Grow your own way:

How to grow a great Florida garden

BY ERIN FEITSMA

When late last year my husband announced that he wanted to start a garden, it felt like we had come full circle. After moving from the city to a tiny town of less than 8,000, gardening felt like something that tracked with the pace of life we wanted to pursue. After all, this was why we’d moved to the country in the first place: to enjoy less traffic and grow our own red onions. So, start a garden my husband did. He took to it naturally, while I on the other hand have struggled daily to keep one small succulent alive. Thankfully, all hope is not lost for the accidental plant killers and overwaterers among us. The good news is, whether you’re a gardening newbie or a seasoned horticulturist, there’s an abundance of resources available to help you grow your gardening skills and knowledge. And, thanks to container gardening, growing your own greenery can happen in even the smallest of spaces, so there’s no excuse to not become a plant person. Read on to learn how to create and cultivate a Florida garden that works with you, not against you, and soon your dreams of becoming a bona fide gardener will be in bloom. We’re rooting for you.

Getting started in Florida gardening

So, you’ve decided to start a garden. Congratulations! Let the foliage-filled journey commence. If you’re new to gardening, you may be wondering where to begin. There are many factors to consider, including what to grow, where to grow it, your gardening budget and the number of garden gnomes you’ll need to decorate your space (the more, the merrier). However, there may be a simpler place to start: soil.

“One main way (gardening) is different in Florida is that our soil is very, very sandy,” said Theresa Badurek, urban horticulture agent and Master Gardener Program leader for the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension in Pinellas County.

“One thing that people can do if they’re new to gardening here is to first get to know their site, their yard, their landscape and really get to know the soil there before they plant. That soil (will) help them choose what plants will do best.”

Soil testing is available through the UF/IFAS Extension Soil Testing Laboratory.

“Getting a soil test done to see what kind of nutrients are in your soil and the pH of your soil is a really good place to start,” Badurek said. “Especially if you’re going to put a lot of money into the garden, you want to make sure you know what you’re working with first. … You want to make sure that you pick the plants that will thrive rather than trying to remake the landscape, which is not practical.”

Knowing your soil pH can help you select lawn and other plant materials, confirmed Lynn Barber, a Florida-Friendly Landscaping agent with the UF/IFAS Extension in Hillsborough County. You can contact your local UF/IFAS Extension office to determine the cost for testing a soil sample. Find instructions on how to take a soil sample at https://sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu/ agriculture/soil-testing/.

It helps, too, to begin by thinking of the big picture, advised Badurek. Envision what you want your garden to look like and let that mental image guide your decisions.

“If you want the garden to provide privacy, for example, make sure that you choose plants that are evergreen,” she said. “I think where a lot of people miss out (is when) they buy random plants they like instead of trying to figure out what (they’re) trying to accomplish with the garden. … Start with the end in mind.”

It’s important to remember that everyone’s gardening site will be different. Not all plants have the same growing conditions and not every plant sold locally will be the right fit for your individual garden or region. According to Barber, Florida enjoys longer growing and gardening seasons than many other regions in the country. Choosing the right plants for where you’re located in the state and then planting them in the right places and at the right time of year are essential.

“It’s critical to their survival,” Barber said. “If you plant a sunloving plant in the shade or a shadeloving plant in the sun, it won’t thrive or survive.”

The same advice holds true for container gardening, which may be a good option for those with limited gardening space available.

“Regardless of the size of the space you have or the container, you need to be sure you have the right plant in the right place,” said

Barber. “That means sun/shade or a combination of the two.” Learn more about container gardening at https://sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu/lawn-andgarden/container-gardening/.

One of UF/IFAS’s most popular resources is the “Florida-Friendly Landscaping Guide to Plant Selection & Landscape Design,” available at https://ffl.ifas.ufl.edu/ media/fflifasufledu/docs/FFLPlant-Guide_v03222022_web.pdf, which can help you choose the right plants for your location. The UF/ IFAS Florida Gardening Calendar, available at https://sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu/ lawn-and-garden/florida-gardeningcalendar/, provides gardeners with information on what to plant when. Regional information is available for North, South and Central Florida.

If you’re looking to start a vegetable garden, the UF/IFAS Florida Fresh resource available at https://floridafresh.ifas.ufl.edu/ is your new best friend. Simply input your zip code to learn what to plant at the current time of year. Florida Fresh also provides info on what fruits and veggies are in-season and available to purchase locally.

Fertilization, irrigation and pest control

While gardeners’ individual site conditions will vary, Badurek’s general rule of thumb when it comes to fertilization, irrigation and pest control is simple: Less is more.

