I originally posted this on the tropical garden forum. Rjuddharrison thought that some of the members here might be able to help, specifically PlacenciaRita. Here is my original post...
Hi! I am designing a garden in Nicaragua. Locally, the rainy season (April to November) is called winter. Dec through January is dry and hot and called summer. Since Nicaragua is north of the equator, this seems backwards. The books I have refer to Meditteranean climate plants requiring a "dry summer" or "needs water in summer". What season are the books talking about?!!!!!
Also, this garden is right on the beach- which is good and bad. Has anyone had the experience of having to remove sand and add soil to create a garden. Is that completely crazy and un-environmental?
Thanks to all!
Central American garden seasons
When you're close to the equator the seasons as defined by day length and colder/warmer temperatures are less distinct than they would be elsewhere, so they probably have defined their seasons in a way that makes the most sense for them based on when it's rainy or not. Regardless of which season is which, any place with an 8 month rainy season is not going to be appropriate for the majority of Mediterranean plants so I'd look towards more typical tropical plants. The Mediterranean plants might be happy during those 2 hot dry months, but especially if the weather is at all warm during the 8 rainy months (which I suspect it is since they're close to the equator) they will not be happy--warmth plus moisture equals fungal diseases. For her garden beds, I'd encourage her to try raised beds, I think that'll be the easiest way to get good soil that the plants will be happy in.
Thanks ecrane! I'm sure I will have more questions soon....
This message was edited Aug 2, 2008 9:03 AM