Frequently asked questions.

These are some of our visitors’ most frequently asked questions.

They usually come up during a guided visit of the Orchard, or in the course of our in-depth workshops. We decided to gather them and provide our best answers, linking to any relevant content on our website whenever we found appropriate. You will find these answers below, divided into a few categories.

If any of your own questions are missing from this page, please feel free to contact us and we’ll do our best to reply quickly: miguel@orchardofflavours.com

🌳 About the Botanical Garden

  • Orchard of Flavours is a living collection of subtropical and Mediterranean-climate food trees grown with education, conservation, and climate resilience in mind. Whether it’s their fruits, nuts, leaves, flowers, or bark, all plants found here provide some kind of edible product.  It is run as a not-for-profit entity and is accredited by Botanic Gardens Conservation International. It covers about 2 hectares and was started in 2019.

  • A Mediterranean climate is defined by hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters — perfect for growing drought-tolerant food trees like figs, olives, and pomegranates. It’s found in five main regions: the Mediterranean Basin, California (USA), central Chile, southwest Australia, and South Africa’s Western Cape.

    Due to climate change, more areas — especially in central Europe, the Americas, and Asia — are developing Mediterranean-like conditions, making this climate increasingly relevant for future farming and food resilience.

  • We are based in southern Portugal’s Algarve region, near Tavira. Visits are by appointment, from Wednesday to Saturday, from 9.00 to 12.30 AM and from 2.00 to 4.30 PM, or during special open days. Check out our Visits page.

  • Unlike ornamental gardens, we focus on edible, drought-tolerant, and climate-adapted trees — from Avocado to Zanzibar apple  — and we share all our data open-source. The garden was started in 2019 and now has 500+ different food tree species and varieties and over 1000 planted trees. 

    During your visit, you’ll have the opportunity to taste seasonal fruits, edible leaves, and flowers, all with the guidance of our staff. Please note: no self-picking is allowed unless a sign on the tree clearly indicates otherwise.

  • Yes! We offer private guided tours and self-guided tours, as well as consultations and workshops.

  • We welcome collaborators — from local volunteers to university interns and global partners. Find out how to get involved.

  • We occasionally share seeds, cuttings or seedlings. But this is not our core objective. You can find all our providers on the Subtropical Plant Nurseries page.

  • Our botanical garden is a non-profit association for the benefit of the community. You can donate, become a member or contribute in kind. Your contribution greatly helps develop the Garden and build an open source knowledge hub. Learn more.

  • We are firmly results-based, using the best available science and technology, and we never dismiss any technique that is effective and non-harmful.

    While we are not affiliated with any specific movement, you’ll find real-life examples of many permaculture practices throughout the garden, along with numerous implementations inspired by syntropic farming. Read more.

  • This orchard was born from my love for a papaya named Juliette, quietly growing against a sun-warmed wall in Tavira. She was my favorite fruit — delicate, tropical, improbable — and yet, she thrived.

    That single tree was a sign: if a papaya could grow here, then anything is possible.

    Papayas are fragile — my horticultural holy grail. They need warmth, care, and protection. But when they flourish, they whisper something deeper: limits are often just ideas we’ve accepted.

    From that fateful whisper, this orchard was born. We believe it’s time to face the reality of climate change, while continuing to try to slow it down — and start adapting, experimenting, and finding real solutions.

🌳 About your Fruit Trees

🍋 Fruit & Productivity

  • Yes! Many subtropical trees thrive in Mediterranean climates. For example, you can grow bananas, moringa, and mangos here. Explore our growing guides.

  • If you're looking for super fast-growing food trees, consider these standout species:

    1. Moringa (Moringa oleifera)

    2. Mulberry (Morus spp.)

    3. Papaya (Carica papaya)

    4. Jujube (Ziziphus jujuba)

    5. Jamaican cherry / Strawberry tree (Muntingia calabura)

    6. Sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum)

    7. Banana (Musa spp.)

    8. Ice cream bean tree (Inga edulis)

    9. Jambolan / Java plum (Syzygium cumini)

    10. Debregeasia (Debregeasia edulis)


    This is just a short list — there are many more species that can thrive with the right care and conditions.

    • Yes! Filter our database by rusticity zone.

    • Examples: mulberry, pomegranate, loquat, feijoa

    • ❌ Not papaya — it’s frost-sensitive!

  • Explore our curated list of Subtropical Plant Nurseries, featuring trusted EU-located suppliers and shipping tips. We’ve selected around 30 outstanding nurseries and plant collectors known for:

    • High-quality plants, often very difficult to find

    • Reliable, fast shipping

    Based on our experience with these professionals, we added individual comments and notes on each source to help you choose with confidence.

    Whether you're looking for rare species or proven performers, this list is a great place to start.

    • Most common causes:

      • Pollination partner missing

      • 🌡️ Variety mismatch (needs more chill hours — e.g., no cherries, kiwis, pistachios in warm zones)

      • 🧂 Poor or unbalanced soil nutrition

      • ☀️ Lack of sunlight

      • 💧 Improper watering — too much, too little, or badly placed

      • 🌱 Inadequate planting hole or poor soil amendments

    • Use our Food Tree Database to check your plant’s needs.

    See our species-specific Plant Guides (Moringa, Bananas, Mango, etc).

  • It’s a common question — and the answer starts with planting two trees:

    one with A-type flowers and one with B-type flowers.

    To boost your chances of fruiting:

    • Keep the soil slightly acidic

    • Maintain consistent moisture

    • Avoid overwatering

    With the right pairing and the right care, your avocado trees will be much more likely to produce fruit.

