Bill Mollison mentions in his Permaculture Designer’s Manual how the romantic literature on the easy tropical life doesnt mention ” the constant battle with rampant growth that is an everyday experience at Latitudes 0-25′ ” .

The rapid life, death and decay cycle in the tropics is very evident in our kitchen garden.

We planted pigeon peas as a fast growing nitrogen fixer in rows along foot paths in the garden to create shade, mulch and edible beans.

Now three months months after planting , they are already grown bushy and ready for some chop and drop as mulch. Chopping them will provide us with high quality nitrogen source for our compost and will be returned to the garden as an alive soil full of beneficial microscopic life.

The cover crop we used is also rampant and providing the needed protection of the soil against erosion during the rainy season and when chopped wity a grass cutter and left to decompose will provide the much needed organic matter that the soils in the tropics are usually deficient in.

The constant return of carbon and nitrogen back to the soil is the secret for health nutrient dense gardening in the wet tropics.

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