Gardening in Florida is not as simple as you would think. With the warm climate, we do have year-round opportunities for growing many different types of fruits and vegetables. It can be fun, frustrating, hot, but overall very rewarding. Much of the information available about gardening on the web doesn’t always apply to a Florida garden.

You can very clearly notice this when it comes to timing. We put our seeds and seedlings in the ground at different times of the year compared to other locations. Even within the state, we have different climates from the Northern parts of the state (ie. Tallahassee) to all the way South in Key West. The timing and planting for these areas vary greatly.

In general, a good process is as follows:

• Determine what varieties you want to plant and order your seeds
• Review your location and space allocation. Know how much space with direct sunlight (at least six hours daily) you will have available.
• Use a journal (digital or paper) to plan out your space as well as keep notes on what is happening
• Track weather conditions, watering schedules, fertilization, pests, and pesticides (as little as possible)
• Sandy soil is not your friend. Neither is mucky swamp mud. In order to build the best soil for your vegetables, mix organic matter like peat moss and compost with your ground soil.
• If possible, fertilize your plants once every three weeks with organic fish emulsions.
• Of course, this is Florida so you need to prepare for a myriad of different insects and rodents that will attack your growing bounty. It is not a bad idea to plant sweet nectar plants alongside your veggies to attract good bugs like bees to assist with pollination. Use chemicals as little as possible.
• Don’t forget, you should enjoy your harvest when it is ready. Don’t be afraid to pick your vegetables and fruits as they ripen. The more you pick the more signs you will be sending to the plant to make more.