Hey Fellow Floridians - Year 2 - Page 54

Imthechuck · February 23, 2016

I've always thought about pineapples, maybe I'll try it along my fence

I really want to grow dragonfruit, it's such a cool looking and great tasting fruit

jpop · February 23, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by Imthechuck

I've always thought about pineapples, maybe I'll try it along my fence

I really want to grow dragonfruit, it's such a cool looking and great tasting fruit

My F.I.L. grows them basically w/ no special requirements (no ferts., special watering, sun or shade, etc.) and they taste unbelievable and has no issues growing them in the ground.

aimeruni · February 27, 2016

I relocated to central FL about a month ago (for info about my grow zone and where in FL I'm at in regards to gardening, please look at my profile, it will tell you).

I posted a separate thread regarding planting times and what I can grow now, but it was suggested to post here. I have never gardened in Florida before, and where I did garden was northern Michigan, which has a completely opposite growing season.

As a result, I'm not used to the growing season here in FL yet.

If anybody here lives in the Tampa area (Brooksville would be better but Tampa will work) who could help me please? I am trying to figure out what will grow the best here right now (where I will get a decent harvest)

Below is a link for a planting chart I found for Florida; it lists the planting dates for central Florida, which is where I'm at.

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/vh021

Are the planting dates given the for central Florida accurate?

According to the chart I should be able to grow right now:

Corn
Napa Cabbage
Swiss Chard
Zucchini
Peppers (??)*
Beans

*NOTE ON PEPPERS: It says it can be grown in March; somebody told me peppers are heat tolerant enough that I could plant them until the end of March; is this correct? My concern is if I plant them now, that they will start to set their fruit/blossoms in about May, and might be too hot for them (by hot I mean in the 90's; from what I've heard peppers don't produce fruit well when it's in the 90's).

Does anybody know what the temperatures are like in May in the Tampa area? as I said recently relocated here, so I don't know what the temperatures are like here in May, how hot it gets etc.

Barb_FL · February 27, 2016

Welcome to Florida gardening!

I live on the East Coast of Central Florida; zone 9B I think.

For peppers, I just started seeds a short time ago; some haven't even germinated yet. Some have just been separated into their own cell but none are in their 4" pot. I don't have any problems getting peppers to produce in the heat. Just don't let the seedling fry from the heat; but once it is a full grown plant, I don't see any problems.

Last spring Kay (she posts here) taught us the best method for saving seeds. I tested sowing the seeds probably in late May and had lots of peppers.

The thing to watch with peppers is that they are a magnet for white flies (later in the summer when it is really hot out).

Marsha and Ginny are huge advocates of the yellow sticky traps. I'm a believer now too.

This is the ONLY brand to buy; the others will catch lizards (your bug eating friends). http://www.amazon.com/Yellow-Sticky-...w+sticky+traps

I didn't start with the traps early enough last fall (Aug/Sept 15) and went through 45 traps and really never got a handle on the bug disease.

When I'm outside now, I don't think it is buggy; and am putting a yellow sticky trap with each tomato plant I planted out, and am appalled at how many bugs I see the next day.

===========
On your list, other than peppers, I've only grown zucchini which I've given up on due to catepillars.

You can definitely start cucumbers now (or later).

---
Are you going to grow in containers? There are nematodes in the soil; another setback. I do grow broccoli in the soil and raised beds.

---
Do you plan on living in Florida for several years and have a house? My recommendation if so, is to go to a reputable garden center and buy a young Mango Tree (Kent is really good).

