Tag Archives: fall garden in Florida

Nov19

Playing in the Dirt

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It’s fun to play outside for a bit, isn’t it?

Fun to be outside past 9 am and not dripping sweat off your nose.

I’m a little late getting my garlic in, but it’s in now. I usually try to put it in around Halloween. The garlic-vampire connection helps me remember when to plant it.

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Technically, you’re not supposed to plant garlic from the grocery store, but since when do gardeners follow all the gardening rules? I’ve done pretty well the past couple of years doing it this way, and it’s quite cheap too.

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I snipped the last of the basil. It is now a lush green bouquet by my kitchen sink. I’ll have to think of something worthy of it, or maybe I’ll let it root in water (similar to Torenia) and have it become a coddled houseplant on the windowsill.

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Leif has been enjoying having his humans outside with him. Chasing a tennis ball is fun in the fall.

He wasn’t really interested in the second batch of mustard greens or turnips that I planted. Thankfully, he’s past the digging lots of holes phase. Well, kind of. I also planted some Bloomsdale spinach. I haven’t had much success with it in the past, but maybe this will be the year for it.

How’s your garden? Have you been able to get outside and play lately?

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Sep29

Northern Gardeners Are Going to be Jealous

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If you are already breaking out the jeans and sweaters and thinking about the condition of your snow shovel, you may not want to read this post. One of the many perks of gardening in Florida(and what can create so much envy) is that we can garden all year long. The fall garden is really just as big as the spring garden.

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I have started seeds for collards, kale, Swiss chard, broccoli, Bibb lettuce, and cauliflower. Soon I will be planting seeds of turnips, beets, rutabagas, and carrots.

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At the same time, I have a zucchini that will be ready to harvest in just a few days. Isn’t that crazy?

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My green bean plants are doing well in the mild temperatures and I hope to enjoy fresh green beans soon too.

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This is the crop that I am actually the most eager to harvest- yard long beans, a.k.a. snake beans, a.k.a. asparagus beans. They have finally started to bloom and set pods. I am going to try to restrain myself and not eat the first few pods, as I want to save seed for next year. According to David over at Florida Survival Gardening, they are not only delicious, but they also grow well in the summer garden. His post on snake beans makes you want to skip traditional pole beans in favor of them.

Fall gardening is so fun! There is a lull in the heat and humidity, making it great weather for starting seeds and pulling summer’s weeds.The warm temperatures mean that your seeds will germinate quickly. The bugs will be scarce in the cooler months, so there will be less bother from mosquitoes and chewing caterpillars.

Let’s get growing! If you invest just a little effort now, your garden will reward you with nutritious and delicious vegetables this fall and into the winter.

If your sweet potato vines are overtaking your garden, don’t look at them as a nuisance, look at them as food! Post on that coming soon!