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IT IS FALL VEGETABLE PLANTING TIME IN NORTH FLORIDA Rejoice! The beginning of our next vegetable growing season is about to kick into high gear. While a few warm season veggies were meant to be put in the garden in August, a bountiful variety of cool season vegetables thrive in northern Florida when planted in September and October. August is the best time to plant tomatoes, winter squash, sweet corn, southern peas, watermelon and pumpkins for a fall harvest. A few warm season favorites can be planted until about mid September, such as bush beans, pole beans, cucumbers and summer squash. I find myself planting fewer warm season crops in the fall and instead opting for those which prefer the cooler temperatures and shorter days. I do have a few grape tomato plants and winter squash out in the garden and may plant a row or two of snap beans; otherwise, my thoughts and efforts will be on cool season vegetables. Cool weather veggies commonly grown in Florida include beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, collards, kale, Kohlrabi, leeks, lettuce, mustard, onions, radishes and turnips. You’ll find complete planting dates in my Vegetable Growing Guide. This year I will be growing leeks in place of onions. I grew some last year and we really enjoyed them. They are similar to a very large, mild green onion and have a wonderful flavor. I intend to do several plantings in order to extend the harvest. My fall and winter garden will include broccoli and cauliflower. The broccoli will stand up nicely to frosty weather, so it can be planted and grown all winter long. Cauliflower, on the other hand, won’t tolerate the cold. It needs to be planted no later than mid October for the best chance of success in the fall. I have tried many varieties of broccoli and had good success with all of them. None really stood out above others in yield or flavor, although some put off more side shoots resulting in a longer harvest such as Packman, Early Dividend and Green Goliath. I have also tried many varieties of cauliflower. My best success in the fall and spring has come with First White Hybrid. Nice white heads with tight curds and a mild flavor. Most of my garden space will be devoted to lettuce. My household enjoys a garden fresh salad more than most other cool season veggies. I grow enough lettuce for at least a couple of salads each day from October through early May. I plant several types over the cool months; both leaf and head lettuce. I have tried many types of carrots over the years and am happy with several. This past year I grew Sweet Treat Hybrid and found them to live up to their name so that’s the variety that I will be planting again this year. The trick to planting carrots successfully is loosening up the soil to a depth of 6 to 8 inches and removing rocks, roots and other such debris from the soil so the carrots can grow straight and unobstructed. Rocks don’t have to be the size of the one the Pilgrims landed on to be too big. Remove all you can. Carefully place seeds about an inch apart in rows, thinly cover with soil and keep the soil moist. If you have squirrels digging in the garden, make your row a one inch deep furrow and cover it with garden netting secured with garden staples. When the carrots begin to grow through it, remove the netting and thin the seedlings to about 3 inches apart by using a small pair of scissors to snip the unwanted seedlings. If you are short on compost to improve the soil, amend just your planting rows. For lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower and other vegetables planted some distance apart, amend just your planting holes. Quick, easy, cost effective and works quite well. I am now posting photos and timely gardening tips on my Facebook page. I hope you will find it of some value. If so, I would be honored to have you as a Facebook Fan (simply click the "Like" button below). If you would like to subscribe to my blog and receive an email letting you know each time I post an update, simply send me an email by clicking here. Please let me know where in Florida (or elsewhere) you are gardening.
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