Helpful tips from Grower Jim:
“October is the month for most Florida gardeners to make the full transition to cool-season crops. Now is the ideal time to plant beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, Chinese cabbage, chives, collards, fennel, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, mizuna, mustard, onions, parsley, English peas, radish, spinach, strawberry, turnips and any other cultivars of Brassica. Right now, seeds or transplants are fine to put in the ground for any of the cool-season annuals. Most of Florida is entering the dry season this month, so plan to water new plantings regularly until they get established.
In South Florida, you still have time to put in transplants of peppers, tomatoes and eggplant, and to seed beans, corn, cucumbers, Seminole pumpkins and summer squash in addition to the above items.
For the whole southern half of the state (where no freeze is expected), perennial vegetables that can be planted any time include achira, aibika, cassava, chaya, katuk, longevity spinach, moringa, Okinawa spinach, and tindora. In North Florida, most of these will require some winter protection.
Follow this page for regular updates on what to plant and harvest each month, as well as growing tips all month long!”
Do you have a Tower Garden? If you have a Tower Garden, you can still plant hot weather plants, as the Tower Garden will keep the plants warmer in winter (and cooler in summer). If you get a frost or a freeze, add an aquarium heater overnight and throw a frost cloth over the Tower Garden. Set the aquarium heater to 70F. Everything will be toasty and warm!
Year-Round Planting Guide From the University of North Florida
The University of Florida's planting guide is what I used years ago to begin to understand Florida's confusing planting seasons. Click on the guide and then scroll down until you see 'Table 1 Planting guide for Florida vegetables.'. Click 'VIEW', save, and print. This will give you a nice list that you can reference
again and again!
Central Florida Planting Guide From Leu Gardens
North Florida Planting Guide from the University of Florida
South Florida Planting Guide from Tree Amigos Growers
A helpful 'infographic' from UF IFAS for all of Florida
To see more Fall plants that are suitable for all zones of Florida to plant in the Tower Garden, visit this blog post!
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