How To Grow Vegetables In Florida

You may wonder if living in Florida will afford you the opportunity to grow a vegetable garden. The weather is great the whole year through. There’s plenty of rain with a balance of sunshine that makes growing conditions favorable. The best part is you can grow in the fall and winter in Florida, where in other parts of the country, the growing season halts by then.

First, you’ll need to decide how much time and energy that you want to put into your garden. Do you want to spend time indoors or more time outdoors? If you’re planting in the warmer months, you may consider an indoor vegetable garden that allows you the comforts of air conditioning and the benefits of growing your own vegetables. 

Different types of gardens require different commitments from many hours outside composting, weeding, and fighting pests to simple daily watering. You’ll also need to decide how much food you actually want to grow. If you’re just starting out, you may want to start small and work your way up from season to season. 

Indoor Vegetables

As mentioned above, all gardening in Florida doesn’t have to be outdoors just because the weather is generally decent. There are many types of vegetables that thrive indoors in Florida. The trick is that you start your garden indoors during the hot months of the year and then transfer your growing buds outdoors once the weather is cooler for them to thrive. This way neither you or your plants are baking int he hot Florida sun. 

The Best Vegetables To Start Indoors

Tomatoes

Peppers

Broccoli

Cauliflower

Cabbage

What You Need For Indoor Growing

Seed trays

Seed start potting soil

Seeds

Small pots for transfer

This is everything that you need to start your seedlings to give them the best chance of growing well. 

When Should You Plant Outside?

To know when is a good time to plant (if you are buying ready to go sprouts from the store at a higher price) or transfer your garden outdoors, check the temperature of the soil. Many plants still struggle if the temperatures are into the 90’s during the day. As you know it can take some time in Florida for the temperatures to cool down a bit. You can take the temperature of your soil with a meat thermometer from your kitchen. You really don‘t need anything special. If the temperature of the soil registers above 85 degrees, your plants may struggle if you plant them. Some plants do better in the heat than others. 

Warmer weather vegetables:

Peppers

Tomatoes

Beans 

Cucumbers

Cooler weather vegetables:

Broccoli

Cabbage

Kale

Another advantage in planting when the temperatures are cooler is that pests tend to be less of a problem. 

Not all vegetables are suited to grow well in the Florida climate. There are certain vegetables that do better. These include:

Tomatoes

Cabbage

Kohlrabi

Peppers

Broccoli

Cauliflower

Radishes

Green beans

Peas

Kale

Lettuce

Carrots

Various herbs

If you’re new to gardening in Florida, just heed some of the above tips. It’s possible to grow a great crop for your family just by following a few simple gardening guidelines along with keeping the Florida weather and climate in mind. Happy Gardening!