Vegetable Gardening

in Florida
Presenter: Bob Hochmuth, Regional Extension Agent
UF/IFAS North Florida Research and Education Center-
Suwannee Valley, Live Oak, FL
Learning Objectives:

• Know how to select a site and

prepare a garden.
• Know “when, what, and
how” to plant a garden.
• Understand how to manage a
garden.
• Identify key pests and
common abiotic problems.
 Benefits of Gardening
• Fresh air and
sunshine
• Exercise
• Enjoyment
• Mental therapy
• Nutritious fresh
vegetables
• Economic savings
 Gardening in Florida

• Can grow veggies year-round

• Fall, winter, & spring are best
seasons
• “Southern” veggies for
summer (okra, sweet
potatoes, southern peas, etc.)
• Many tropical veggies also do
well (chayote, Seminole
pumpkin, boniato, etc.)
• Major problems: infertile soils
and pests
 PART I
PLANNING AND
PLANTING A
VEGETABLE GARDEN
There are many ways to grow vegetables!
 Site Requirements

• Full sun (> 5-6

hours/day)
• Near water source
• Away from
competing tree
roots
• Well-drained soil
 Site Preparation

• Clear debris
• Amend soil with
organic matter
• Test soil pH
- Best pH range for
veggies: 5.8-6.5
- Adjust if needed
 Site Preparation
Sources of Organic Matter
• Manure (careful of food safety
concerns)
• Compost
• Cover crops / “Green” manures:
Summer – cowpeas,
sunn hemp, millet
Winter - lupine, hairy vetch,
annual rye

For more info: Refer to EDIS pub “Organic

Vegetable Gardening in Florida.”
 Site Preparation
Solarize soil to manage nematodes:
• Work and moisten soil
• Cover soil with clear plastic or thermal-
infrared retentive film
• Seal plastic to prevent heat loss
• Soil temps of 95°-140°F (135°F ideal)
maintained to a depth of 4-12 inches
• Leave plastic on for at last 4-6 weeks –
the longer the better

Root-knot galls
 Garden Planning / Planting
• What can you plant?
• When can you plant?
• Garden type?
(ground, containers,
raised bed, etc.)
• Plant spacing and
arrangement?
• Seeds? Transplants?
Other?
• How to maximize
space?
 Garden Planning /Planting
What and When to plant?

• See the Florida

Vegetable Gardening
Guide (FVGG).
Provides:
- Planting dates for
every vegetable
- Recommended
varieties
- Amount of seed or
plants needed
- Plant spacing
…and much more!
 Garden Planning / Planting
What and When to Plant?
Warm Season Veggies
• Beans
• Corn
• Cucumbers
• Eggplant
• Okra
• Peppers
• Squash
• Tomatoes When are warm season
vegetables planted in your area?
 Garden Planning / Planting
What and When to Plant?

Cool Season Veggies

• Broccoli
• Cabbage
• Carrots
• Collards
• Kale
• Lettuce
• Onions
• Radish When are cool season vegetables
planted in your area?
 Garden Planning /Planting
How to plant?

Seeds or Transplants?
• Early or late start?
• How often is the
vegetable harvested?
Ex: radish (one time) vs.
peppers (many times)
• Staggered plantings?
• Transplantability?
 Garden Planning /Planting
Seeds or Transplants?
Transplantability from
non-containerized transplants
Easily Survive Require Care Difficult
Beet Carrot Bean
Cabbage Celery Corn
Eggplant Kohlrabi Cucurbits
Lettuce Onion Okra
Tomato Mustard Radish
Sweet potato Spinach Turnips
 Garden Planning /Planting
Starting with Seeds

• More choices for varieties

• Use fresh seed
• Seeds are often treated with
a fungicide; handle properly
• Choose pest resistant
varieties when possible.

Refer to the EDIS pub:

Seed Sources for Florida Homegrown Vegetables
 Garden Planning /Planting
Starting with Seeds

• V = Verticillium Wilt Disease

• F = Fusarium Wilt Disease
• N = Nematodes
• A = Alternaria Stem Canker
• T = Tobacco Mosaic Virus
• S = Grey Leaf Spot
• TSWV = Tomato Spotted Wilt
Virus
 VFN Resistant-

Rust Resistant
 Garden Planning /Planting
Starting with Seeds

Rules of Thumb
• Plant seed no deeper than
2x its size
• Plant thick
• Press tiny seeds into soil
• Keep seed bed moist
• Thin early
(see FVGG for spacing)
Thin seedlings early.
Crowding means
competition = poor
results
Garden Planning /Planting
Starting with Transplants
 Garden Planning /Planting
Starting with Transplants

Setting Containerized
Transplants
• 4-6 weeks old
• Do not disturb roots
• Set in moist soil
• Set at proper depths
• Water around roots
• Starter fertilizer helpful
 Garden Planning /Planting
Starting with Other plant parts

• Sprout or stem-cutting -
sweet potato
• Tuber pieces - potato
• Bulb - onion
• Entire fruit - chayote
• Clove - garlic
Garden Planning /Planting
How to maximize space?

