Port Moresby city has a hot, humid and dry tropical climate. As such, the general landscape environment is dry savannah grassland with less trees ands shrubs. Common species found around are the rain tree, eucalyptus trees and mango trees. Eucalyptus trees doesn’t grow tall as in other similar environments because communities or villages around the community usually lit bushfires.
When people started setting up settlements, near the city they started planting more mangoes three than the rain tree or the eucalyptus trees. Because mango seeds are easy to raise in people’s backyard and it fruit is edible, people preferred to grow more of them in their background. As are result Mangoes trees are common sight in Port Moresby streets than any other tree.
Mango season in Port Moresby
Mango trees in Port Moresby starts flowering around during the middle of the year, and fruits mature around October, November and December. Some trees, flower bit late and their fruits ripen in January. During the season, Mangoes of all variety can be sold at the local markets, in front of houses in the streets and other public market areas.
Also, during the mango season, there is a lot of fruit wastage seen around the streets, and backyards. Especially those yards which have more than one mature trees. Fruits will fall from the trees and if the people don’t pick them up or clean their yards, there would be rotten fruits litter.
Mosquitoes breeding during mango season
Ripe mangoes that are not handpicked and left to fall on the ground, got bruised from the fall and get spoilt easily. Because of the high sugar content, the rotten mangoes attract a lot of mosquitoes and other insects that feed on the sugar. So, for visitors who are visiting and living with friends need to be aware of the mosquitoes and avoid being bitten. Mainly in the evening and nights.
Most houses will have windows with fly wires to stop mosquitoes from flying into the house. So check windows and if there is none, fix up the fly wires and also sleep under a mosquito net.
Because of the hard seed and fruit size, keeping the yard clean during mango season can be hard. So make sure you heap up fallen fruits early in the morning and in the evening of each day during the season.
What you can do with mangoes during season.
If you have surplus mangoes during the season from your yard, here are few suggestions for you.
- Ask your friends who doesn’t have mango trees in their yard to come pick for themselves. It’s a good way to catch up with friends and family members on weekends or after hours during week days if they come.
- Pack some for your kids as lunch or ask them to take and share with their friends at school.
- Bring some to your work place and leave them at your office tea room refrigerator. Leave a note refrigerator to let them know. Otherwise, they might think it’s not for sharing.
- Put a table in front of your house in the street and put a notice to anyone passing by to get a couple for free. Or kids can sell them and collect a few coins for their piggy bank savings.
Carry a small knife and kitchen tissue paper.
During the mango season, it’s wise to have a small knife and a roll of kitchen tissue paper in the car. The chances of you eating couple of mangoes during the day is very high. Peeling mangoes and eating with bare hands can be messy. Particularly, if they are ripen.
Buying mangoes at the markets
During mango season, price of mangoes can be low at K1 to K2 at the local markets. Depending on the size and variety. Always good to check your neighbors if they have mangoes in their background and offer to pay them. Most will gladly accept any amount you offer and fill a bag for you. Otherwise,
So, whenever you are Port Moresby, and it’s mango season, you won’t miss it.
Image by Robert Owen-Wahl from Pixabay
