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What herbs or other useful plants thrive in full sunlight?

I want to create a garden of small plants in the rooftop, but I would like to include only plants that are useful (ie. Cooking, medicinal, etc). I can water them daily, but except for a few hours of shade, they will be under full sunlight all year long. I live in the Caribbean, so that's 365 days of sun.

These plants should be able to live in 6" pots.

Thanks.

Sue Saddest Farewell TGO GL
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rbhat
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  • ...most of them. – Ecnerwal Jul 25 '16 at 22:20
  • Do you have any ideas at all about what you'd like to grow? Maybe you could tell us which plants would be useful for your purpose and we could answer whether or not they or something close could work in your growing conditions. In this format the question's probably too broad, with a lot of possible answers, but they may not fit what you need. Thanks! – Sue Saddest Farewell TGO GL Jul 27 '16 at 00:42
  • Sue is right. You need to narrow it down. You ask about herbs to cook with, so decide what you like to cook: Caribbean, French, Asian, etc... That'll determine what herbs you'll need. You should also try to grow ones that aren't cheap and readily available at a local market. As far as medicinal, it's the same deal. Find out what you're wanting to treat and how much effort you want to put in. Do you want to wash/dry roots, bake them, and grind them for tea? Or do you just want something like mint or ginger to help settle a stomach? – Dalton Jul 27 '16 at 13:04

2 Answers2

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http://www.herbology.com.au/articles/garden/plants-for-a-tropical-herb-garden/

From http://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=56851 imafan26: "Cilantro can be grown only in the cooler months or it will bolt in a month and a half. The tropical and Asian herbs fare better. MInts, basil, oregano, and marjoram are less fussy. Sage, thyme and oregano can be grown as well as stevia. I have better luck with them in pot so I can move them to better positions at different times of the year. Bay leaves actually will grow well in the tropics. Thyme, sage and oregano seem to like a more poorer more alkaline soil that is well drained. Pots are good because you probably have to bring them inside during monsoons. Ginger can be grown in a large pot.

You probably won't be able to grow French tarragon because it will not handle the summer heat, but Mexican tarragon is a direct substitute for the tropics."

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There will be some plants that can take the heat, but won't thrive in full sun. I recommend a covered table. Fasten boards/poles to the sides of the table and tie on some mosquito netting a few feet above. You can use a thicker fabric if it still hurts the plants too much.

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Much of the information I encountered routed me towards gardening in The Philippines, because most gardens' plants that thrive at that temperature come from the East. That might be a good place to start to select plants.

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Good luck.

Paul Nardini
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Agree with plant recommendations given in Paul Nardini's answer, but will add this - six inch pots are not big enough for many of those plants to grow properly, particularly not for sage and oregano; after a couple of months they will need potting on. Six inch pots in full sun will also need watering more than once a day, they'll certainly need it twice a day and possibly three times if its very hot.

Bamboo
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  • Yeah. I think most stuff other than *maybe* cacti would need watering a lot in those conditions. Cacti can be useful, though (for fruit and edible pads, for edible cacti). Hens and Chicks might be okay; Sempervivum tectorum is edible, and useful for sunburns, bites and stuff. They'd still need watering, potentially a lot, but maybe not as much as many things. – Brōtsyorfuzthrāx Jul 26 '16 at 06:14