Trellis: Provides
vertical growing
space. Place it on
the north side to
minimize shading.
Garden Planning / Planting
How to maximize space?
Wide Beds: Plant
in blocks instead
of rows.
Wide Row (Bed) Gardening

Use a rake to make

Sow the seed.
shallow furrows.

Rake lightly in the

Thin seedlings to
opposite direction
recommended
to cover seed.
spacing.
 Garden Planning / Planting
How to maximize space?
Interplant: Grow
two crops together.

Plant short- and long-season

vegetables together-Example:
carrots and radishes
 Garden Planning / Planting
How to maximize space?

Interplant: Grow two

crops together.

Plant tall and short vegetables together.

Example: Corn and lettuce
 Garden Planning / Planting
How to maximize space?

Staggered Plantings:
Plant every two
weeks to enjoy a
longer harvest
period.
 Garden Planning / Planting
Raised bed Gardening
• Advantages of raised bed gardening
– You create/purchase your growing media
(soil)
• Because the site soil might be too wet, to
compacted, or have soil borne pests including
nematodes
– No wasted space for walkways so they can
be more productive
– More efficient for watering and fertilizing
– Tidy for urban/suburban environments
– More accessible for planting maintenance
and harvest
• Good for children, older adults and those with
mobiltity concerns
 Garden Planning / Planting
Raised bed Gardening
• Length and size depends on the site
• No wider than 4 feet because of
reaching in
• Don’t step on the soil once it is planted
• Common size is 4 feet by 8 feet
Raised bed Gardening
 PART II
MAINTAINING A
VEGETABLE GARDEN
 Garden Maintenance

• Mulching
• Watering
• Fertilizing
• Weeding
• Pest Management
 Garden Maintenance
Organic Mulching
• Hay/Pine Straw
• Leaves
• Bark/Wood Chips
• Sawdust
• Peanut Hulls
Synthetic
• Plastic
• Newspaper
• Cardboard
• Landscape fabric
 Garden Maintenance
Mulching
Benefits
• Reduces weeds.
• Retains soil moisture.
• Moderates soil temperatures.
• Less fruit disease (no contact
with soil).
• Organic mulches improve soil
as they decay.
 Garden Maintenance
Watering

• Water early in the day.

• Frequency?
- It depends on weather, soil, and mulch
Young plants need 1”/week:
small amounts, applied frequently

Mature plants need 2”/week:

applied less often.
 Garden Maintenance:
Fertilizing

• Goal: keep water and fertilizer

in the root zone.
• Soluble nutrients quickly
available, but easily leached.
• Insoluble nutrients require
microbes, temperature,
and/or moisture to be
available.
Fertilizing: See FL Vegetable Gardening Guide
and Organic Vegetable Gardening in Florida
 Garden Maintenance:
Fertilizing

• Leafy crops (lettuce, cabbage,

etc.). Nitrogen is especially
importants (can apply
N fertilizers such as ammonium
nitrate
• Legumes (beans, peas). Typically
need less nitrogen than other
crops (N-fixing bacteria)
• Root and fruit crops.
Adequate potassium is
important as they develop fruit
or enlarging roots
 Garden Maintenance:
Weeding

• Cultivation (hoeing)
• Hand-pulling
• Mulch
• Don’t import weed seeds in
soil amendments
• Keep garden site weed-free
during off-season(s) to
eliminate weed seed bank
 Garden Maintenance:
Pest Problems
Biotic:
– Insects / Mites
– Diseases
– Nematodes
 Pest Management
No-pesticide Tips
• Follow recommended planting
dates.
• Rotate vegetable families.
• Choose pest-resistant varieties.
• Purchase healthy transplants.
• Do not overcrowd the plants.
• Keep plants growing vigorously.
• Monitor often to catch problems
early
• Harvest ripe fruits; remove
unproductive plants.
Use trap crops and encourage beneficial
insects
 Pest Management
Use Pesticides Wisely
• Use only when needed; not
routinely.
• Apply very late in the day to
protect bees.
• Spray the affected plant(s)
thoroughly.
• Follow label directions.
• Note days to harvest/ waiting
periods.
• Use least toxic products:
- Bt, Neem, Soap, etc.
 Garden Maintenance:
Abiotic Abiotic Problems
– Bolting
– Blossom drop
– Fruit set
– Blossom-end rot
 Keys to Success!
• Select a sunny, well-drained
site
• Improve the soil with organic
matter
• Timely plant and harvest to
avoid insect and disease
problems
(Use the Florida Vegetable
Gardening Guide!)
• Use varieties adapted to
Florida
• Provide care “as needed”
 Acknowledgements

• PowerPoint Vegetable
Gardening – Basic Training for
Florida Master Gardeners by
Jim Stephens and Sydney Park
Brown
• 2018 Version: Sydney Park
Brown
• Reviewer: Kate Rotindo, Urban
Horticulture Extension Agent,
UF/IFAS St. Lucie County
Extension