My Edible Yard: South Florida Planting Guide for April

Though it's a bit late in April to be providing it, I thought it might be a good idea to put this information out there on a monthly basis for newbies starting their own Victory Gardens, urban homesteads, and organic front yard and back yard gardens. I've taken the information from Tom MacCubbin's, The Edible Landscape, which is now out of print.

South Florida Vegetable Planting Guide* and Gardening Tasks:  April

• Plant beans (Shelling: Bush 40, Pole 20; Snap: Bush 50, Pole 20), cantaloupes (6), cherry tomatoes, cucumbers (3-4), eggplant (2-3), okra (8-12), peppers (3-5), squash (4-6), Southern peas (15-20), sweet potatoes (5-10), 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.

*The number in parentheses denotes how many plants should be planted per person for sustainability.

Let me know if you'd like me to continue this. I'll do it on a monthly basis at the beginning of every month.

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My Edible Yard: Front Yard Garden Update

We have been so busy working on a multitude of things in the yard (not to mention working our regular jobs) that I am not keeping up with my blog posting. I apologize. Here's a quick update on what's going on with our urban homesteading endeavors.

The front yard: I'm excited to say we've finally started it. My wonderful husband has ripped up all the grass, we've installed six 3' x 8' cedar raised beds with 4 more beds to install, pavers have been laid around the beds so that I have paths in between them, and I've planted 60 or so butterfly-attracting, drought-tolerant flowers in the empty soil spots.

My Edible Yard Front Yard Garden

Julie Mango in Talavera Planter

First attempt at Olla irrigation

Lantana, Verbena, Marigolds, etc.

We're getting there. I haven't been able to finish filling the beds with soil and get to planting them yet because of all the rain, but hopefully by this weekend I'll be able to get planting. Beside the Julie mango, I've got a peach tree ready to go, 2 grape vines that will put up on an arbor/pergola, 4 blueberries and 4 raspberries. These will be in addition to the 10 veggie beds so that we hopefully have a decent selection of fruit.

The other big addition to the My Edible Yard urban homestead is our backyard chickens. We took the plunge and dove right in. So far, so good. The girls are a major source of amusement. Quiet and friendly, my experience so far is that they are easier to take care of than the usual household pet. They're young and won't start laying eggs for another 8-10 weeks.

From Left: Ilana, Peninah, Avigal, Shoshanah

Hunting for bugs and eating grass and weeds

Munching on fresh collard greens from the garden

I've been feeding them scraps from meals, fresh greens and other veggies from the garden (they love cauliflower!) and have been supplementing with an organic soy-free grain feed. They already have their favorite spots on their side of the yard and, thankfully, the puppies are not bothering them.

So that's it for now. Unfortunately, I've got to get working this morning. I'll post soon about our experience with olla irrigation, more on the chickens and our progress with the front yard garden.

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