Before you head anywhere , read the UF website - solutionsforyourlife.com .
Utilize their search engine for topic links .
By flipping words around or using different terms you will find a wealth of info tailored for Florida and your specific area .
This is not the be all /end all of sites but is a good starting place .
If you like an author you can often find links to other research written by the same person .
USF and Dr. Malcom Manners also have written very , very good info about Florida gardening .
Cucurbits ( squash and zucchini, pumpkins, watermelon, cantaloupe) can be difficult to grow without problems .
While searching for info on that , I stumbled upon the link below .
Interesting .
Good luck with your SWC and square foot gardening . Keep us posted on your experiences .

Here is a link that might be useful: Florida Foundation Seed Producers, Inc.

Thank you for the info, I'll check it out!

Advice from a relatively new gardener: grow arugula. It's much hardier down here than a lot of lettuce varieties, and lasts longer into the hot season, though it does get pretty spicy in May for me (I'm in 10b, in Miami.) I've also succeeded with cucumbers in the center of a tepee of hyacinth beans. Only way I've gotten cukes down here. Good luck. Sounds like you've got a lot of work and a lot of fun ahead of you. I've never managed to grow a single squash or zucchini I'm afraid, but there are others here who have succeeded with those.

I grew squash this fall and they do take up a lot of room. The butternut not so much 'cause it was on a trellis, but the yellow squash took up a good portion of my (8' x 4')square foot garden.

I hate to be the one to bring up the "N" word, but nematodes will probably be your first and worst concern. If you are in Fl and you have a sandy soil they are just waiting for you to put some tender roots in the ground. Put in lots of organic amendments and plant nematode resistant plants. I planted French marigolds among my veggie plants in one bed this fall, but I haven't determined how effective they were yet. It's too darn cold.
good luck, john

yes pay attention to nematodes when building the square foot garden, put cardboard or thick newspaper at the bottom to slow them down for a year or 2.
they are sneaky and can even get into pots from the drain hole.

or buying nematode resistant plants would help.

Denise

Well, the SFG and SWCs will all be placed on concrete. We have a huge expanse of concrete on one side of our house (the previous owner ran a taxi company out of the house). Its great because we build and race cars, so we have plenty of room to store and work on them. We do still have plenty of yard, but most of it is shaded, so I'm doing the containers on the side of the house that has the most sun and it happens to be paved. So I'd imagine that would make a difference on the Nematodes. I'm starting some seeds this week, and my parents will be down MLK weekend to help me build the containers... I'm hoping to get an early start on some of the things that can't take our heat. Plus, the 5 gallon SWCs should be movable if needed so I can protect them if it gets too cold.

I will also be companion planting as much as possible with the SFG so I can use the least amount of chemicals for pest control etc.

Thanks for all the responses!