By Victoria Torley

 

You can learn something every day in Costa Rica; things just keep happening. Today I learned that my favorite top-dressing, macadamia shells, is also a favorite nesting place for fire ants. And I have the bites to prove it.

Other things I have learned:

• Tarantulas are not as scary as they look, but they do look scary, all reared up on 4 legs with 2 pointed at you. Just let them go back to their business, and all will be well.

• Leaf-cutter ants can strip a hibiscus overnight. They are also fond of anything that you are fond of.

• Not everything that looks like an orchid leaf is an orchid leaf.

• Volcanic soil may look rich and black, but it’s just dirt until you add compost.

• Rainy days make for slippery hillsides.

• Even watermelons don’t like too much rain, which always seems odd to me, as they are mostly... well, water.

• Sweet corn needs 16 hours of sunshine. We get 12. Just 12. Always 12. Okay, maybe 12 ½. So get your sweet corn seed from the University of Hawaii, and it will grow with 12. Just 12. And even 12 ½.

• Greenhouses require a substantial amount of shade cloth, even during the rainy season. Those few hours of morning sun can mean temperatures in the 90s.

• Some seeds take forever to sprout. Patience is a virtue.

• Not all slugs drink beer.

• A cold beer on a long, hot day is refreshing. Don’t share with the slugs.

• Don’t go barefoot. Sandals aren’t great either.

• You can never have too many books on plants (Metric Man said I should leave off the last two words).

• When it comes to getting things done with a hired gardener, "mañana" doesn’t mean tomorrow; it means sometime in the future.

• Cows do not belong in your flower beds (or in your carefully planted Hawaiian sweet corn).

• Armadillos don’t either.

• Don’t mess with Coatis (Nasua narica); they have big, sharp claws.

• Rubber garden boots will stop a snake bite... sometimes.

• Your first greenhouse will be too small.

• Green shade cloth is your friend. You can even use it as curtains.

At the end of a long day of planting, harvesting, weeding, and just general gardening, there is nothing like sitting on the deck with a glass of wine. Put your feet up, and let yourself smile. It has been a good day. A very good day.

Plant for the week.  Palms are one of the plants that shout tropics! Tall and stately, bushy, thorny, fanned out, fast growers or slow, when you see a palm, you just feel tropical. The problem with palms is that they take a long time to grow from seed. Yes, you can get them at a nursery, but suppose you see one with seeds and just want to give it a go. Be patient.

------------
Find more interesting stories about gardening in Costa Rica on the AM Costa Rica Garden Magazine. Questions on this article, Ms. Torley, gardener columnist, can be reached by emailing victoriatorley1@gmail.com
------------