Busy Winter Gardening in South Florida

In most parts of the country, winter is the time for preparing for spring planting. Not so for south Florida gardeners. We're busy planting and planning. I just received my used copy of Tom MacCubbin's The Edible Landscape and here's what he says about what vegetables to plant when in south Florida:

January

• Beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, collards, lettuce, mustards, peas, potatoes, radishes and turnips. Fertilize every 3-4 weeks.
• Anise, cardamom, catnip, chives, comfrey, coriander, fennel, horehound, mint, parsley, rosemary, sage and thyme.
• At mid-month, sow cucumber, eggplant, pepper, squash and tomato seeds indoors to have transplants ready by March.
• Plant cold-tolerant fruit trees, shrubs and vines as they become available at garden centers.
• Florida spring begins in February, so start looking through seed catalogs and order.

February

• Make final plantings of cool-season vegetables (January) early in the month.
• By the end of the month, begin planting warm-season crops, i.e. beans, cantaloupes, corn, cucumbers, peppers, squash, tomatoes and watermelons.
• Fill in gaps in the herb garden.
• Start seeds of tomatoes, eggplant and peppers indoors to have transplants ready in 6-8 weeks.
• Plant apples, blackberries, blueberries, figs, grapes, peaches and pears.
• Prune fruit trees.
• Add a 2-3 inch layer of mulch to spring gardens.

March

• Plan for a long, productive season by making early plantings of corn, peppers, tomatoes and watermelons.
• Plant beans, cantaloupes, cucumbers, eggplant, okra, Southern peas and squash.
• Fertilize young plants every 2-3 weeks and those plants nearing harvest every 3-4 weeks.
• Sprout sweet potatoes to serve as transplants later in the spring.
• Plant more herbs.
• Plant papayas.

April

• Plant beans, cantaloupes, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplant, okra, peppers, squash, Southern peas, sweet potatoes, calabazas, chayotes, yard-long beans and other tropical crops.
• Plant anise, basil, chives, dill, borage, oregano, mint, rosemary, sage, savory, sweet marjoram and thyme.
• Trim banana foliage and fertilize monthly.
• Fertilize trees, shrubs and vines planted earlier.
• Fertilize container gardens weekly.

May

• Plant lima beans, snap beans, collards, and summer spinach. Continue planting heat-tolerant veggies such as calabazas, chayotes, yard-long beans, okra, Southern peas, sweet potatoes, cherry tomatoes and tropical crops.
• Plant basil, chives, dill, sage, savory, sweet marjoram, mint and thyme.
• Cover developing papaya fruit with paper bags to protect from fruit flies.

June

• Plant summer veggies - okra, Southern peas, sweet potatoes and cherry tomatoes.
• Plant boniato, calabaza, dasheen, roselle, sweet cassava, yard-long beans and yautias (what the heck is a yautia?)
• Cut back blueberry bushes. Cut blackberries to the ground after fruiting.

July

• Plant calabaza, cherry tomatoes, okra, pumpkins,Southern peas, sweet potatoes and yard-long beans.
• Plant basil, chives, dill, mint, oregano and sweet marjoram.
• Mid-month, sow eggplant, pepper and tomato seeds to have transplants for late August.
• Harvest early avocados and mangoes.

August

• Sow watermelon seeds by the 10th. Wait until mid-month to plant beans, broccoli, celery, collards, corn, cucumbers, eggplant, onions, peppers, squash and tomatoes.
• Plant basil, chives, dill, mint, oregano and sweet marjoram.
• Pears should be ripening - pick early to avoid rot and browning.
• Harvest winter-chilled pineapples.
• Sow vegetable and herb seeds for fall transplants.

September

• By mid-month, complete plantings of beans, cucumbers, eggplant, peppers, squash and tomatoes.
• At end of month, plant broccoli, cabbage, celery, collards, onions and turnips.
• Start seeds for brussel sprouts, cauliflower, celery, lettuce and onion.
• Plant anise, borage, cilantro, fennel, lavender, rosemary, mint, sage, sweet marjoram and thyme.
• Prepare strawberry beds for planting.
• Fat, plump sweet potatoes should be harvested.
• Persimmons should be ripening and ready for harvest.
• Start more seeds for cool-season planting.

October

• Plant beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, collards, kohlrabi, lettuce, mustards, onions, peas, radishes, spinach and turnips.
• Start transplants of brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, collards, lettuce and onions.
• Plant strawberries.
• Plant anise, borage, chives, coriander, fennel, garlic, lavender, mint, rosemary, sage, sweet marjoram and thyme.
• Harvest papayas, sweet potatoes, chayotes, cocoyams and dasheens. Harvest pecans when when husks begin to open.

November

• After harvesting the end of the warm-season veggies, start planting beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, collards, kohlrabi, lettuce, mustards, onions, peas, radishes, rutabagas, spinach, Swiss chard and turnips.
• Plant anise, chives, cilantro, dill, fennel, garlic lavender, rosemary, sage, sweet marjoram and thyme.
• Harvest sweet potatoes, chayotes, cocoyams and dasheens.
• Start picking ripening citrus - pick only what is needed; leave the rest on the tree.
• Sow cool-season veggies and papaya seeds.

December

• Plant beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, collards, lettuce, mustards, onions, peas, radishes, spinach and turnips.
• Plant anise, chives, comfrey, cilantro, dill, fennel, garlic parsley, mint, thyme and sage.
• Harvest more citrus.

Whew! I'm thinking we need to relocate up north.