FLORIDA FALL GARDENS

COOLER TEMP GROWING TIPS, MAKE HOLIDAYS MORE SPECIAL

Written by: Chris DeCubellis

As 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!

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.

Why Guess

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.

You might not realize just how many vegetables get planted in cooler weather.

Healthy Learning Activity

Gardening is an excellent family activity that is good exercise, has the added benefit of producing very nutritious food. It has been my experience that young people will devour any vegetable they had a hand in growing. And they will quickly share with you what their favorites are and love to help plan a garden.

If involved in a 4-H club, a garden project can also help youth develop record-keeping skills and reward the young person’s work with a project pin, ribbon or trophy. Holidays such as Thanksgiving are even more special when some of the family’s own produce takes its place on the table.

I certainly hope you will consider getting a little soil under your fingernails this fall. If so, here’s to a bountiful harvest! FCM