The Shocking Truth About Growing Vegetables in the Tropics: What Works and What Doesn't!

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Growing vegetables is fun but when it comes to the tropics, it's a whole new adventure! In this video, Curtis Stone explores delves into vegetable cultivation in these unique climates. Whether you're a seasoned tropical gardener or simply curious about the wonders of agriculture in tropical regions, this video will leave you inspired and informed.
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About Curtis Stone:
Curtis is one of the world’s most highly sought-after small farming educators. His book, The Urban Farmer, offers a new way to think about farming𑁋 one where quality of life and profitability coexist. Today, Curtis spends most of his time building his 40-acre off-grid homestead in British Columbia. He leverages his relationships with other experts to bring diverse content into the homes of gardeners and aspiring small farmers from around the world. Learn more at FromTheField.TV.
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[@LingahbytheSea]

As a Tropical farmer (Jamaica) the tropics are definitely challenging. I made the same mistakes of attempting intensive annuals, until I found success with the perennials and roots, like Plantain, breadfruit, Turmeric, ginger, etc. Weeds never die and cutter ants and slugs will destroy transplants. but the tropics are a ruminant farmers paradise; free food for your animals year round if you have enough land.

[@dione.c.3432]

Hello from Tropical Northern Australia! Here we have two seasons, Wet Season and Dry Season. Dry season is the closest we get to winter, lower temps. and humidity. I can grow lettuce, full sized tomatoes, zucchini and nappa cabbages in the dry season but become infested with fungal issues and the plant shuts down in the extreme heat and humidity of the wet season. Things that do well in the wet season are salad mallow, snake beans, malbar spinach, loofa, kang kong, slim asian eggplants, heirloom bull's horn shaped capsicum, bird's eye chili, new guinea bean, sweet potato, cherry tomatoes, tatsoi, taro, ginger and turmeric.

[@livefromplanetearth]

+1

[@scoobin336]

hello, fellow (im guessing...?) Darwinian!

[@BobfmBali]

Hi, I'm in Bali and think you should make a video for all of us new to the tropics. Moved here from Portugal and been trying to grow some veg and herbs for an interest/hobby perspective; fruit trees are not too much of a problem however annuals are proving difficult. Now looking for info on growing in the tropics or places without seasons.

[@cvictor8999]

dont forget okra

[@BobfmBali]

Thank you this is all really useful information, I will work my way through your list 👍😀

[@olumideiluyomade7613]

Here is a really important secret which many fail to realize - when you are in tropics, simply adapt to it and eat tropics! It is the same way when you are in temperate regions - adapt and eat temperate! You are unlikely to see a Costa Rican in Canada crying because he can't eat cassava, will you?? And if you insist on eating something that grows elsewhere, then be prepared to pay a steep price for it! When in Rome, act like a Roman - it is wise!

[@darhemandarial4768]

Yeah !!

[@BobfmBali]

Most temperate vegetables do grow here in Indonesia (what do you think everyone is eating), it's not a question of "When In Rome" it's a question of elevation and understanding how the local farmers work with the climate to achieve success in such strong sunlight.

[@nunyabiznes33]

@@BobfmBali yeah, stuff like lettuce and carrots grow better in the tropical highlands.

[@dominic6055]

well said Olumide, also the tropics are blessed with nutrient rich food, the fruits there are totally superior to fruits in temperate climates, they are more rich in fat and micronutrients... it's just a sin to grow lettuce and carrots and onions while you have an abundance of coconuts,avocados and mangos

[@minarosa-diaz2592]

We, here in Puerto Rico, are closer to the equator than Puerto Vallarta and get twice the rainfall yet, we grow most vegetables that are grown in the North Pacific (US) including broccoli with no problems so, perhaps making a blanket statement is not going to go over well. Maybe in your tropical area growing certain vegetables is a problem but, that is not the case in ALL of the tropics. Lettuce does fabulous here too, btw.