Barb_FL · February 27, 2016

Last spring (2015) it got really hot in April and stayed hot until Christmas. But here are the temps for May 2015 in yours area:

http://www.accuweather.com/en/us/bro...015&view=table

Zone9b · February 27, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by aimeruni

I relocated to central FL about a month ago (for info about my grow zone and where in FL I'm at in regards to gardening, please look at my profile, it will tell you).
I posted a separate thread regarding planting times and what I can grow now, but it was suggested to post here. I have never gardened in Florida before, and where I did garden was northern Michigan, which has a completely opposite growing season.
As a result, I'm not used to the growing season here in FL yet.
If anybody here lives in the Tampa area (Brooksville would be better but Tampa will work) who could help me please? I am trying to figure out what will grow the best here right now (where I will get a decent harvest)
Below is a link for a planting chart I found for Florida; it lists the planting dates for central Florida, which is where I'm at.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/vh021
Are the planting dates given the for central Florida accurate?
According to the chart I should be able to grow right now:
Corn
Napa Cabbage
Swiss Chard
Zucchini
Peppers (??)*
Beans
*NOTE ON PEPPERS: It says it can be grown in March; somebody told me peppers are heat tolerant enough that I could plant them until the end of March; is this correct? My concern is if I plant them now, that they will start to set their fruit/blossoms in about May, and might be too hot for them (by hot I mean in the 90's; from what I've heard peppers don't produce fruit well when it's in the 90's).
Does anybody know what the temperatures are like in May in the Tampa area? as I said recently relocated here, so I don't know what the temperatures are like here in May, how hot it gets etc.

ameruni,
From what I can see Brooksville is in Zone 9a and Tampa is in 9b. Not only is Tampa in 9b but it is on the gulf and my guess much less subject to freeze or frost than Brooksville. For a large metropolitan area with weather close to Brooksville I would look to Orlando not Tampa. Even Orlando is in 9b but Orlando is much more subject to occasional freeze and frost than Tampa and probably a bit less than Brooksville.
The table you referred to for planting dates appears to be a good place to start for useful information. I think you still have 2 or 3 weeks to gets your things in the garden but not much more. There aren't a whole lot of things that do particularly well here in the heat of the summer. Okra and Cow Peas to name a couple that can handle the heat. When you plant a bit on the late side it is good to keep date to maturity in mine. For example if your going to plant tomatoes with dtm of 90 it's best to get them in as early as possible but if you planting 4th of July tomato plants with dtm of 49 then going a bit late probably won't hurt.
My advice is to go ahead it get your stuff in the garden as soon as you can and keep reading this particular thread (and others) because there are a number of skilled gardeners that post here, not necessarily including myself. No mater how long I am at this I still feel like a beginner. There is a lady from Jacksonville who posts here and her weather is a bit colder than yours in the winter but she is in 9a so there would be similarities.
Good Luck
Larry
PS: In Florida another thing to keep in mind related to weather is proximity to the Coast. Some with gardens close to the Gulf or the Atlantic will not see the temperature swings that are experienced further inland. Huge bodies of water are a much better temperature moderator than being surrounded by mainly dirt and concrete. Without those huge bodies of waters close by temperature is more likely to spike either colder or hotter much easier than if the Gulf or the Atlantic is not too far from your back door.

kayrobbins · February 27, 2016

Seeing the pepper question reminded me I never did post any pictures of my peppers. There are also tomatoes in the pictures just not nearly as many. I started most of them in late December because I am growing for my friend's herb farm since Chile peppers are the 2016 herb of the year. She hates starting seeds so I volunteered to do it for her. I ended up with 233 pepper plants and I will never grow that many again. Well established pepper plants might slow down a little when it first hits high temps but they do not stop producing like tomatoes do.

I am in 9A and I won't plant beans and squash until mid March. We often have some cold in early March. I think it is a little too late for cabbage since it can get so warm in late March and April.

aimeruni · February 27, 2016

Thank you all so much for responding and for all the advice.

So can I grow corn and zucchini right now, or would it basically be a waste of time and would they not produce when May gets here? I mean the chart does say until April so that's why I'm asking.

I don't want to waste seed and space by planting them if they're not going to produce.

By the way, am I able to grow watermelon with where I'm at?

