South Florida Planting Guide
For a great interactive guide from Mother Earth News, click here.
From Tom MacCubbin's The Edible Landscape, now out of print, but occasionally found used at online bookstores. To purchase a copy, new or used, through the My Edible Yard aStore, click here.
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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Asparagus 10-15
Beans, Lima
- Bush 40
- Pole 20
- Bush 50
- Pole 20
Broccoli 3-5
Brussels Sprouts 2-5
Cabbage 3-4
Cantaloupe 6
Carrots 60-70
Cauliflower 4-6
Celery 8-10
Chinese Cabbage 6-10
Collards 8-10
Corn 15-20
Cucumbers 3-4
Eggplant 2-3
Endive/Escarole 8-10
Kale 10-12
Kohlrabi 10-15
Lettuce 10-12
Mustard Greens 15-20
Okra 8-12
Onions
- For Eating Fresh 15
- For Storing 20
Peanuts 5-10
Peas, English 60-70
Peas, Southern 15-20
Peppers 3-5
Potatoes 20-30
Potatoes, Sweet 5-10
Pumpkin 2-4
Radishes 35-50
Radishes, Winter 15-20
Rhubarb 2-3
Spinach 30-40
Squash, Summer 4-6
Squash, Winter 4-6
Strawberries 20-25
Swiss Chard 6-8
Tomatoes
- For Eating Fresh 3-5
- For Processing 5-10
Watermelon 2-4 Read more...
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