Why should Jamaica be importing strawberry that are so expensive. All the Hotels use strawberry and it is about $500/pound and needs same growing conditions as tomatoes. time to start thinking outside the box people.

Organic ginger in Vancouver is around Ca$8 per pound. Nearly Ja$700.

Here is an article on strawberries and climate.

http://www.nal.usda.gov/pgdic/Strawberry/book/boktwent.htm

yes strawberry can grow in Jamaica, they had a big strawberry farm in Mandeville I dont know if it is still there they grow some of the most beautiful strawberry I have ever see.

I don't think strawberries can be commercially grown in TB because of the soil type and wilting heat. I'm sure it can be grown in the mountains because I saw someone growing cranberries in Malvern not long ago.

Some years ago, Mr Ted Tatham brought a geologist from Alpart to do some soil testing around the base of the Pedro Hills, and he determined that the soil was good for growing grapes (not sea grapes). I don't know what variety he meant though.

my take,

yes, mmmmmm, I have tasted grapes from this area and it is true, they were some of the best red grapes I had ever tasted, no chemicals all natural ..... nice and sweet I tell you true

I recall an article I read some time ago about strawberries being grown in the blue mountains where it is much cooler.

Strawberries can be grown in the Blue Mountain Region.I spent a weekend there and saw not just strawberries but peaches also.
There was frost on the grass in the early mornings and it was cold for Jamaica at that time of year so we lit the fire place and I can remember doing marshmallows, roasted peanuts and corns.
We went to climb to the top of the Mountain so they transported us by donkeys and horses to the botttom of the mountain, but I got cold feet and chickened -out.(Yes I said chickened)

I can remember the bunk beds,thick grey blankets,old cast iron stove,and tilly lanterns as they called them then.

Those were some of the good old days for me.

So yes, strawberries can be grown in Jamaica.

Yes ME, I remember those trips, sounds like you stayed in Whitfield Hall house: http://www.whitfieldhall.com/. I was told that there were apple trees that produced fruit in some of the old plantations.

With a greenhouse and care, I believe most anything can be grown anywhere. Look at Kew Gardens with tropical flora thriving in England. Thing is, would there be any profit?

I'd certainly try grapes Foodie. I remember Ted Tathams arbor. Is there an existing rootstock at Blue Marlin? I'm sure he selected the appropriate type. The Spaniards are said to have produced a passable Madiera 400'ish years ago.

Someone out there want to explain the Soils of TB

Why is it, for example, when you ask Dougie at Jakes to make a mojito which is garnished with mint, the answer is that he can't since this normally prolific, root-invasive, perennial herb won't grow here.
He says Miss Sally H., who doesn't impress as someone who takes "NO" for an answer, has also tried and failed.

True that mint grows best in wet environments (moist soils), cool/partial shade.

But couldn't the ideal situation be circumvented with greenhouse (enhanced soils) culture or hydroponics & container planting or utilizing all our hard-learned and tested mulching techniques?

Mint does grow in TB. My family had a huge mint "bush" growing in the backyard until one of the floods killed it. We used to drink tea from it all the time, as well as from a big clump of lemon grass. I don't know the proper name of that variety but it resembled the same broad leaf mint that my Cubaneros use to make mojitos.
Everbody, close your eyes. Now imagine small family vineyards dotting the rolling limestone hillside from backseaside all the way to the station hill. Imagine an irrigation system fed by the existing wells in the area. Not impossibile is it? Now that would be serious sustainable development.

Dougie sounds like he is not from Jamaica we have all types of mint for example black mint, pepper mint,there are so many species of mint home, to me it sounds like Dougie just don't know how to make my favorite drink.Dogie this is how you make a Mojito, 4 mint leaves, 2 slices of lime,2tbs simple
syrup 1 1/2 shots of white rum, soda water to fill glass. muddle lime, mint, and syrup together add ice, rum, soda water,stir, garnish with mint sprig.

Mint should be very accessible in TB. There was a large patch of mint on my mother's land and I would make fresh mint tea for myself or anyone who asked for it whenever I visited.
As a child we would go over to an old lady we called Miss Minny and there was so much mint in her yard. Our mom would give us mint tea every day.
Mint is so easily grown. Start planting all the good herbs you can get your hands on. The weather is perfect, all you have to do is water them accordingly.You do not need land space just get the right kind of containers and some good soil.