[@tjohnson2139]

Finally a comment that I can agree with

[@bradsuarez2683]

He is speaking in terms of high density organic agriculture. Yes using conventional pesticides will allow you to grow many annuals in the tropics. I'm doing both organic and conventional ag in Trinidad so I'm well aware of the challenges in the tropics.

[@alejandrosantana5693]

I literally grow tons of northerners veggies here in Humatas, Añasco! I’ve even grown wheat and oats in the shade!!!! Moca/Añasco hills receives insane rainfall!

[@alejandrosantana5693]

@@bradsuarez2683the trick is micro climates and constantly vigilant to your plants. I’ve grown oats and wheat here in PR 13B USDA. All organic too!

[@marthasimons7940]

There are many different tropical micro-climates depending on sea level, distance from water bodies, soil composition., etc. Where I live just two miles in a different direction has different results. Tropical fruits won't bear well two miles east of me because of temperature fluctuations, flooding and the difference in soil I e. Sugar sand vs hydric muck. Enough can't be said about location, location, location. 😊

[@danielbaronne753]

I live in Seychelles. As tropical as it gets and lettuce grows very well here.

[@jesseknox9322]

I think it's genius they've used bottles to build a wall or a raised bed. I love ideas like that

[@vegansilverstack3710]

I'm in SWFL as well and before I moved here from the Chicagoland I wondered about some of the things you talk about here, especially with the freezing every year. I love papayas, bananas, pineapple, moringa, loquats, coconuts, longan, lychee, bamboo, sugarcane, and others as well. There are a lot of cool spinaches that grow well down here as well like the New Zealand spinach, tree spinach (chaya), and Okinawa spinach.

[@geekasauruswreks8789]

Tomatoes are very difficult to grow down here. Lettuce is easy. Plant it in the winter here. Raised beds with a bottom liner if the nematodes are especially vicious in your patch. :) Different opinion.

[@cvictor8999]

the rain definitely is a big challenge. Constant rain pressure compacts subsoil which in turn impedes root growth. Drainage is a number one issue to tackle. nutrients tend to be easily leached away with the rain. need ample amount of organic matter to support growth. As you said greenhouse down here serves more to protect from rain than from cold

[@Freshiz325]

I've been trying to grow heirloom tomatoes in the tropics (Thailand) and it's brutal. Anything non native from a temperate climate struggles. Basil grows like a weed though.

[@ijanms]

Weston Thompson You are so right! I managed to grow some - in the shade of the roof overhang which keeps a lot of rain off the plants and where it gets the morning sun and semi shaded afternoon sun.

[@ijanms]

Mine's not heirloom though... just something I sprouted from one that I bought from a store which had gone mushy.

[@arijitpal166]

In India we can grow heirloom tomatoes in cooler months.....

[@TaLeng2023]

It seems it's the rain that really ruin tomatoes.

[@craidynr]

I live on the lower Zambezi in Mozambique. We get average 40-45c daytime temps during the summer months with heavy rains at the end of the season, "winter" months 30-35°c average. I find that implementing the layers of permaculture works best for growing in these conditions. If you attract benificial animals, confuse pests by planting in close proximity, have decent mix of shade and sun for specific plants and water thoroughly early morning and evening then you shouldnt have a problem growing a wide variety of vegetables and fruit. Also a key factor in transplanting in hot climate is acclimatization of seedlings.

[@MissyRoselle]

Hi. I'm from the tropics and I thank you for clarifying a few things. I've been wondering for years now why building a greenhouse was needed. I've seen KZbinrs from countries with 4-seasons and I understood why it was needed there. The question remained as to why it is built by some in our country, when it is already very hot and humid. You just answered it. Haha. Also, it's a new thing to me that you're getting a reset of the diseases in places with 4-seasons and that root rot isn't prevalent and are eradicated after the frost. Thank you again for the knowledge shared.

