Date: Monday May 22, 2023 11:00 am
Species: Carica papaya
Where & When: On may 22 we visited Mrs. Juanita at her house. She lives in a small blue house beside the store. Mrs. Juanita is 86 years old and has lived in San Sal all 86 of those years. She mentioned she has always taken pride in her garden and it is one of her prized possessions. In her front yard she grows many crops: tomatoes, mint, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, dill, bananas, purple heart, and the greatest of all, papaya. Mrs. Juanita has many papaya trees in her front yard, all too all for her to reach anymore. She told us her favorite way to use alot of the plants such as, using a mint leaf to make tea when she has an upset stomach, or for pumpkin soup whenever the pumpkins are just right. She provides crops from her garden to her family, close relatives, and friends.
Description of a Papaya: She said they’re the best to harvest whenever they are just turning a golden yellow, and best to eat when they "look like a sunset" (red, orange, and yellow). A papaya tree has many long curved tree stumps
originating from one single root that grow as tall as the sun. Each stump as a pattern similar to a palm tree, in which they are commonly mistaken for eachother. At the end of each stump broad, flat, and deeply, palmately lobed leaves fan out towards the sun. Just right under the leaves are papaya blooms which then turn into a fruit. The fruits grow in clusters from 3-6 at a time.
How to grow Papaya: Mrs. Juanita said her on San Salvador papaya is a huge fruit crop valued by many Bahamians. This fruit is used in many sweet meat, and dessert dishes. Here on San Sal, many grow their crops according to the moon cycle. The way Mrs. Juanita described how she does her plants was so fascinating. She plants her crops on the first crescent moon, and harvests just after the 4th waning gibbous. I had never heard of this being a way to pay attention to when to harvest the crops. I was really impressed with how she was able to keep track of the moon cycles in order to know when to harvest her crops. However, she mentioned to NEVER ever plant crops on a new moon, and that if you do your crops will not flourish. Papaya trees grow best in a sandy loam soil and that perfect for San Salvador Island because she lives right across the street from the beach!
Personal Experience: Getting to hear this from her was so exciting. Anyone who listened, was able to tell how passionate and caring she was about her garden. I am so thankful she gave our group the opportunity to ask her questions and visit. I even got to try one of her papayas!
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