Grow Inn Homes

Shampoo Ginger, the tropical plant that produces natural shampoo and skin care! 🧴

To grow your own shampoo, simply comment the word “Shampoo”, visit the link in our Bio, or go to shop.growinnhomes.com/products/shampoo-ginger-root

When these bright red flower cones are squeezed, they release a clear fragrant liquid that has been used for generations as a natural shampoo and conditioner

The scent reminds us of fresh ginger mixed with tropical citrus

One of the reasons we love this plant so much is how easy it is to grow in the right climate

All it takes is a root rhizome planted in a shady spot with some mulch

In about a month, new green shoots begin emerging from the soil

Then during the heat and rain of summer, the red shampoo filled cones start appearing

In the winter, the stalks naturally die back, but the underground rhizomes stay alive and come back stronger every spring

Follow for more food growing and real estate tips 🏡

We buy fixer-upper real estate and grow food on our rental properties. We believe growing food is a gateway to healthier habits 🌿

Our Food Forest burned to the ground and came back strong…🥶🌱

120 days ago, the worst cold snap of this century turned years of growth into black, crispy, lifeless plants

It honestly looked like someone had taken a flamethrower to the entire garden

The hardest part was seeing so many plants lose all their leaves and branches in just a few days

But underneath the soil, the root systems were still alive and waiting for warmer weather

Instead of rushing in and making changes, we left the garden completely alone for the first month

After a month, once we knew what was dead, we pruned it back, chopped and dropped the material, and planted support plants to help rebuild the soil

Then we stepped back again and gave nature time to do what it does best

Four months later, the garden is full of life and pushing new growth everywhere

We lost some crops, including papayas, a young sapodilla, and a young chocolate pudding fruit tree, but the biggest lesson was seeing how resilient these systems can be

Moving forward, we’re planting more support plants and emergent trees to help create warmer microclimates for future cold events

Follow for more food growing and real estate tips 🏡

We buy fixer-upper real estate and grow food on our rental properties. We believe growing food is a gateway to healthier habits 🌿

Did you know that Dragon Fruit grows from a climbing cactus 🌵

The fruit is loaded with prebiotic fiber, magnesium, and antioxidants while tasting sweet and refreshing at the same time

One of the mistakes, in our opinion, people make when growing dragon fruit is planting self sterile varieties

Some types require hand pollination late at night just for the flowers to turn into fruit

That’s why varieties like Sugar Dragon and American Beauty stand out so much because they reliably produce fruit on their own

Sugar Dragon is famous for its sweet raspberry flavor while American Beauty is known for its deep magenta flesh

Starting dragon fruit is surprisingly simple because all you need is a cutting from a healthy cactus

After letting the cutting dry and callus for a few days, it can be planted directly into sandy well draining soil

These cactus vines love having something to climb, which is why many people grow them on trellises or around trees

Follow for more food growing and real estate tips 🏡

We buy fixer-upper real estate and grow food on our rental properties. We believe growing food is a gateway to healthier habits 🌿

The Velvet Apple, a tropical fruit covered in velvet with a smell nobody expects! 🍎

Also known as mabolo or kamagong, it is one of the strangest fruits we’ve ever come across

When fully ripe, the fruit gives off a strong aroma that some people compare to aged cheese

But once you peel back the fuzzy velvet skin, the inside reveals a soft, creamy flesh with flavors similar to peach, banana, and berry yogurt

One trick people use is chilling the fruit in the refrigerator first, which helps calm down the strong smell before opening it

Velvet apple trees are related to persimmons and belong to the ebony tree family

The wood from these trees is incredibly dense and valuable, which sadly led to overharvesting in parts of the Philippines

According to Filipino folklore, Chief Lapu-Lapu used a lance carved from velvet apple tree ironwood during the famous Battle of Mactan in 1521

The combination of strange aroma, creamy fruit, and legendary history makes this one of the most unique tropical fruits we’ve learned about

Follow for more food growing and real estate tips 🏡

We buy fixer-upper real estate and grow food on our rental properties. We believe growing food is a gateway to healthier habits 🌿