That's all you need.

JUST TO LET EVERY ONE KNOW STRAWBERRY CAN GROW WHERE EVER YOU PLANT IT, IT ADOPT TO EVERY SOIL,START PLANTING. I AM NOT ASKING I AM TELLING EVERY ONE, THIS IS PART OF MY BUSINESS. ALSO GRAPES CAN GROW WHERE EVER YOU PLANT IT AND THEY WILL ADOPT, MR HONIGAN THAT LIVE IN FRONT OF THE ROAD THAT GOES TO GREAT BAY HAD A BEAUTIFUL GRAPE ARBOR AND THEY WERE HUGE AND SWEET.

This is for Mojito: You have to remmember that Dougie is not a five star bartender, so cut him some slack.
He is a very nice man and maybe it would be better if you would in a nice way try to show him how to make you that drink, then in the future he can make it for others.

We all have to learn in life as we go along and as the saying goes "IT IS NEVER TOO OLD TO LEARN"

Every country have their way of making a drink a little bit different from the other.

Go to Jamaica have all the fun in the sun, enjoy the delicious food and the wonderful hospitality of the people. That's what it's all about.

Meex, this is not about five star bar, for me it's about telling some one we don't grow mint in Jamaica, just say I have never made that drink before possible Bo Tanique would show him how to make it.

Don't knock our Dougie (Jakes' eternal bartender)...He knows how to make a mojito whenever someone brings him mint.

I suppose the herb gardeners of TB could pick up a little dunny if they arranged with a buyer from Jakes to purchase their mint, and all of us wild cubanos-philiacs could descend on Dougie's Bar for our fix and maybe encourage the chef in the restaurant to send out some plantain chips & heaping bowls of arroz con pollo.

Where can I get cuttings Start Planting?

Vinyard town, Vinyard St Bess, any others? I remember grape arbors in many of the old properties in Kingston and Spanish Town. There was a large cultivation in St Thomas I think just after Yallahs.

Yet we import.

Year-round Hydroponic Greenhouse Crops for Treasure Beach: Is There a Model in the Vicinity?

Gleaner:
Hopeton Singh & William Oberthier Hydroponic Green-housing:: Middlesex, St Bess:

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20061218/business/business1.html

Greenhouse businesses, where produce is grown under controlled conditions, are a fairly new venture in Jamaica...limited sources from which to research...

..."success usually depends on the new business owner rather than market strength or luck. Success will come to those who acquire the training, resources and drive necessary to succeed"...

With significant losses in agriculture due to bad weather conditions every year, greenhouse farming is one way to reduce such losses.

Drip-irrigation system... Piped sources are a no-no because these could cause chemical damage to plants.
The construction of a good catchment system should result in sufficient rainwater.
If the farmer experiences an extended dry period, he should prepare to pay for the trucking of water from nearby rivers.
The greenhouse farmer would have six months of reaping during dry periods...

Quick payback... In 2008, greenhouse growers in Jamaica were able to harvest about nine pounds of tomatoes per plant, compared to three to four pounds from open-field operations.
Quality was said to be better and post-harvest losses were significantly lower.... Many farmers are now growing year-round to achieve even higher sales revenues per greenhouse.

"RADA (Rural Agricultural Development) offers marketing-extension support and farmers are advised to inform their local representative of their expected crop yield before reaping, so that contact can be made with processors, exporters and other potential sale points."

...more vegetable processors and juices are needed on the local market, but he does foresee potential oversupply of greenhouse vegetables in the near future...."The government is also planning to set up storage facilities to reduce possible gluts."

Training and costs for greenhouse construction Greenhouse technology training:
• The Modified Environment Agriculture certification programme is offered at the Ebony Park HEART/NTA Academy in Clarendon.
• Learn about the plant-growing environment, plant nutrition and fertilisation, integrated pest management and crop culture. The training programme is free.

Gleaner: Ginger Has 'Green Future
http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20110212/news/news2.html

Gleaner LINK: Starting a Greenhouse Business (Hydroponics)

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20090301/business/business1.html