With the year-round, temperate climate, Hawaii is the perfect place to bring your homegrown food to your family’s table. With so many elevation and diverse climate options, gardening in Hawaii is a matter of learning what grows best where you decide to nest. Hopefully, this will give you some things to ponder about location if you are deciding to move to Hawaii.
Hawaii is the perfect place to grow your own food
Tips For Gardening in Hawaii
Not having been a real gardener before moving to this beautiful place I now call home, everything I did was a matter of research, trial, and a few errors. But there are some universal things that can help any garden flourish and bring a big, beautiful, blessing of a bounty. Here are some basic Hawaii gardening tips that will help you produce a garden that you can be proud of:
1. Pick the right thing to plant. Tomatoes love my elevation of 2,000 feet with afternoon showers. Hot weather lovers, like some strains of avocado and mango, can be more of a challenge up here. The local, small nurseries are experts at knowing what will grow on the island and elevation you choose.
2. Good soil and preparation. I cannot stress this enough. Depending on where you live in Hawaii, you can have lava, clay, sand…you get the picture. You may not have dirt! Prepare a bed – whether raised or on the ground – and order in some good dirt. Contact one of the local soil companies on your island, they usual deliver and you will get better value than bags of garden soil from a home improvement store.
3. Protect! Because of the temperate climate, we also have year-round pests and wildlife that love to eat! In my area, we have to be aware of wild pigs, chickens and turkeys, mice, and mongoose, just to name a few. Protect your garden with wire fencing at a minimum and install a gate for entry.
Add a gate and paint it a fun color!
Planting Roots in Hawaii
When you are ready to plant your roots in Hawaii, contact me to help you choose the perfect place for your family garden.
Julie Ruhle
September 11, 2017
I am thinking of moving to hawaii from Alaska. I love to garden and here it rains all the time so fruit and veggies just rot and slugs devour everything. I raise chickens and ducks as well, compost, and raise earthworms. Would like to continue this in a warmer place. I love the idea of growing all that fruit!