[@Karl_B]

Here in Sub-Tropical Southwest Florida I can empathize with his conditions. I have practically given up growing in the ground due to nematodes and am growing in cloth pots instead. (Off the ground.)

[@jolus6678]

Elevation makes a massive difference. For instance, high elevation tropical climates can very often grow an incredibly wide assortment of fruits and veggies easily including most temperate climate veggies as well as tropical ones. It’s usually when you go to lower elevations in the tropics that all that changes.

[@JackPitmanNica]

I live in Nicaragua and have been studying permaculture here. I can confirm that growing the same crops in the tropics just doesn't work. There may be sun, but there are a lot of nematodes and pests and water and the sun is so extreme that even just one hour of it is enough to kill many kinds of plants. The tropics are a beautiful garden paradise full of plants... but you need to be growing plants that are suited to the climate. If you want to grow other plants; then you must spend a lot of time creating a solid micro-climate. Something interesting about the tropics is that compost piles are nowhere near as common. I have no idea why; because compost still works magically in the tropics. People in Nicaragua just don't seem as likely to use compost. Most tropical farmers use cheap fertilizers that they can buy in bulk.Whats weird to me about the lack of compost piles is that there is craploads of organic material and fruit tree waste. The sheer level of poundage produced by one mango tree is insane... and mango trees grow like weeds here. There is organic waste everywhere. Yet composting it is uncommon... If you want to grow more western crops; you really need a good system to use compost. You also need a good distraction for the pests. If you practice monoculture; you will end up breeding thousands of pests and watching them eat your foods. You are better off practicing permaculture; where you can spread different plants around each other. The best form of organic pest prevention is distraction. You want to overwhelm the bugs with so many different smells and colors that they don't know where to go. When a pest doesn't know where to go... it usually gets eaten by a predator. If you want to learn more about this philosophy in general, check out Geoff Lawton on youtube. He has a lot of great information that works very well in the tropics, even though he is based in the sub-tropics.

[@PetalsonthePavingSlabs]

I would never have guessed that lettuce would be hard down there, very interesting. Thank you.

[@aiorlin8722]

I live in tropical climate and do all leaf vegetable in doing good all year .... and I think tropical is more easy to grow than 4 season ... the hard thing is grow fruit from seasonal country like grapes, pear, cherry , plum etc....

[@oosn0b0ardroo]

​@@aiorlin8722 totally agree. Elevation will absolutely play a huge role in what options are available for successful growing throughout the tropics. Microclimates are far more prevalent. What friends can grow less than 5 minutes down the road, I cannot grow 750m higher in elevation as temperature changes 5-10 degrees and rainfall increases significantly where I live.

[@JackPitmanNica]

The comments on this video are really really informative, thanks all of you for sharing so much useful information

[@kauaimicrogreens9298]

cool to see, I always watch and adapt what you do to my climate in hawaii

[@andrewcavanagh3946]

Ginger is a high value crop in the tropics that will give you a yield most of the year and it will grow in the shade of your fruit trees. Shampoo ginger has value both for the ginger (bitter ginger) and the liquid from the flowers can be sold as a high priced hair conditioner. Another plant that will grow in anything from shade to full sun is Konjac (Amorphophallus konjac an unusual type of yam) which has huge value as a diet food. Brazillian spinach grows year round as does Aibika for greens. The young leaves of Egyptian Spinach (jute) make a good lettuce substitute and the plant self seeds readily and grows vigorously for a large part of the year. Sweet leaf (sauropus androgynus) will grow in anything from shade to full sun, self seeds readily and gives a continuous crop of high value unique greens.

[@grill6411]

thank you, this was very helpful

[@TopofthesouthPacific]

Nice, but I can find nothing on growing cannabis in a tropical place. Rains every day. Banana, pineapple, yams , peppers, mango, star fruit, apple , breadfruit, durian, bamboo , lots others. No problem with the rain. Cannabis don’t like to much rain. Thank you

[@ivarvoorel3590]

nice, i am in malaysia and looking for these kind of videos.

