I’ve been prepping and planting fall gardens for the last couple of weeks.
Do a bit every day… and eventually it all gets done.
Rachel shot a few pictures of me in my fall garden planting transplants one fine fall evening this week:
That’s a Plasencia Reserva Organica I’m smoking.
Organic garden… organic cigar.
The seeds that we started in the greenhouse failed on us so I was forced to buy transplants this year. I’ll also be doing a lot of direct seeding of mustard, beets, carrots and other goodies.
That garden bed is a pretty sweet mix. It’s got dirt from the old chicken run, biochar, half-rotten compost, rabbit manure, peat moss (which I don’t like), vermiculite, peanut shells, bones, egg shells, chunks of wood, plus worm castings.
Eclectic!
I’m already looking forward to the cauliflower, broccoli, collards and cabbages we’ll be harvesting in a couple of months…
If you’re need vegetable planting inspiration for your fall garden, check out the list I posted recently.
So – what are you guys planting in your Florida fall garden?
11 responses to “Fall garden in Florida – planting time!”
What have we planted …. or what has actually come up? So far I only have sugar peas above ground, with maybe three turnip sprouts and one green onion peeking above the soil. I have thought about serenading the beds of dirt. Hubby has nixed the idea of singing "Please Grow for Me" to them (think the musical "Little Shop of Horrors")
Hehhehheh. Singing totally helps. Do it!
And you reminded me: I need to plant some turnips.
I've got bush-style green beans, collards, mustard greens, broccoli, butternut squash, spaghetti squash, and sweet potatoes all up out of the ground. (I just replanted the smaller sweet taters from my summer harvest for the heck of it and they're doing great.) I now have THREE longan seedling trees up about 3 inches, along with my first 3 ginger plants. Just planted snow peas, more broccoli, and a small test bed of lettuce and carrots. Once I get them popping out, I'll plant more every two weeks for 6 weeks so we don't run out through the winter. I still have about 6 or 8 papayas on one of my plants, plus a stalk of bananas filling out on a plant near the canal. Love growing food!
Wow… what an embarrassment of riches. Repeat planting is something I always tell myself I'm going to do, then I forget. It really maximizes yields and space.
At the moment, I have a strange collection in my garden. We had our third baby in March, so I was very lazy in the garden this past Spring and Summer.
Potatoes that over-summered in a raised bed suddenly sprouted when I weeded a month ago. I decided to let them grow and see what happens. Then I sowed some broccoli and cauliflower around them. Basil is growing wild around my rose. I let some mint go in the yard- glad I did, it's readily available for munching or tea.
For the first time, I am trying some pumpkins and hubbard squash- I planted them in some containers and set them in my swamp. (A low lying area near my shed.) Poor-man's self-watering containers! :) And then I have seeded some lettuces, mustards, carrots, radishes, broccoli and cauliflower in raised beds along with volunteer zinnias.
I can't wait for Spring- I plan to buy Mexican sunflowers, water-chestnuts, and Moringa cuttings if you have them.
We're in west Jacksonville, and I love your blog. It is exactly what I've been looking for. I set it as my homepage so I never miss a new post!
Thank you very much, Phyllis.
I like chaotic gardening. Who says basil and roses don't mix?
Good idea with using the swamp. You might also plant taro and malanga back there… they love moist/wet conditions. Hope that Hubbard grows for you – I've heard they're rather touchy in Florida. Butternuts, "Cheese" types and Seminole Pumpkin seem to work the best. If you get fruit, I want to hear your story.
Glad you found us. And congratulations on the new little one. We also had a baby this spring that completely trainwrecked the gardens. :)
I am determined to become the broccoli master this year. I planted 40 broccoli seedlings all over the yard- in mixed forest garden beds, under fruit trees, on the east side of the house next to the azaleas, and in nice weed-free raised beds.I've also planted purple cabbages, escarole, swiss chard, mustards, all kinds of stuff. I'm excited!
Goodness – sounds wonderful. Broccoli seem to really like a lot of nutrition and water to flourish. I put a bunch of rabbit manure in one bed this year and slow-release 10-10-10 in another. FOR SCIENCE!
Also – mustard is a highly underrated cooked green. I think it's quite superior to collards.
You look like planting Indiana Jones! :D