photosynthesis Plants absorb sunlight and turn that energy into food; the process is known as photosynthesis. This is a compound word made up of photo (which means light) and synthesis (which means to put together). Think of a synthesizer, which puts together different sounds to produce music. A plant uses light to put together chemical compounds and turn them into carbohydrates: food. Although the word can be used to describe any process that uses light to connect compounds, the word is almost always used to describe a plant's method of making food.
Hereâs a great resource on growing lettuces (permaculture) in a tropical climate. Herbs. Cilantro, Basil, Italian flat leaf parsley, and rosemary thrive well even under tropical conditions and without needing a high elevation. Legumes. Mung bean is the easiest to grow and will make a great cover crop.
Warm-season veggies require both warm soil and high temperatures (with a little cooling at night) to grow steadily and produce crops. They include traditional summer crops such as snap beans, corn, cucumbers, melons, peppers, tomatoes, and squash. âWinterâ squashes such as acorn, hubbard, and banana are actually warm season crops: the name refers not to the planting season, but to the fact that they can be stored for winter consumption. For almost all of these vegetables, the fruit (rather than the roots or leaves), is the edible part. Warm season crops are killed by winter frosts, so donât plant them until after the last frost in spring unless you give them cold protection. Some warm-season crops: Beans.