So I'm planning to start gardening in Philippines...

[Wutsky]

Hello everyone.

I'm planning to start gardening in Guimaras island, though I'm pretty new to it and not sure what to start from, so I want to ask some advices from experienced gardeners.

I own a piece of land, about one hectare, in Nueva Valencia, covered mostly with wild flora (that is currently being cleaned off) and some coconut trees (those remain untouched). The ground has never been cultivated before, nor fertilized. My question is - what fruits would be wise choice to plant first in such situation, when the cleaning will have been done? Something that is not really difficult for the beginners; I'm thinking about avocado, pineapples, bananas, calamansi and may be jackfruit, but I'm not sure if those would like each other's neighbourhood, or may be it's not recommened to combine them together? I know Guimaras is famous for its' mango, though I do not really consider it because tending mango trees appears to be too complicated for me yet. Another question is - how to figure out, what kind of fertilizers (if any) are needed in the place?

Thanks for your help, any advice would be appreciated.

 

[Chuck]

First, plant and grow what naturally grows there and in other nearby areas/islands. If a plant is adapted to an area it isn't difficult. In gardening or any agricultural process what is difficult is making something grow where it really doesn't belong. Test your soil and see if it is acidic or alkaline. If acidic don't waste your time trying to grow plants that like alkaline soils and vice versa. Send off soil samples to determine what your particular soil needs in the way of nutrition. Try to stay away from synthetic fertilizers. I doubt if you can get organic man made fertilizers there but I know you can find all sorts of manure from cows to chicken and many other natural forms. Incorporate these manures into the soil. Incorporate organic materials such as leaves, grass, seaweed etc also. The WEB is a great place to find out all about particular kinds of plants, their temperature ranges, how much moisture they require etc. Gardening isn't an overnight process so be patient. Observe the locals and time what you do with when they do things

 

[alp]

Mangoes, bananas, lychees .. papayas Juke fruit, durian fruit. Not juke? Don't know the spelling.