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Why is chocolate harder to grow than fruits for us homesteaders/small farmers?
Chocolate
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It IS a fruit, and it isn't harder to grow, 90% of all the world's growers of it are very small family homestead farms and only 5% of it is grown on big commercial plantations.
It's easy to grow (just like I explained to you about growing coffee) if you are in the right geographical location, the right climate and have the right soil conditions then you're good to go.
Theobroma is what provides the chocolate flavour and it comes from cacao beans (seeds) that are inside the inner pulp (called baba) of a big fleshy fruit called a cacao pod that grows on what is known as the Theobroma cacao tree.
Here is half a page of some really easy to understand information with a few pictures and names of the countries where it grows. North America is not suitable to grow theobroma trees because the continent is not inside what is known as the theobroma cacao "belt".
Note the correct spelling of cacao for the plant in case you want to look for more information online, it is not really the mis-spelled cocoa you see in the title, but both spellings have become interchangeable during the past couple of hundred years.
Where Do Cocoa Beans Grow? | Lake Champlain Chocolates
Discover where cocoa beans grow, which countries produce the most cocoa in the world, the various types of cocoa beans, and more!
www.lakechamplainchocolates.com
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Can a homesteader grow cocoa in a greenhouse?It IS a fruit, and it isn't harder to grow, 90% of all the world's growers of it are very small family homestead farms and only 5% of it is grown on big commercial plantations.
It's easy to grow (just like I explained to you about growing coffee) if you are in the right geographical location, the right climate and have the right soil conditions then you're good to go.
Theobroma is what provides the chocolate flavour and it comes from cacao beans (seeds) that are inside the inner pulp (called baba) of a big fleshy fruit called a cacao pod that grows on what is known as the Theobroma cacao tree.
Here is half a page of some really easy to understand information with a few pictures and names of the countries where it grows. North America is not suitable to grow theobroma trees because the continent is not inside what is known as the theobroma cacao "belt".
Note the correct spelling of cacao for the plant in case you want to look for more information online, it is not really the mis-spelled cocoa you see in the title, but both spellings have become interchangeable during the past couple of hundred years.
Where Do Cocoa Beans Grow? | Lake Champlain Chocolates
Discover where cocoa beans grow, which countries produce the most cocoa in the world, the various types of cocoa beans, and more!
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I knew you were going to ask that.
The answer is YES!!
But you would need to set up the right kind of greenhouse to provide exactly all the full conditions that the tree needs. In the right kind of greenhouse set to the right conditions and with the right size of containers you can grow just about anything you want except giant trees. You could grow coffee plants too. But you'd still need to baby your plants along and be prepared to put lots of fussing and time into it.
Check out everything on this page but pay particular attention to the first site that comes up at the top of the page - the off grid survival gardening website - because it has some of the most important information you'd need to know about the contents and chemical benefits and deficits of chocolate.
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Have the house parents let you plant tomatoes yet?
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No because we have hyperactive dogs that will eat the crops without thinking.
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Fences will solve that problem.
You are in a place where you are safe and cared for, but they aren’t able to support your hopes and dreams.
You are in a place where you are safe and cared for, but they aren’t able to support your hopes and dreams.
True. In a group home or respite setting it would be an injustice to the client if the house parents / support staff were to be supportive of hopes and dreams that are not practical and not achievable. It's the job of the house parents / support staff to teach and be supportive of practical and achievable goals.
But there is nothing wrong with the client educating their self properly about their hopes and dreams in order to reach a better understanding of what is achievable and how to be practical about it.
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Agree.
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Not very many dogs like tomatoes. A good fence would keep dogs out of the garden area.
I'm sorry that you aren't allowed to plant a few lettuce plants or edible flowers in hanging baskets. Many edible plants can be grown in small spaces that the dogs can be kept away from.
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I still remember talking to my Mom on a Sunday and noticed our German Shepard, Joy, quickly trotting out of the garden. Hmm. Then she slowly walked back in. Moments later she was quickly trotting out. Back in and out, the same. I said goodbye to Mom and had to investigate. I caught her in the act: she was stealing tomatoes. Only the ripe, red ones mind you. And its not for lack of her feed. She just plain decided the tomatoes taste better. I can't say I blamed her but at the rate she was going we'd not have much left for us.
Until I discovered Catahoula hounds I couldn't imaging having anything but a GS. Yhe Cats are better forest dogs but I have a major soft spot for a GS. Even the ones that don't know me seem to sense that.
I've had quite a few dogs in my life and only one stole tomatoes but he learned pretty quick after being reprimanded a couple times.
Well then here is some important heads up information for future reference. If you ever do manage to grow a theobroma cacao tree ... even if it is just a little personal cacao tree in a pot kept as a houseplant in your bedroom ..... you will have to make sure that absolutely no animals can ever gain access to the tree or to any cocoa powder or chocolate chips that you use for baking and creating chocolate confections, cakes and other foods or drinks with cocoa in them.
The chemical in the plant seeds called theobromine (which the plant gets its name from) is highly toxic to dogs and several other types of animals. It's more commonly called chocolate or cocoa poisoning and is one of the reasons why vets caution dog and cat owners to never give chocolate in any form to their pets. Even humans can be poisoned by it if they overdose on strong dark chocolate. You can look up online for further information about theobromine poisoning, chocolate poisoning and cocoa poisoning.
Green tomatoes and partially ripened tomatoes that are eaten before they are fully ripe and sweet can also cause tomatine poisoning and solanine poisoning.
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