John from http://www.growingyourgreens.com is back with an epic 2.5-year progress update from his tropical permaculture farm in Puerto Rico. In this dual-property episode, John teams up with his best friend Kaelash to reveal how they are turning 8 total acres of raw Caribbean jungle into a thriving food forest, organic garden, and eco-friendly glamping retreat center. From ultra-rare fruit tree hauls to building off-grid infrastructure from scratch, you will see exactly how a regenerative food system and tropical paradise come together over time. This isn't just an ordinary garden tour—it’s an unfiltered look at the hard work, ecosystem design, and lifestyle breakthroughs of establishing a self-sufficient homestead in the tropics. See incredible abundance taking root, from an ultra-rare, non-acid Sugarloaf pineapple you can eat whole to thousands of wild Jamaican cherries. Learn budget-friendly landhacking tricks to grow free streetfront edible borders using coconuts and Chaya. Tour Kaelash’s newly finished eco-glamping decks—complete with solar showers and compost toilets—and find out how YOU can visit. Plus, walk new forest trails to see understory cacao, coffee, and turmeric crops thriving in unique microclimates. Watch raw experiments using chainsaws to defeat invasive vines and aggressive trees without chemicals. Get a major update on finishing John's homestead house with a local contractor, and explore a swampy taro patch acting as a natural water filter. Watch now to learn how to grow your own food, live off-grid, and reconnect with nature! Jump to the Following Parts of this Episode: 00:00 Turning 8 Acres of Raw Jungle into a Tropical Health Retreat 01:15 The Ultra-Rare Non-Acid Pineapple You Can Eat Whole (Even the Core!) 02:22 Landhacking: How We Planted the Entire Streetfront For FREE 03:38 Sneak Peek Inside the Tropical Tree Nursery 04:30 The Secret to Harvesting Massive Papayas in Less Than 1 Year 05:30 Why This One Coconut Palm is Growing 3x Faster Than the Rest 06:05 Tastes Like Agave Nectar: Foraging Wild Jamaican Cherries 07:00 Building the Ultimate Off-Grid Nature Immersion Deck 08:09 Forging Paths & Mulching in Place: Transforming the Jungle Floor 09:00 6-Month Results: Did the Trees Survive with ZERO Manual Watering? 10:02 Microclimates: How to Decide Exactly Where to Plant a Fruit Tree 11:18 The Orangelo aka chironja Fruitt Originated in Puerto Rico 11:58 Chainsaw Experiments: How to Stop Aggressive Trees From Regrowing 13:42 High-Yield Understory Layering: Cacao & Turmeric Intercropping 14:15 The Rare Year-Round Nut Tree I Found Locally For Only $15 14:58 Meet the Macambo: The Overstory "Wild Cacao" Superstar 15:50 Defeating My Biggest Nemesis: How to Eradicate Invasive Vines 16:32 From Sticks to 4-Foot Food: The Unstoppable Power of Chaya Cuttings 17:16 The Sun-Drenched Lowlands (Our Toughest Maintenance Challenge) 18:03 Step Inside the Swampy, All-Natural Taro Filtration Patch 18:45 How Regular String Trimming Automatically Beats Back Wild Vines 19:00 MAJOR UPDATE: Finding a Legit Contractor to Finish the Homestead 19:50 Luxury Glamping in Paradise (Warm Showers, Solar Power & Memory Foam) 21:10 How YOU Can Come Stay and Tour Our Food Forests! 23:00 The Grand Vision: Building the Co-Created Healing Retreat Center 24:22 A Final Message on Reconnecting with Your True Nature After watching this episode, you’ll discover exactly how Kaelash and I are transforming 8 acres of raw, overgrown jungle into an off-grid permaculture and glamping retreat. You’ll see firsthand how we harness tropical microclimates to grow rare fruits with zero manual watering, landhack a public streetfront for free, and build stunning nature immersion decks from scratch. Whether you are dreaming of escaping the grind to build your own paradise or looking for the ultimate tropical getaway to visit, this 2.5-year progress update is packed with the raw breakthroughs, failures, and milestones that show what is truly possible when you co-create with nature. Subscribe to GROWINGYOURGREENS for more videos like this: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=growingyourgreens Referenced Episodes: My 3 Acre Farm Initial Episode https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXbWtmN2eog 6 Month Update on my 3-acre tropical farm https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hln4dQGwaZM 11 Month Update on my 3-acre tropical farm https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTFWcnY28GA 17 Month Update on my 3 Acre Tropical farm https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0RcqtKFUdE 2 Year Update on my 3 Acre Tropical Farm https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTQikj0u1-A Bele Tree Episode https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OsHa9IgIE8 Follow John on Instagram: http://instagram.com/growingyourgreens Watch all my videos at: https://www.youtube.com/user/growingyourgreens/videos Contact Kaelash for Farm Stays at [email protected]