“The more you do, the more work you make for yourself,” she said. “The more that you water and fertilize, the more things grow, the more pests you attract to the new growth, and the more pruning you have to do.”

Barber adopts a similar ethos.

“Before you fertilize, determine if it’s needed,” she said. Taking a soil test to your local Extension office or bringing in a leaf from a plant that you suspect may be lacking in nutrients are a couple of ways to find out if your plant needs fertilizer.

“If fertilizer is needed, apply only when the grass is actively growing,” Barber said. “Avoid weed and feed products. They contain herbicides and fertilizer together. The timing is often different when each should be applied. Use pesticides only on affected areas. Check your local regulations to determine when you can fertilize. Turf is nature’s best water filter but there are other landscape plant options. Many residents pay for monthly pest control and frequent fertilization (services) that may or may not be needed.”

The same principle holds true for irrigation. According to the UF/ IFAS website, many homeowners overwater. Overwatering not only depletes the water supply but also makes grass and plants prone to pests and diseases.

“Follow your watering days/times and any restrictions that may be in place,” Barber advised. “If you don’t, you may receive a ticket from Code Enforcement.”

As your garden grows, you may run into a common problem: gardening pests. While it may be tempting to get rid of any bugs you see, Barber said that the best gardening advice she’s ever received is to first identify a potential gardening pest before acting.

“First be sure to identify the insect,” she said. “Many good bugs look similar to bad bugs. When we kill the good bugs, we have a lot more pest control work to do than (when we allow) them to do their work.”

Unsure what kind of bug you’ve got on your hands? Your local UF/ IFAS Extension office can help you identify the alleged pest, Barber said.

Benefits of gardening

If for no other reason, gardening can be a valuable pastime because of its obvious benefits: You can burn calories while tending to the land, grow your own veggies or flowers and have an enjoyable time in the process.

“Gardening is just a very good holistic activity,” said Badurek. “It’s good for your body, because you’re moving, and you get to go outside and get fresh air. It’s also good for your mind, because it’s very stressrelieving and relaxing.”

Gardening can also be fun for the whole family. Badurek and Barber were both inspired to get into gardening by their grandmothers. If a friend, child, grandchild, spouse or other loved one also has a green thumb, gardening together can be one way to enjoy quality time.

Barber remembers spending a day canning tomatoes with a friend in Des Moines and eating her family’s homegrown carrots with her sister.

“Mom and our grandmother grew asparagus, corn, cucumbers, green peppers, potatoes, peas and green beans,” she said. “Both canned a lot of veggies. Something I really miss: rhubarb. My mom was famous, at least to us, for her dill pickles.”

Next steps

When in doubt, contacting your local UF/IFAS Extension office via phone, email or an in-person visit and exploring the resources the

Looking to take your gardening adventures to the next level?

UF/IFAS has local Extension offices across Florida that offer resources like events, blogs, webinars and classes, many of them for free. Locate your local UF/IFAS Extension office at https://sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu/find-your-local-office/.

Hillsborough County: The UF/IFAS Extension in Hillsborough County also offers an abundance of programming for gardeners. Upcoming events include composting and microirrigation workshops (offered both in person and virtually), a workshop on butterfly gardening and a sheep and goat seminar(!). Learn more about what’s going on at the UF/IFAS Extension in Hillsborough at https://sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu/hillsborough/.

Pasco County: Whether you want to learn how to grow your own bananas, get answers to all your gardening questions or find tips from the Florida-Friendly Landscaping program, there’s an event for you at the UF/IFAS Extension in Pasco County. The Extension also offers programs that help gardeners identify good bugs, learn about the art of bonsai and more. Explore the UF/ IFAS Pasco County Extension website at https://sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu/ pasco/.

Pinellas County: Upcoming programs offered by the UF/IFAS Extension in Pinellas range from a webinar on animal fossils to a native plant hike at the Florida Botanical Gardens. “We even have stuff like marine classes, wildlife and natural resources classes and 4-H youth classes, so it goes way beyond gardening. It’s gardening-plus,” said Badurek. Keep up with happenings at the UF/IFAS Extension in Pinellas at https://sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu/pinellas/.

organization has to offer can help you get answers to any gardening questions you might have. Barber also advises searching through the array of information available on the UF/IFAS website.

“View the University of Florida Florida-Friendly Landscaping site and you can spend an enormous amount of time learning about anything and everything related to gardening,” she said.

For more information on all things gardening, visit https://ifas. ufl.edu/.

Source:https://sfyl.ifas.ufl. edu/hillsborough/lawngarden/ microirrigation/

Times Total Media is the sales and marketing division of the Tampa Bay Times. Contact timestotalmedia@ tampabay.com with questions.