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Does anyone have a great book resourse on how to grow spices on the Islands. I know growing Vanilla Orchids is tricky as they do not self pollinate. I would love to read up on the subject. I have run searches but seem to get limited information. I don't think I want to travel to India or start an internship to learn more about the subject.
Thanks
Iris
Posted : August 8, 2004 6:37 pm
Any good, general book on herbs should do. A very good book on all-around gardening here is Gardening in the Caribbean by Iris Bannochie and Marilyn Light. It has a few entries on herbs and six pages on orchids. An outstanding if pricey book is Gardening in the Tropics by R.E. Holttum and Ivan Enoch. It has a few pages on spices and covers everything else a gardener needs to know. It's based on the Malaysian climate, which is basically just rainier than here.
You can grow just about any herb here due to the relative dryness, sun, and warmth. You will find many native herbs growing in sunny open areas on the east end of St. Croix (I think you said this is the island you're moving to). Orchids can be attached to trees with somewhat open canopies that allow light to enter, such as calabash.
You can get more plants to grow in the tropics than anywhere else on Earth. It's a gardener's paradise, so you may find in time that you want to branch out into other areas.
Posted : August 8, 2004 9:48 pm
Topic starter
Great thanks for the book title. I will check her book out.
Iris
Posted : August 8, 2004 10:16 pm