Zone9b · February 27, 2016

For me it is always a crap shoot whether anything is going to actually produce anything. I just try to do my best and hope for the best. However, as far a summer squash goes, I have grown them in the past and sometimes I have even gotten some squash to eat. I have some patty pan plants in cups which probably have about the same requirements as zucchini and I am planning to plant them within a week. However I am going to be planting them in native soil heavily amended with compost and a little kelp meal thrown in and that is probably not the best environment but it is the only one I have for them at this point. If I don't get any squash to eat I am going to swear off them and try real hard to never grow them again. I don't grow corn so I wouldn't have an opinion on that.
Best of Luck
Larry

Oh, and Kay those are some nice pictures. Thanks

Barb_FL · February 27, 2016

Kay - Your pepper plants look beautiful. I'm growing dwarfs for the DP (first time) and they are about the same size as yours. What tomatoes are on the left side of the page?

Larry - I've been getting all the broccoli we can eat with the 14 plants. Froze 2 huge bags. You must be on overload with all your plants.

Aimeruni - there is no reason why you can't grow watermelon. I never have b/c of the space but have tried cantaloupe for several years.

Zucchini - My plants always start out well; I get one beautiful huge fruit, and that's it. Leaf disease usually sets in.

Canteloupe - Is any one success growing it to edible fruits?
I'm successful getting fruit; but always seem to find a pinhole with a caterpillar. Only the first year did I get edible fruit and that was with Ambrosia (it was dynamite). Since then, I haven't had one edible fruit trying several types. I even tried Minnesota Midget (small cantaloupe) that has much shorter DTM. Some years, I feel liberated when I just yank out the plants and swear I won't try again but I think this is the year when I say enough.

Zone9b · February 28, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by Barb_FL

Larry - I've been getting all the broccoli we can eat with the 14 plants. Froze 2 huge bags. You must be on overload with all your plants.

Barb,
Yes I have slightly over 100 plants and I don't see a single one that doesn't have a head forming. I picked the first one on Friday, Feb 26th, it was 7 1/2" diameter 20.4 oz. That seems about what they will run. I should be freezing a lot of Broccoli starting tomorrow. I have many more transplants ready to go in a soon as I can clear the bed.
I wrote a post in another thread titled: "Should Broccoli Gardeners Use Much Closer Plant Spacing?" I was trying to get a conversation going about the possibility of growing lots of Broccoli in a single raised bed. I'm not doing too bad at that now but I am hoping to increase my yields over time by possibly 40%. For anyone interested please take a look.
http://www.tomatoville.com/showthrea...026#post535026
A great Sunday morning to all.
Larry

kayrobbins · February 28, 2016

Larry, you might have convinced me to grow broccoli again. I quit because I thought it took up too much space for what I get in harvest. I read the link you posted and the comment that you would only get a one head and that it might be samller was even more convincing. I understand commercial growers want huge heads but I like most of my vegetables when they are smaller.

Barb I am not sure about the picutres. I know one tray is totally Beauty King and Peppermint Stripes from the Dwarf Project but I am growing other dwarf plants too.

Barb_FL · February 28, 2016

Larry, I missed your broccoli thread. I grew 4 broccoli in each 4*4' raised bed and definitely could have added 2 more broccoli plants each. My plants were not huge like prior years. I've cut the main head off from most of the broccoli.

When I planted some of my plants had 2 seedlings; the dominant one took over but the smaller one still grew. I'm hoping that once the first one is done, the runt will take off.

I think broccoli really has a lot of bang for the buck.

Zone9b · February 28, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by Barb_FL

Larry, I missed your broccoli thread. I grew 4 broccoli in each 4*4' raised bed and definitely could have added 2 more broccoli plants each. My plants were not huge like prior years. I've cut the main head off from most of the broccoli.
When I planted some of my plants had 2 seedlings; the dominant one took over but the smaller one still grew. I'm hoping that once the first one is done, the runt will take off.
I think broccoli really has a lot of bang for the buck.

