Backyard Vegetable Garden.
 

Do you have one? What can you grow successfully in the Florida Climate?

My wife loves her garden and wants to continue growing her own vegetables when we move.

Right now she grows:

Kale (2 varieties)
Swiss Chard
Squash (4 varieties)
Tomatoes (4 varieties)
Peas
Fava beans
String beans
Cucumbers
Beets
Carrots
Radishes
Onions
Lettuce (2 varieties)
Arugula
Spinach
Bell Peppers
Jalapeno peppers
A bunch of different herbs
Pumpkins
Watermelon
Strawberries
Blueberries
Figs

Will any of those make it in FL? We currently live in Western Washington. The climate is a tad different.. lol

Thanks.

IMO you’re best luck would be in Large pots 15 gallon or bigger where you can control the soil and watering using meter. Most designer property’s have very little garden space in back. CYV’s have space for pots behind walls or on you’re screened in porch. Most pots with vegetables can’t take afternoon sun do to the heat especially black pots.

Tomatoes IMO are hardest due to heat, blight, and whiteflies. Peppers seems to do good I have 4 to 6 varieties, but summer heat and white flies can destroy them if you can’t control them.

Coming from Washington you will find it lot harder down here for back yard garden IMO.

We are in Kennewick and moving in the spring. Where are you currently in WA? And when are you heading south?

We're about 50 miles north of Seattle a couple miles west of I-5 about a mile from the Sound.

We're hoping to move around the end of next year. We plan on having a house there before we list our house here though. We'll do a "modified" snowbird -lol. With just 3 days of PTO my wife can take ten days off so that will give us time to get things ready for the big move.

okay, so here's what I've found out...I plant tomatoes in September and again in January...skins are tougher than what I had up north, but the flavor is great....I plant them in pots

haven't had much success with peppers, but that was never one of my main crops...we grow a lot of herbs and the critters don't go after them

.
.
.
We've had veg gardens beside our home in The Villages for over 4 years. Tomatoes and peppers seem to do best for us - but the conditions in summer here are NOT ideal. These links should help>

Starting a Garden

ENH1189/EP450: Central Florida Gardening Calendar

Vegetable Gardening by Season - Gardening Solutions - University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences
.
.

Wanted to try growing tomatoes but everyone I spoke to said soil and conditions not conducive so have not tried it yet

Two seasons, plant in September harvest December, plant in February/March harvest May/June. I highly recommend Earth Boxes.

EarthBox(R) | Successful Container Gardening Systems Using this system as directed works.

I had two jalapeño pepper plants that were 3 years old and would produce pretty much year around.

There is/was a garden mill store in Leesburg Called Simon seed.
Simon Seed Leesburg - Home | Facebook

I plant tomatoes from seed. August 1 will produce fruit in Late October through December, Plant seeds again in February and produce fruit May through July. The October fruit is better as there are fewer pests to put up with.

I had couple acres in Oklahoma where I spent 20 years. I ordered Rainer cherries trees from nursery in Washington state. Best tasting cherries I’ve ever tasted. Had yellow, yellow red, and red ones. Mmmmmmmm. I get them in store down here is season, good but not like fresh off the trees. Jalapeño peppers do good down here. That type of stock plant can take the heat better. I also have milder jalapeño called La Bomba that’s been going for three years. Had to bring pot in garage couple nights due to frost/freeze. It does get down close to freezing down here in winter, but only lasts day or two.

You can plant them in pots where you can control ph in the soil. I don’t have much luck with tomatoes, but some do.

Thank you. Good resources.

Thank you. Nice to have a local place to go for seeds and starts..

Rainier cherries and Walla Walla onions.. Two things we have to get when in season. Then of course there's the crab and salmon..

Simon seed is closed

most of it will do alright..need water and try to grow in pots.....use the shade to your advantage

y,W
 

We grow veggies in hydroponic systems (highly recommend Vertigro in Summerfield) and in raised beds. (Our son is an organic farmer, once found rusting cans from DDT buried on our property, and strongly urged us not to grow anything edible directly in the ground. Hydroponically whatever we try is worth a try. we’ve grown an onion that was 1lb 1oz and cauliflower the size of a person’s head.

Two green bean plants gave us an adequate daily supply. Our tomato plants are just finishing, but this summer we will try tomatoes specifically bred for our climate. We found that garlic and shallots did not ‘head’ as well as we would have hoped. Sweet potatoes grow phenomenally; white potatoes do not. Swiss chard and salad greens continue to supply us in a daily basis. We grow some herbs as well.

We had a huge garden up north, and I did a ton of canning. Nothing like that here. Even so, It’s a good feeling to go out and clip salad greens for today’s lunch. You’ll have to experiment, and if you’re like us, you’ll enjoy it!

Are you doing your Hydroponic Gardening within The Villages? If so, would like more info on what system you are using and how much space it takes up. My wife has a raised bed garden in our back yard and raises Broccoli, Okra, multiple types of Greens, Kale, Spinach, herbs, radishes, etc.

Simon Seed is no more, alas. Earthboxes are good. Peppers do best.

The soil here is poor, sandy. in Maryland, i could plant seeds Or seedlings and have months of vegetables on huge plants. Here, I took an enrichment academy gardening class and filled a Large pot With basil, One pepper plant and one tomato plant. I had 12 small tomatoes, only ONE pepper, and gangly basil. I suggest you cordon off a small area with rich soil, top soil, bags and bags— and keep it shaded and watered. Large pots on shaded patio or a small raised Garden bed may work, but don’t expect much produce. I Gave Up.

