Lake Okeechobee provides a microclimate that protects the plants from damaging freezes, while the rich muck soil provides a nearly ideal substrate for plant growth. The farm implements many sustainable practices that decrease the impact of food production on the environment. The fruit taste better because it is allowed to mature on the plant and ripen naturally. During planting the field is not ti
lled, strips of grass and w**ds are killed and the plants are planted in rows in the killed grass. This prevents soil movement into waterways. While herbicides are used in order to keep the rows clean during the first season of growth, they are not necessary after the plants have become established. Further w**d control is accomplished through mowing and manual w**d control. The plants are set at a low density and many different varieties are used in the same field to avoid outbreaks of diseases. If disease control becomes necessary, organic products are used. Chemical insecticides are not used on the farm in order to maintain the health population of predators that currently keeps the insects under control. Bags made from frost fabric are used to protect the bunches from thrips and abrasion injury. The soils around Lake Okeechobee are naturally very fertile, but fail to provide enough potassium and micronutrients on their own for a crop of bananas. Manure and Wood ash are avoided as nutrient sources because these sources would provide nutrients not needed by the plants and could aggravate micronutrient deficiencies caused by the naturally high pH of the soil near the lake.