    • Often due to iron or magnesium being locked in alkaline soils

    • Add a few times a year the right iron chelate + acidic compost

    • Covered in detail in our Food Tree Care workshop

    • We discuss this and other plant health issues in our Food Tree Care Manual

  • No one wants to bite into a fruit full of larvae! We recommend a simple three-part strategy:

    🪤 Set traps starting in early spring
    🛍️ Use fine-mesh bags once the fruit reaches around 2cm
    🐛 Learn more in our Pests & Diseases workshop, where we cover integrated approaches in depth

    • Always sterilise blades with isopropyl alcohol when changing trees

    • Prune only during dry, wind-free days

    We teach this routine hands-on in the Food Tree Care field sessions, and address all the ‘why’s and ‘how’s of pruning in our Food Tree Care Manual.

🛠️ Care & Maintenance

    • Yes! Our trials show best results with yearly additions of compost and of well-composted manure. Here at the botanical garden we use well-composted horse manure

    • See our soil-building protocols in the Food Forest Experiments section

  • At the botanical garden, we use several mulching techniques depending on the tree type, climate conditions, and soil goals. Our go-to materials include:

    • Shredded wood — great for moisture retention and slow decomposition

    • Pebbles — useful in windy or arid spots to reduce evaporation and erosion

    • Vetiver grass (Chrysopogon zizanioides) — our favorite for long-lasting, soil-enriching mulch

  • 🌾 Vetiver forms dense, fibrous roots that hold the soil in place, and when cut, its high-carbon leaves break down slowly, feeding the soil while suppressing weeds

    📘 Learn how to use it in our detailed article, How-to: Mulching with Vetiver Grass — a practical guide to one of the most resilient and regenerative mulches we’ve found

  • There’s no one-size-fits-all answer — it depends on the tree species, age, soil type and season

    At the Botanical Garden, we deal with heavy clay soil, and during summer, we typically water 4 to 6 times a week.

    • We always include one or two dry days for root oxygenation

    • One day is “happy day”, when trees get double their usual dose to ensure a deep, moist root zone

    For best results, we recommend professional guidance tailored to your conditions.
    Our Irrigation & Water Saving Guide provides step-by-step help to design an efficient and long-lasting system.

  • 💡 Yes! Here’s what we recommend:

    ✅ Choose salt- and alkaline-tolerant species, such as:

    • Pomegranate (Punica granatum)

    • Olive (Olea europaea)

    • Carob (Ceratonia siliqua)

    • Mesquite (Prosopis spp.)

    • Chañar (Geoffroea decorticans)

    ❌ Avoid sensitive species, including:

    • Banana (Musa spp.)

    • Papaya (Carica papaya)

    • Citrus species (Citrus spp.)

    💧 Treat your water if needed — especially in long-term planting projects or high-salinity contexts.

    📚 Dive deeper in our Salinity & Edible Plants research section and the Cocoon Food Forest course for practical strategies and case studies.

    • Vetiver's deep roots stabilize slopes, capture run-off, and after one year of growth, provide excellent mulch

    • Discover more in our guide to this “Miracle Grass”

🌱 Soil, Planting & Ecosystems

    • In our heavy clay soils, we never plant single trees in small holes

    • Instead, we:

      • 🌾 Create islands of fertility

      • 🧱 Deeply decompact the soil and remove large stones

      • 🥬 Backfill with at least 15% compost and 5% manure

    Inspired by Miyawaki forest principles.
    Find out more about islands of fertility on our E-Book Manual “Cocoon Food Forests & Islands of Fertility“, for sale on our website.

  • Yes — just choose alkaline-tolerant species, such as:

    • Fig (Ficus carica)

    • Jujube (Ziziphus jujuba)

    • Moringa (Moringa oleifera)

    • Guava (Psidium guajava)

    • Feijoa / Pineapple guava (Acca sellowiana)

    • Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica)

    • Asian pear / Nashi (Pyrus pyrifolia)

    • Amla / Indian gooseberry (Phyllanthus emblica)

    • Mulberry (Morus spp.)

    • Apricot (Prunus armeniaca)

    • Almond (Prunus dulcis)

    🌿 Explore our Coco Zone Experiment for more insights into planting successfully in alkaline soils.

  • Start with our free Cocoon Food Forest Online Course, specially adapted for Mediterranean climates.
    It’s a step-by-step approach based on years of experimentation in our own food forest systems.

    The core idea:
    You increase the success of your main fruit tree by planting companion species that provide:

    • Wind protection

    • Living mulch

    • Pollination support

    • Shade and sun buffering

    The course covers all key steps:

    🌱 Design layout
    🌿 Companion planting
    💧 Irrigation and maintenance
    🪨 Soil preparation
    🚫 Weed control
    🌳 Planting method
    🌾 Expanding your food forest

    Another accessible way to get a solid introduction into Food Forests is by purchasing our E-Book Manual “Cocoon Food Forests & Islands of Fertility“, for sale on our website.

  • A banana circle is one of the best ways to maximize your success in easily growing bananas in places like southern Portugal, Spain, Italy, southern France, and other Mediterranean-climate regions.
    Do it well, and your healthy banana plant can fruit within 12 to 18 months!

    🍌 It consists of a raised ring planted with bananas and support plants, built around a central compost pit

    💧 It can capture greywater and transforms kitchen scraps into nutrients

    Want to build your own?
    📘 Learn the planting mix and layout in our step-by-step Banana Circle Guide

📚 🌳 We hope that by reading our answers to your most asked questions you now feel a bit more confident about growing your own beautiful food garden and healthy food trees.

And don’t forget! — If any of your own questions are missing from this page, please feel free to contact us and we’ll do our best to reply quickly: miguel@orchardofflavours.com

This article was compiled by Miguel COTTON.