FLORIDA 4-H
FLORIDA FALL GARDENS COOLER TEMP GROWING TIPS, MAKE HOLIDAYS MORE SPECIAL Written by: Chris DeCubellis
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s the days grow shorter and a little cooler, we enter a wonderful time for the Florida vegetable gardener.
Finally, it is pleasant outside for both the gardener and many of our favorite vegetable plants. If you are new to Florida, you might not realize just how many vegetables get planted in this season. Beginners will find that several UF/IFAS Extension publications detail just what crops are recommended in north, central and south Florida. Fall is also a great time to expose children to gardening. And the 4-H year kicked off in September, so there is still plenty of time to get kids involved in a gardening project through a local 4-H club. If you have never tried a Florida fall garden before, make this the year!
WHY GUESS WHAT YOUR SOIL MIGHT NEED WHEN YOU CAN KNOW?
START WITH PLANNING
A good place to begin for any garden to succeed is planning. What would you like to grow? How much is an appropriate planting for your size family? What available space or facilities do you have for a garden? You will need a place for your vegetables to grow. This can range from a few pots on a patio to several acres under cultivation. Vegetables will need full sun several hours each day. If you are planning on having a traditional in-ground garden, I would recommend getting a soil test. Your local UF/IFAS Extension agents can help with this—you can get a full analysis of your soil’s pH and the agent will provide recommendations for any adjustments to that, as well as fertilizer rates. Why guess what your soil might need when you can know?
WHAT TO PLANT AND WHEN
It is also a good idea to understand what grows in your area this time of year. UF/IFAS provides recommendations for planting times based on location in the state, dividing the state into three zoned areas: north, central and south. According to the Florida Vegetable Gardening Guide, available free at edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/vh021, in north Florida in October and November it is appropriate to plant things such as arugula, beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, Chinese cabbage, collards, endive, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, mustard greens, onions, radish, spinach, strawberry, Swiss chard and turnips. In central and south Florida, try planting all these vegetables, plus several other warm season veggies. Again, check out the Florida Vegetable Gardening Guide for details. This publication has excellent information on managing pests, irrigation, amending the soil, transplanting, even recommending vegetable varieties for our Florida climate.
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