Barb,
I absolutely agree. Given our extended season here in Florida and the great F1 varieties it's hard to miss with Broccoli. On top of that it's a tasty and health eat. I hope to press the boundaries of growing space and growing time.
Come along for the ride, it's going to be fun!
Larry

kayrobbins · February 28, 2016

I am growing tomatillos for the first time this year. I want to make salsa verde with all the NuMex Heritage green chiles. I have never grown it before and I don't think I have ever even tasted one. I know they get huge and have brittle stems. Have any of you grown them in Earth Boxes or SWCs? I am trying to decide where to plant them.

February 27, 2016	#798
aimeruni Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Brooksville FL, zone 9a Posts: 67	what can I grow now and need help with planting times I relocated to central FL about a month ago (for info about my grow zone and where in FL I'm at in regards to gardening, please look at my profile, it will tell you). I posted a separate thread regarding planting times and what I can grow now, but it was suggested to post here. I have never gardened in Florida before, and where I did garden was northern Michigan, which has a completely opposite growing season. As a result, I'm not used to the growing season here in FL yet. If anybody here lives in the Tampa area (Brooksville would be better but Tampa will work) who could help me please? I am trying to figure out what will grow the best here right now (where I will get a decent harvest) Below is a link for a planting chart I found for Florida; it lists the planting dates for central Florida, which is where I'm at. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/vh021 Are the planting dates given the for central Florida accurate? According to the chart I should be able to grow right now: Corn Napa Cabbage Swiss Chard Zucchini Peppers (??)* Beans *NOTE ON PEPPERS: It says it can be grown in March; somebody told me peppers are heat tolerant enough that I could plant them until the end of March; is this correct? My concern is if I plant them now, that they will start to set their fruit/blossoms in about May, and might be too hot for them (by hot I mean in the 90's; from what I've heard peppers don't produce fruit well when it's in the 90's). Does anybody know what the temperatures are like in May in the Tampa area? as I said recently relocated here, so I don't know what the temperatures are like here in May, how hot it gets etc.

February 27, 2016	#804
Zone9b Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2014 Location: Central Florida Posts: 620	For me it is always a crap shoot whether anything is going to actually produce anything. I just try to do my best and hope for the best. However, as far a summer squash goes, I have grown them in the past and sometimes I have even gotten some squash to eat. I have some patty pan plants in cups which probably have about the same requirements as zucchini and I am planning to plant them within a week. However I am going to be planting them in native soil heavily amended with compost and a little kelp meal thrown in and that is probably not the best environment but it is the only one I have for them at this point. If I don't get any squash to eat I am going to swear off them and try real hard to never grow them again. I don't grow corn so I wouldn't have an opinion on that. Best of Luck Larry Oh, and Kay those are some nice pictures. Thanks Last edited by Zone9b; February 27, 2016 at 06:44 PM.

February 23, 2016	#796
Imthechuck Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: SouthFlorida Zone 10 Posts: 120	I've always thought about pineapples, maybe I'll try it along my fence I really want to grow dragonfruit, it's such a cool looking and great tasting fruit

