Buy seeds, they grow quickly in Florida. Basil is the easiest,

Hi Laker14

The pineapples that we've been able to grow in TV get very close to the size that you'd find in the super market....now, here's what we do...

when you purchase a pineapple from the market cut the top off leaving about a 1/2 inch of flesh, place the top in a dark place for 4 days so that the bottom dries out, then place it in the ground with a southern exposure (we've tried east, west and it just doesn't work this far north....like it did when we were in Ft Lauderdale)...it will take about 18 months for the plant to produce one fruit...it will only produce one fruit at a time (the ornamental pineapple plant will produce multiple small fruit...and that plant spreads...it has more of a purplish color vs. the green of the edible one). The original plant will produce 'pups' after fruiting, only the new pups will fruit... sometime around April you'll see the top of the fruit forming in the crown of the plant, by late July it should be ready to harvest

Rosemary will grow just about anywhere down here as long as it's not in complete shade, we have the oregano on the east side (which gets a lot of sun) and that does well. The oregano will spread so you may want to keep that in a pot. The basil we generally have on the southern side and it will grow a tall as 3 feet. We've tried growing it inside the front screened in lanai that faces north and it didn't do well (no sun)

last winter the bunnies were so hungry they chomped on a lot of the pineapple leaves, but the plants survived. In the past the bunnies have gotten under the nets we had around out tomato plants that were in large pots

Lowe's keeps them outside, at the end of the outside plants closest to the main entrance. They're not easy to find.

You might try this: my wife is a fantastic cook and depends on fresh herbs. We've more or less turned our lanai into an herb garden. Some of the stuff we grow we've bought locally (rosemary, sage, thyme, oregano) but a lot of the stuff we grow, we start ourselves from shoots. For example, we have a licorice basil plant that is a staple in Thai cooking: we bought some fresh licorice basil last March, took a couple of the green tops (maybe three or four leaves, with a stem about 1" long), wrapped the bottom loosely in part of a napkin, and put it into a glass of water so that about half the plant is above the water line. Lowe's has some plant food that is designed for this; it comes in powder form. Dust the bottom of the shoots with a little of that before you wrap it up, and maybe mix a little in the water as well. In about two to three weeks the shoots will have what looks like little hairs on the bottom. You can transplant them into a pot at that time. Don't scrimp on the potting soil; get the best you can and be sure to grow it in an earthenware pot. Works for just about all herbs; (pennywort, lemongrass, just about anything the stores sell fresh) so you don't have to be limited by what Lowe's or any other place sells.

Another hint: if you cook with green-top onions (scallions) you can get a never-ending supply just by transplanting the bulbs after you've removed and used the green tops. Stick 'em in a pot of potting soil (again earthenware pot) and cover them completely with about 1/2 inch of soil over them. I use the barrel of a magic marker; it's about the same size as the bulbs. Poke six to eight holes in the potting soil (doesn't matter if they're crowded) cover them up and in about two weeks they'll sprout. Once they get big enough you can clip off the green shoots for cooking and the plants will keep on producing more and more. They do stop in a couple of months, but just buy more at Publix or wherever and repeat the process.

Yes. Home Depot on 27/441 has a selection of herbs right now. I bought some a few days ago.

Basil gets very tall, oregano will take over the pot if shared with some thing else. I like two kinds of Thyme: lemon for salads and cold items and German for savory meats and soups. Those will spread also. I’ll food taste better with fresh spices.

Pineapples
 

Just moved to TV after over 30 years in Hawaii. mostly living near Oahu pineapple fields.
A pineapple plant will yield two pineapples. First after 18 months and second 12 months later. Harvest when they are a nice deep, yellow color for a really sweat pineapple. Cut off the top when you harvest a pineapple and plant it for your second pineapple plant.
Be careful of the leaves, they have sharp edges.

I planted tomatoes, green peppers and cucumbers in a garden planter that had a base you put water into then the planting area was elevated about 3 1/2 to 4 feet? The geckos had a feast while we had nothing. Removed plants and decided I would not try again I set the planter out by the curb, I hope however took it has had better luck than I did!

[QUOT=DAVES;2022300]You want to do some reading. Cherry tomatoes, off the top of my head, Sweet 100 is a popular cherry tomato. But it is an indeterminate variety-a huge plant. If, I recall there was one called tom thumb which has heavy stems and stays small. It does not produce that much fruit. Most herbs are basically weeds. Poor soil, stress from little water gives you the best flavor. You will probably do best buying seeds. Mint does well in pots and it is great in iced tea.[/QUOTE]

Basil is a lovely plant but needs to be picked often. Also chives make a nice plant. Rosemary is a great shrub but gets very large. Smells wonderful and very useful,

Bob Wines Nursery
 

The absolute best place to buy herbs and vegetables is Bob Wines Nursery in Ocala. They have the best selection of healthy plants I've ever seen. They have many varieties to select from...for example: Spearmint, Peppermint, Chocolate Mint, Orange mint, etc. It's worth the trip up there but you may have to be mindful of the season.

I bought about $75 worth of wild sweet potato vines from Lowes. A purple and green mixture. Planted them around my front lawn.
The BUNNIES had a gourmet dinner on them. Chewed them right down to the nubs.
:ohdear::ohdear:

We have friends that have plants of different varieties growing in his bird cage off the ground and they do beautifully.

:bigbow::bigbow:

I usually buy those herbs & patio tomatoes at the home depot

Grow all my herbs from seed, here take just a few weeks to get them going. Good starting potting soil, little water and you are on your way

Thank you, Koapaka, for sharing this site.

I just spent a few minutes looking through it, am interested, and can take more time later to learn more. Brand new lettuce is one of my favorites and the only way to get it in its perfect state is to grow it yourself.

In the comment section, I saw that someone wrote about using it in a classroom. I used to grow amaryllis bulbs in my high school classroom. Even high school kids enjoyed seeing the progress each day of those fast-growing plants as they reached full bloom. One time we got 16 beautiful, huge, red blooms from one bulb — but that bulb must have been gifted or something.

Of course, with a vegetable garden in a classroom, the teacher probably would have to schlep it home during Christmas and other long breaks.

Anyway, thanks. You might have done some Christmas shopping for me.

Boomer

Daughter gifted me with an Aero-Garden. You can find them on line. Here it is in our laundry room, about 3 weeks from planting. They come in several sizes. This one accommodates six herbs (or lettuce) and holds 3 quarts of water. They send seed pods and plant food with it.

I did the same. I went to Marion Flea Market and they have them pre-started in pots( they also have seeds). The guy working there will take you through a step-by-step process. I went back twice. Super inexpensive and all lived. So many varieties of everything. Its located on the east side of the building where the plants are. I bought the ones that already had peppers and tomatoes on them. Also bought all the spices ready to cut.