[@itsMoreImani]

Super helpful! I'm live in the Cayman Islands and my family and I want to start taking advantage of my mom's backyard space to grow our own food. Thanks for the vid!

[@livefromplanetearth]

+1

[@greenwoodfarm48]

Very informative video thanks

[@TheVigilantStewards]

Thanks for the pros and cons of the tropics! I was under the same misconception/impression. I live in Texas and hate the winter as well as the extremely short windows we have for growing. This past year we had a month of decent spring weather before early heat and drought hit. It's just brutal and dry out here. I'd much rather deal with keeping the rain off and perennials I would think :)

[@acctsys]

Summet scorch and bugs are factors too. I'd go with pots to be safe from storms.

[@chadsorganics1380]

Aloha Curtis, Your talking in my world. I basically do exactly what you do but on the upper elevation of the wet side of the big island. I have learned a lot from you and basically built my farm from the income and now am starting to make a decent living to pay for life. I do rely heavily on high tunnels for most of my income producing crops, but grow on the outside too. But we grow tons of basil, spinach, cherry tomatoes and lots of salad greens, cucumbers, kale, Chard, even carrots and broccoli and we grow it very high density and lots of lettuce in the soil. True nematodes can thrive here and there can be intense disease and insect pressure and the rain is ridiculous, sometimes over 250 inches, so the high tunnels are key . But you have to know about soil health and I have learned from Dr. Elaine Ingham and the soil food web and web and make my own vermicompost and rely on it for much of my fertility as it made all the difference to our system as well as no till. There are certainly many techniques and precautions that are different than growing in the northern climates but it can be done with the right skill set, equipment and infrastructure. Learned a lot through you and other examples online like JM and Singing Frog Farm, even Eliot Coleman.... You have to visit the Big island and my farm, besides we have lava you can see flow into the ocean unlike Maui. www.chadsorganics.com

[@tumba3182]

Chad Wasserman Amazing!

[@cvictor8999]

your link no longer functions?

[@CheesieGamer]

Hi. I am moving to a hot climate zone to start my own farm. I already have experience with suculents cacti and ornamentals but eant to start growing food. This video is very informative... Pending for more growing in the tropics videos (don't tell me about russet mites :(. )

[@tumba3182]

hella things like rat lung disease going on in tropical growing...it's not for me

[@BoydMcConnell]

Duly noted, Chris

[@davidmackenzie1132]

Aloha Curtis, from the Big Island of Hawai'i! We have many of the same concerns you mention there in Mexico. 200 inches of rain a year, exceptional pest pressure, and rampant fungal diseases. However, there are strategies for adapting to these conditions. We are growing cilantro, parsley, lettuce and spinach in grow boxes in the greenhouse for market. Brassicas are grown under low tunnel hoophouses covered with agribon 15. Tomatoes are a challenge, but we are trialing disease-resistant vaieties bred for hot and humid climates. Getting a good return on effort here in Hilo, Hawai'i. Come to the Big Island sometime, you have a place to stay! David MacKenzie, Hilo, HI

[@offgridcurtisstone]

Nice. We're planning to vacation in Maui next year.

[@davidmackenzie1132]

+Urban Farmer Curtis Stone come across the straight and give us a visit!

[@karikling8812]

I live in the Asian tropics(Cambodia, to be exact), and, even though they're both tropical climates, the vegetation is a lot different. People don't grow a lot of squash or corn here. They grow a lot of mangoes, tomatoes, peppers, etc. Pretty much everything except squash, beets, apricots, blueberries, plums, artichokes, and a couple of other things. However, I live in an apartment in the city, so to some degree I can control what kind of soil I'm going to use. Pests might be another story. Plus, I don't know about South American tropics, but Asian tropics typically have a long dry season and a short wet season. So , if you're not growing on a balcony like I will be, you have to plan what you'll grow based on how much water the plant needs.

