thanks for reading this and I hope someone can help,
Island Rat
Posted : December 4, 2007 3:59 pm
lets the coconuts sprout, put them in pots and sell them by the road, you're retired right, gives you something to do lol or call diana at off the wall beach bar and ask her for the name of the lady that turns the coconuts into flying fish and give them to her, the people here that do crafts use them for lots of stuff, breadfruit is like a tree potato, starchy full of carbs, yes a banana shoot will bear once and then it will send out a new shoot from the root at least thats how the ones in my yard work
Posted : December 4, 2007 4:42 pm
Topic starter
Thanks TRW! Great ideas for the coconuts!!!! "Island Rat's roadside coconut stand" - I love it - lol. As far as the banana tree, what do you do with the old old once it's done?
Posted : December 4, 2007 4:54 pm
The coconuts can be a problem if you do not sell them. A healthy coconut in the tropics will produce an average of a coconut per day on a year round basis. They are great food for rats and coconut crabs. If you do not get rid of them, you may have some unwelcome guests. On the other hand, they are good food, and there are plenty around the island who would be glad to have them. Consider collecting a week or so of nuts and dropping them off in the Pueblo parking lot down by Havensight. I bet they will disappear within 15 or 20 minutes on most days...
When you harvest a banana tree, cut it down with a machete and let it serve as mulch for the next banana that grows up from the roots.
Breadfruits are great to eat. Harvest them when the skin just begins to weep and have some whitish scale drying on it. Even a small dark spot on the green skin means a big bad spot inside. There are several ways to cook it, but the simplest is just peel and cut it up in chunks and boil like a potato (the fleshy outer part, not the spongy seedy center). It takes a huge amount of butter or olive oil, and breadfruit spoils quickly so invite a crowd over to help you eat it. It is slightly sweeter and a little different texture than potato. Delicious. You could also deposit an unwanted breadfruit at the Pueblo and not worry that it would go to waste...
As for large branches, etc. I would make a mulch pile in the back corner of the yard somewhere. The more you can cut up trimmings the better, but most yard waste will break down relatively quickly in the tropics. Big woody pieces can always go to a local dumpster.
Posted : December 5, 2007 5:36 pm
Keeping a nice yard in the islands can be very challenging!
Antillean gave EXCELLENT advice and can't add much to it! We are continuously crawling around the yard pulling what we call ton-ton and recently the crab grass is trying very hard to take over! The whole yard apart from banana trees, coconut trees,Avocado, Fragipani, Oleander, Hibiscus, and all kinds of palms, we have zoysha (sp?) grass. The yard is beautiful!
As for Bread Fruit trees, they can grow very tall so you will want to make sure they are not planted in your view! We also will relocate the Banana trees occasionally to give them fresh dirt! They love being near septic systems and need lots of water to really prosper.
Enjoy in your endeavor!
ps- we like picking up the big palm fronds vs. a lot of small leaves! They are much fewer and far in between! 🙂
Posted : December 5, 2007 7:42 pm
Below are some more simple breadfruit recipes. Isn't there a guy at Vendor's Plaza who sells coconut water to tourists? (I'm assuming you're on STT?)
http://www.theworldwidegourmet.com/?action=recette_show&id=742&lg=en
Posted : December 5, 2007 10:11 pm
Wrong assumption, he's on STX.
Posted : December 6, 2007 4:32 am
Ah, sorry. Somebody mentioned Havensight so. . .
Posted : December 6, 2007 9:05 am
Island Rat
SO, now I know who is living my dream!
Plant freak in Pensacola Florida. Reading this forum trying to figure out enough about St. Croix to get a foot in the door (assuming the place is what it seems).
My back yard if full of dead banana trees. Yup, each winter the first freeze reduces them to mush! After ferrying potted plants of all sorts in and out as the weather changes from week to week realizing getting too damn old to be doing this and should have moved somewhere where MY JUNGLE would prosper!!
Lost my wife recently and no longer bound by the whims of TWO people ! The thought of living in a tropical/sub tropical place HAVING to dispose of pesky coconuts and bread fruit I've only DREAMED OF !
So! Got a place in the corner of your property for a 64 year old coconut and breadfruit maintenance person 🙂
Semi retired carpenter/maintenance person. X-Navy photographer and all round "good egg" 🙂
Was hoping to find the potential "Fixer upper" in an area pretty much as you seem to describe to repair and either live or at least a place to spend all my remaining winters.....does such a place exist there ??
{george24128@peoplepc.com}
COLD and OLD in FLORIDA
George 🙂
Posted : February 5, 2008 8:52 pm
Hello to everyone! A Newbie here to your fine forum.
Why am I here? cause I have a job interview for a position in the Lieutenant Governor's Office. I think that is good, at least I hope so. Why am I posting in this thread?
Because I have to mention to George1 that I too am in Pensacola currently.
So go read your PM's there George1.
Posted : February 5, 2008 9:07 pm
heepajeep
Because I have to mention to George1 that I too am in Pensacola currently.
So go read your PM's there George1
____________________________________________________________
ALLRIGHT!
Small World! I live near Bayou Chico!
.........excuse my stupidity. Took awhile to figure out what STT -STX etc. finally met!
Older than dirt and thats my expcuse.
"Go read you "PM"s...........e-mail ?? Not very computer literate!
YALL HAVE A GREAT DAY, Ya Hear 🙂
Posted : February 5, 2008 10:07 pm
