9/28/24

Rainy season in Nayarit is certainly beautiful (see my post about it here), but the rain and heat make gardening a challenge. Gardening in a hot climate has its unique set of challenges. For example, because plants grow really quickly here, we have to stay vigilant that the jungle does not take over our house.

It’s getting difficult to see the house from the road, and difficult to even drive on the road. Last week we had to call Juan the water guy to come fill the cistern (for the first time since March, so I feel like we’re doing ok on saving water). The water truck made it halfway up the hill, then Juan climbed out of the cab and asked if we had a machete. Of course we do! We’re good Mexicans. I handed the machete to Juan and he hacked away at the jungle until he had a clear path to the cistern. I feel bad that he had to do that, but we don’t get a lot of visitors up here so access has not been at the top of our priorities list.

I admit, the vines are becoming a problem. Each day they inch closer to the house and threaten to cover my cactus and cucumber gardens. They’ve covered the cistern and septic doors, parts of the gravel path around the house, and are already starting to cover the 14-foot trailer. On the upside, I like that the vines are quick to cover the ugly bits. When we build the cyclone fence around the property, I will be happy to let the vines take over that. It’s also preventing erosion on the downhill side of the property. But all the plants are bringing all the bugs, and I know our exterminator Misael is going to scold us about letting the grass get so high.

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A new book

This morning I downloaded a new book about a homesteading family living off-grid in central Texas. I love it because Shannon Stonger is a good writer, and I can relate to the hot Texas weather they have to deal with. They learned all about gardening in a hot climate. They also have detailed how-to’s of all their projects, with photos. More than some of the other books I’ve read, this family feels relatable because (1) they’re learning how to homestead in brutally hot weather like me, and (2) they’ve failed at gardening A LOT.

But the family kept trying and eventually succeeded. They inspired me to keep going with my garden, even if it is a little sad right now. The dill and cilantro is finished and gone to seed, the jalapeños never sprouted, the Mexican cucumbers never recovered from the bug invasion (though they did produce one tiny cucumber a week), and the cauliflowers and bugambilias (what we call bougainvillea here) are unhappy in their too-small pots. Basil has been the big winner this summer.

I used to do well with the alfalfa sprouts, but lately gardening in this hot climate has been too hard on them. Too long over 30 degrees C (86 F) turns the poor sprouts into mush. I’ll do those again when it cools off next month.

Where to plant?

I wrestled with indecision for a few weeks about whether to try and plant anything in my soil. However, the decision seems to have been made for me. The nicest area to garden in, that gets all the southern-facing sun, happens to also be where the septic system lies. Digging anything there seems to be a bad idea, not to mention planting anything that might be food. BUT there’s nothing that says I can’t drag my container gardens there.

So yesterday I went to the Punta Mita tianguis (our local pop-up market), found my dependable kitchen supplier who usually has plastic flower pots, and bought five of the 3-gallon pots for $50 pesos each. Early this morning I donned my new pink rain boots, picked up my trusty Japanese sickle, and cleared the vines from 3 spots: the gravel pile and dirt pile left over from last year’s construction, and the spot in the garden where I wanted to move the cauliflower plants.

It was very hot so I didn’t spend a lot of time outside, just long enough to prep three pots: add a layer of gravel at the bottom, add a layer of “local dirt” in the middle, repot the three cauliflower plants, and cover that with the nice potting soil. Hopefully the cauliflowers will be happier in their bigger pots and start to produce. I am seeing little purple buds in the middle of two of them so I think that’s a good sign. But then it was too hot to go on, so I waited until the next weekend to repot the bugambilias. When you’re gardening in a hot climate, you can only do a little bit at a time! Then I advise escaping to the air-conditioning.

What’s next?

The nice part about gardening in the summer in Mexico is 1) not having to water as often, and 2) since we don’t have a winter, I can garden year round. I am learning though, that in the summer, I am limited to the more heat-tolerant plants like cucumbers and tomatoes. And there are some plants that I simply can’t grow here…no cold weather stuff like rhubarb or apples. Thinking about trying lettuce and spinach around November-December, but that may be a pipe dream.

I just ordered some seeds from Amazon –the next things I’m going to try are peas, carrots, and green onions. I might try jalapenos again too…I was so disappointed that none of them sprouted, but maybe the conditions weren’t right. I’ll read up and see what I can learn about them.

I’ve learned a lot about gardening in a hot climate, but I’ve barely scratched the surface. What are some other good foods that a beginner could grow in hot weather? Let me know in the comments.