[@1980mezza]

What Tomato verities have you had good production with? I'm in Thailand and have been struggling to keep the fruit fly off my Tomatoes

[@seattlednb]

would that be the same for the pacific northwest? its wet but its temperate and some years pretty mild winters so do we not get that reset?

[@yohananlau1620]

Agree. In tropic you fight with rainfall, flood, bugs, and plants....

[@08dario08]

Anyone know any worthwhile resources/research material on no till tropical market gardening ?

[@dominic6055]

why the heck people grow lettuce in a tropical climate? there are so many alternatives of tender greens

[@devbachu7072]

Beans add nitrogen fertilizer to the corn which is a heavy feeders

[@TaLeng2023]

I read marigold can serve as hosts for nematodes and then you can pull them up to get rod of the pests. What season should they be planted?

[@Username9182736451]

I live in the northern latitudes and grow plants like tomatoes. Our plants grow from June to October when the frost gets em. I'm curious what happens in the tropics? Will a tomatoe plant grow forever and eventually cover your house?

[@milkysher]

It can get tall but not that super tall as the sun really batters them

[@TheJamesRedwood]

Oh Man now you're just taking the piss mate ! : )

[@sharonwright4202]

I am also from Jamaica, the more mountainous region really. I grow any vegetable when I want to year round. Yes, there are concerns and precautions to be taken, but don't all farmers have the same no matter where they live?

[@antoniocruz4853]

Come to Puerto Rico, you will be surprise all the crops that you can grow year round. I live all my life in a Tropical Island and I disagree with the information you put out about growing in the tropics.

[@offgridcurtisstone]

You're not disagreeing, just having a different experience.

[@livefromplanetearth]

+1

[@mariclarice242]

Do you have a channel? What do you grow?

[@artemkudelia]

👋 Are there any earthship inspired projects in tropics?

[@bobnewhart4318]

Can asparagus grow and thrive commercially in tropical climates?

[@joaquincruz8265]

I know the struggle

[@chrislamond3854]

tropics = BUGS!!!!!!

[@whatthefunction9140]

winter sucks but at least it hits the reset button on mold, bugs, nutrient cycles etc.

[@valentino10108]

So on the tropics one can't grow vegetable from temperate wheter but can grow all the year the one adapted for tropic whether....so where is the problem? One can not grow on the nord or south emisfere all the year because of the winter instead on the tropic they can grow "tropical food" continuesly( more or less),right?

[@lucasvieira8357]

Really nice video! Passion fruit it is not a perennial tho lol

[@bryandaves1005]

Passion fruit is absolutely a perennial. I grow it here in Nicaragua. They live on average 7 years and will produce year after year

[@qualqui]

What a coupla hundred feet in elevation above sea level can do to the land! While the coastal plains are warm all year round(I'd say HOT in summer!), it does get chilly up here during the Winter on the central plateau, even though our climate is cataloged as "subtropical". Sure thing that grows all year round is the humble, edible Prickly Pear!

[@offgridcurtisstone]

It's true. I have friends that are growing in the higher elevations in Mexico and they have so many more growing options.

[@josematos5219]

I hear "The problem is the solution" a lot... How about growing fungi? like mushrooms? Heard anybody do that? Thanks for your vlog.

[@jaydoug1973]

José Matos not in the tropics most of the edible mushrooms need cool and dark for a period of time

[@karikling8812]

I'm from Pennsylvania. They have mushroom farms there because it's cool and humid. I would say, based on my allergies and travels, fungus is actually more of a problem there than in hot, humid climates.

[@cvictor8999]

two kinds grow well in tropics...volvariella volvacea and pink oyster. they love the temperature

[@cvictor8999]

indian lettuce may be the only kind that thrives in the tropics

[@tinkokolynn761]

rain, heat and moisture acts too heavy and hard in tropics

[@jovansworld_]

PH tropical. Some are true

[@elainemccarty1195]

Why would you fight against Mother Nature to have a head of lettuce in the tropics? SMH