Depending on where you move to in The Villages, there is an option of joining the Community Garden where my wife raises many of the things you have mentioned above. You can rent a raised bed there for $35-$40 per year. They are 4x12 plots and you have access to a variety of herbs that are there as well as figs from a fig tree and blackberries (all in common area). It is located outside the United Church of Christ on CR101 just north of Hwy 466. For anyone interested, you can contact Forrest Nieman (atcdayoh@aol.com) There are currently some plots available, but they usually fill up fast.

All could info. I did not think you were allowed to have vegetable gardens in the villages.

Belview has a feed and seed. White flies are horrible here. They lay eggs on tender leaves and they suck leaves dry. I have a courtyard ville and have a 9×3 garden box. Onions and lettuce do well peppers ok. String beans do ok for one picking then white flies win . I used bag garden soil and its half like mulch. Still experimenting.

The key to successful vegetable gardening in Florida is realizing that the growing seasons are TOTALLY different from what you’ve used to. If you plant tomatoes , peppers and eggplants in late May like you’re used to you will fail! These vegetables are best planted in late February or early March to do well. A second crop can planted in September. Look us vegetable gardening in Florida on the University of Florida web site to find what plants are planted when and follow it.

I'm from Seattle, been here 19 years now. I put in several raised beds, plant in late September when I get back from Seattle and have a nice garden. I grow tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, snow peas, peas, garlic, leeks, scallions, herbs every year. Hydroponic lettuce works too.
There are rabbits here who will eat your garden if you don't do raised beds. Summers here are too hot and besides that's when I'm back home so planting in late Sept works great. The few freezing days we get just cover the raised beds and you'll be fine. My herbs have been producing for years. When we moved here we were only the second couple from Washington State, so many more of us now. Welcome, you'll love it here. Happy growing.
One more thing, join one of the gardening clubs here, they'll help you and you'll learn a lot.

Thank you for all the info shared, I'm inspired to try a few planters next winter!

I tried to grow in the ground but they kept being overcome by weeds , bugs , etc. Changed to pots and tomatoes have done well, string beans too. Tried a few more this year but too much rain knocked them out. She will have to adjust her growing season since summer is way too hot . Look online for The best growing season for the vegetables she wants to plant. I know I now get tomatoes twice a year instead of the 1 time I used to. Good luck!

Vegetable Garden
 

Yes, you can! Consult with the experts as to when and where in the garden: Institute for Agricultural Science (IFAS) @ University of FL and the master gardeners who are in the complex of buildings next to the Sheriff and Health Dept on Hwy 466. The Villages are in zone 9A. Here's a link. SP 103/VH021: Florida Vegetable Gardening Guide

We planted a cherry tomato plant in a pot in February and it was removed a couple of weeks ago. Seemed to grow great . The only pest problem we had was one batch of voracious green caterpillars that I simply picked off the plant and killed. My wife didn’t want me to plant a second crop because she is tired of then now but we have new tomatoes coming in the pot now from dropped fruit. I am going to see if they will get big enough to produce. I think they will. One thing we did notice was that we had to give the one plant 2 gallons of water 3 times a day during the dry season

Meyer lemons in pot
 

I have had little luck with tomatoes. I do grow Meyer lemons in a pot in my lanai.

We use grow boxes. Cheaper but same idea as earth boxes

I had a beautiful garden in Maryland. Here it was big time trouble with bugs, disease, heat, animals even when I tried things adapted to “Florida “. I was planting in well composted ground. I did have great success with Swiss chard and cherry tomatoes. They were very happy. Greens, herbs do ok. Tomatoes, buy them! Did a few pineapples from tops ( delicious)! Did finger bananas.

Just looked at Simon Seed Facebook page and it seems like they have joined up with a farm and are no longer on Magnolia. The farm is on Lewis. Seems really good. Thanks for the info. We are still eating tomatoes from our February planting but this is the end till Fall

Figs did wonderfully well. Keep away from your foundation as roots go under. I had them espalier on the garage.

It's not much Kenswing but we just got NOTHING but Lemons, Limes, and some that looked like a mix. Not bad for a first try from people from The Concrete Jungle. You will be fine with your garden just sell the tractor and backhoe. Hopefully, things will be back to normal around the entire country and you will be so busy with other things the Garden could be less in size than the one on The Ponderosa. I'm sure your Garden will grow Happiness and Common Sense. We need more of that around here. I'd bet The Love Shack on it!

We used a Hydroponic garden and it worked well. I don't care what you do with Tomatoes down here they will never taste the same as up North. I'm looking into a tube hydrophonic garden. Check it out on line.

That’s too bad. It was a great old place.

Almost forgot to mention that birds, especially mockingbirds are a problem for tomatoes. When/if they find the tomatoes they will take a few pecks right before you’re ready to pick.

Gardening in Florida
 

After years of helping my Wife garden in Florida, my suggestion is to use pots to avoid nematodes, avoid tender plants like lettuce, and stick with silk plants!:icon_wink:

Isn’t FAVA beans the same one that Hannibal Lecter refers to in Silence of the Lambs? 😳😳

I think Simon closed and Dirty Dog took over their business. Dirty Dog organic sis a CSA and also sells organic products. I have bought starter plants and vegetables from them.