February 27, 2016	#799
Barb_FL Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Indialantic, Florida Posts: 2,000	Welcome to Florida gardening! I live on the East Coast of Central Florida; zone 9B I think. For peppers, I just started seeds a short time ago; some haven't even germinated yet. Some have just been separated into their own cell but none are in their 4" pot. I don't have any problems getting peppers to produce in the heat. Just don't let the seedling fry from the heat; but once it is a full grown plant, I don't see any problems. Last spring Kay (she posts here) taught us the best method for saving seeds. I tested sowing the seeds probably in late May and had lots of peppers. The thing to watch with peppers is that they are a magnet for white flies (later in the summer when it is really hot out). Marsha and Ginny are huge advocates of the yellow sticky traps. I'm a believer now too. This is the ONLY brand to buy; the others will catch lizards (your bug eating friends). http://www.amazon.com/Yellow-Sticky-...w+sticky+traps I didn't start with the traps early enough last fall (Aug/Sept 15) and went through 45 traps and really never got a handle on the bug disease. When I'm outside now, I don't think it is buggy; and am putting a yellow sticky trap with each tomato plant I planted out, and am appalled at how many bugs I see the next day. =========== On your list, other than peppers, I've only grown zucchini which I've given up on due to catepillars. You can definitely start cucumbers now (or later). --- Are you going to grow in containers? There are nematodes in the soil; another setback. I do grow broccoli in the soil and raised beds. --- Do you plan on living in Florida for several years and have a house? My recommendation if so, is to go to a reputable garden center and buy a young Mango Tree (Kent is really good).

February 27, 2016	#800
Barb_FL Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Indialantic, Florida Posts: 2,000	Last spring (2015) it got really hot in April and stayed hot until Christmas. But here are the temps for May 2015 in yours area: http://www.accuweather.com/en/us/bro...015&view=table

February 27, 2016	#803
aimeruni Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Brooksville FL, zone 9a Posts: 67	Thank you all so much for responding and for all the advice. So can I grow corn and zucchini right now, or would it basically be a waste of time and would they not produce when May gets here? I mean the chart does say until April so that's why I'm asking. I don't want to waste seed and space by planting them if they're not going to produce. By the way, am I able to grow watermelon with where I'm at?

February 27, 2016	#805
Barb_FL Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Indialantic, Florida Posts: 2,000	Kay - Your pepper plants look beautiful. I'm growing dwarfs for the DP (first time) and they are about the same size as yours. What tomatoes are on the left side of the page? Larry - I've been getting all the broccoli we can eat with the 14 plants. Froze 2 huge bags. You must be on overload with all your plants. Aimeruni - there is no reason why you can't grow watermelon. I never have b/c of the space but have tried cantaloupe for several years. Zucchini - My plants always start out well; I get one beautiful huge fruit, and that's it. Leaf disease usually sets in. Canteloupe - Is any one success growing it to edible fruits? I'm successful getting fruit; but always seem to find a pinhole with a caterpillar. Only the first year did I get edible fruit and that was with Ambrosia (it was dynamite). Since then, I haven't had one edible fruit trying several types. I even tried Minnesota Midget (small cantaloupe) that has much shorter DTM. Some years, I feel liberated when I just yank out the plants and swear I won't try again but I think this is the year when I say enough.

February 28, 2016	#807
kayrobbins Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: Jacksonville, Fl Posts: 820	Larry, you might have convinced me to grow broccoli again. I quit because I thought it took up too much space for what I get in harvest. I read the link you posted and the comment that you would only get a one head and that it might be samller was even more convincing. I understand commercial growers want huge heads but I like most of my vegetables when they are smaller. Barb I am not sure about the picutres. I know one tray is totally Beauty King and Peppermint Stripes from the Dwarf Project but I am growing other dwarf plants too.

February 28, 2016	#808
Barb_FL Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Indialantic, Florida Posts: 2,000	Larry, I missed your broccoli thread. I grew 4 broccoli in each 4*4' raised bed and definitely could have added 2 more broccoli plants each. My plants were not huge like prior years. I've cut the main head off from most of the broccoli. When I planted some of my plants had 2 seedlings; the dominant one took over but the smaller one still grew. I'm hoping that once the first one is done, the runt will take off. I think broccoli really has a lot of bang for the buck.

February 28, 2016	#810
kayrobbins Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: Jacksonville, Fl Posts: 820	I am growing tomatillos for the first time this year. I want to make salsa verde with all the NuMex Heritage green chiles. I have never grown it before and I don't think I have ever even tasted one. I know they get huge and have brittle stems. Have any of you grown them in Earth Boxes or SWCs? I am trying to decide where to plant them.