Growing Food in South Florida

One of the greatest challenges about growing food in South Florida is deprogramming everything you have ever learned about seasons and gardening. Even if you are a born and raised Floridian, from childhood, you are bombarded with messaging that applies to almost everywhere else in the contiguous United States. You know: in fall it gets cold and we bring in the harvests, in spring you plant seeds after the frost, and summer is the right time to grow just about everything. When it comes to South Florida, or Zones 10 and 11 in general, none of that applies. And not only does it not apply, we have completely different guidelines for knowing what to plant when.

Let’s start deprogramming. Say it with me: I can grow all year long in South Florida. It just looks different and uses a different calendar. So, here are the basics. You are going to grow your cool weather loving crops in the fall so they can flourish in the winter, crops that don’t mind going from cool to warm in winter to harvest in spring, warm and hot weather loving plants in the spring to harvest in summer, and plant hot to not as hot loving plants in summer to harvest in fall. 

Let me give the example of the beloved tomato. You can begin planting tomatoes in August to start getting fruit in October. That tomato plant, if it’s treated well (and doesn’t get something like a blight), should be producing for you through winter and possibly spring. Their production will decrease the longer you let them grow. If you have the space, you might want to consider planting more in the fall to give you a really good harvest through spring. And summer? 

How do we prepare tomatoes for summer? There are three options. First, just plant Everglades tomatoes and forget the rest. Everglades tomatoes will not mind the heat and produce all throughout summer. Second, use high-heat hybrids and use shade cloth to help cool your tomato beds enough that the tomatoes can set fruit. Most tomatoes, unless they’re high-heat hybrids, will not set fruit when the temperatures are above 80*F. And lastly, you could just not plant tomatoes at all. It’s an option, but not a very fun one.

I would love to teach you more about growing your own food and being able to grocery shop your yard all year long. We are offering workshops in the fall to give you a comprehensive education so you can leave with confidence to get growing right away. If you would like to join James and I in our own backyard and get ready to grow year round, you can visit our events page here. I hope to see you there!