Growing up in India, Joseph Lukose was more interested in his studies than in farming. But when he came to New York in 1979, he began dreaming about a time when he could plant and nurture the tropical fruit trees that surrounded him in India.
A year after his retirement in 2013, after 32 years working as a school social worker at PS 140 in Jamaica, Queens, Lukose bought acreage in Davie in south Florida and began planting trees and vegetables for his second career challenge.
Standing among his 200 organically grown fruit trees and his organic herb and vegetable garden, Lukose explains, “I am not a commercial farmer, but a hobby farmer.”
He chose to relocate to Davie, about 24 miles north of Miami, because its climate reflects the climate in Kerala in southern India where Lukose grew up and where his father and grandparents were farmers. Lukose returns to Kerala to visit family and to check the nurseries so he can learn about new methods of farming, grafting and budding the tropical fruit trees indigenous to Kerala that he now grows in Florida.
Lukose’s orchard features 15 mango trees that produce 22 types of mangos, plus more than 100 banana and plantain trees, 26 coconut trees, and papaya, lemon, lime, guava, lychee and many more types of trees. He harvests ginger, turmeric, yucca, tamarind and vegetables from his garden.
Although he does most of the labor himself, working several hours in the morning and again in the evening, friends help him with new plantings and during the fruit harvesting season. Although fruits ripen at different times of the year, June to August is his busiest season. September is for maintenance pruning.
Lukose describes his work as “fulfilling and rewarding,” especially his work as a consultant in his community. “I have helped a lot of homeowners grow and produce beautiful and nutritious fruits and vegetables,” he explained.
Like all Florida farmers, Lukose faces the threat of hurricanes. He especially worries about the mango and jackfruit trees that grow as tall as 30 feet. So far he’s been lucky, except for a 2017 hurricane that toppled trees. But with the help of friends, he was able to save those trees.
Although Lukose doesn’t sell his fruits and vegetables commercially, scores of friends and family from all over the country happily make the trip to the farm in Davie to share in the harvest and carry home some of the abundant crops. With the coronavirus keeping people home this year, Lukose has shipped out 40 cartons.
“I am enjoying my retirement,” Lukose said. His new life as a farmer, he added, “has all been made possible by my union, which has secured for its members a decent pension and good retirement benefits.”