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What tips do you have for North Florida Gardeners?

12 years ago

What tips do you have for North Florida Gardeners?

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L_in_FL

12 years ago

last modified: 9 years ago

I am assuming this is intended for newcomers, mostly from places up North that have a different climate. With that in mind:

Overview: North Florida is kind of a "between" area. This area has a distinct winter with frosts and freezes every year, so true tropicals can't survive outdoors here. But the winter is too short and mild (and the summers too long, hot, and humid) for many deciduous plants. Nevertheless, there are many beautiful plants that thrive here and many different landscape styles are possible. Subtropical plants and hardy palms can be used to obtain a "tropical" look, or well-adapted deciduous shrubs and trees can be used to provide beautiful fall foliage displays.

Don't trust the big box stores to know what works well in this area. They often sell plants that can't take the heat/humidity or need more chill hours than this area receives. They also have a bad habit of selling citrus without clearly marking how much cold it can survive. (Only the most hardy types of citrus can be grown in-ground in North Florida.) Find a good LOCAL nursery or do your own research before buying plants.

A great place to do research is the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) website. It's a treasure trove of information for the home gardener. Recommended plant varieties, planting dates, care information, and troubleshooting information are all provided.

Soil: The "soil" in North Florida is mostly sandy, usually acid, and very low in nutrients and organic matter. It drains very quickly after rains, and the upper layers of the soil can be bone dry only a few days after heavy rainfall. The soil also tends to be infested with root-knot nematodes, which will weaken or kill plants that are not resistant.

It is possible to amend the soil by adding lots of organic matter, but the heat and heavy rainfall will quickly break down and leach out the organic matter. So, amending the soil has to be an ongoing process. For large areas, that can be a considerable effort and expense. Also, amending the soil will not eliminate the nematodes (there is no effective nematode-killer licensed for home gardeners). It is less effort and expense to plant nematode-resistant plants that are adapted to the soil and climate. Plants that require a fertile soil can be used as accents in containers or small beds where it's practical to maintain an organic soil. Nematode-susceptible plants can be grown in containers with no direct contact between the container soil and the ground.

Vegetable Gardening: In North Florida's it's easy to harvest fresh food from the vegetable garden 365 days a year, without the use of a greenhouse or even a cold frame. The only "tricks" are learning how to deal with our poor sandy soil and learning the correct planting times for each vegetable. Generally speaking, vegetables that can tolerate some frost are grown from fall through spring, and vegetables that are frost-tender are grown from March through November.

However, learning the correct planting dates for each vegetable is important. North Florida can have long periods of mild weather in the winter and early spring, then a sudden freeze. It's easy to be fooled into planting tender vegetables too early and then lose everything to a freeze. Also, some of the cool-season vegetables can be grown all through the winter, while others can only be grown in fall or spring. IFAS has a vegetable gardening guide (http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/vh021) that includes planting times, recommended varieties for each vegetable.

Most vegetables will not provide a good harvest if they are simply planted in the native soil. Fertilizers can provide nutrients, but they don't improve the water-holding capacity of the soil. It is helpful to heavily amend the soil with organic matter and compost, or plant vegetables in containers or raised beds filled with good soil. Mulching is very beneficial for many vegetables. Promptly removing diseased plants and rotating crops (to keep nematodes and diseases from building up in the soil) are critical.

Supplemental irrigation is usually necessary for vegetables, since North Florida tends to have long dry periods in fall through spring. While rains are usually frequent in summer, extended dry spells do occur. Drip irrigation or micro-irrigation are recommended, both to conserve water and to prevent wetting the foliage.

Even with good care, diseases and insects can cause problems, especially in the summer. Prevention is usually easier than curing when it comes to fungal diseases. The IFAS website is a good place to research potential problems and develop a strategy for preventing or managing them.

July and August are difficult months in the vegetable garden. Even experienced Florida gardeners often lose plants (especially cucumbers, tomatoes, and squash) in these months. Don't despair: the growing season is long enough to replant these crops for a fall harvest. (See IFAS for recommended planting dates.) The fall garden is often very productive and enjoyable, with pleasant weather, fewer bugs, and less disease pressure.

Edible Landscaping and Fruits: By planting a selection of fruit trees, bushes and plants, it's possible to harvest fresh fruit every season of the year. Just a few examples of North Florida fruits are strawberries and loquats in early spring, blueberries in late spring, apples, peaches, plums, grapes and blackberries in late spring and early summer, figs, pears, and pomegranates in summer and fall, persimmons in late fall, and citrus for the holiday season!

However, selecting the right varieties of fruits is extremely important. For example, most of the apples, peaches, pears, and plums sold in grocery stores will not thrive here because this area does not get enough winter chill. Low-chill varieties are necessary to be sure to get a crop. Even fruits that don't require winter chill need to be resistant or tolerant to certain diseases. Only the most cold-hardy citrus and subtropical fruits can survive North Florida winters.

Again, the IFAS website or a good LOCAL nursery can help in selecting the right varieties to thrive here. Also check with Just Fruits and Exotics (http://www.justfruitsandexotics.com/index.html) for recommendations, or talk to neighbors with fruit trees. How long they have had their tree(s)? Do they get a consistent crop? How do they care for them?

____________________________________________________________

I am not claiming by any stretch to be an expert - most of what I have learned is from years of killing plants. :-o But I felt that North Florida needed an overview. Feel free to use any of this or none of it.

If a real expert wants to post and tell me I am wrong about something, I am cool with that, too: at least I'll learn something that way.

Here is a link that might be useful: UF IFAS - Florida Garden Information Articles

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Comments (13)

zzackey
12 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Don't plant too early because the weather is so nice. Get your soil tested now so you can get your gardens fertilized correctly. You will save money and have a great garden if you know what you need to add to your soil. Be sure to follow the publication from the ag center on how to gather your soil for a test. Don't just do it willy-nilly. That won't be accurate.
pnbrown
12 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Plant pisum sativum cultivars now in 9a (inoculate, it's worth it!). Sow brassica and mustard family seeds. If you don't have hairy indigo for a cover crop, send me an email, I have ten acres of plants in seed.
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sweetolyve
8 years ago
Well, though technically correct in some things, I am successfully growing oranges, pears, and other things that aren't supposed to grow outside in NW Florida. Also my son has a thriving Apple tree in his yard, also in NW Florida. The soil here is definitely sandy so raised beds to contain your organic matter is probably best. But, the question was what tips for growing in greenhouses in this area. One thing I've been told us be careful of the nitrogen oh feed your plants. This will drain into the soil below and encurage strong roots of previously removed vegetation. I would grow your warm weather veggies that won't grow during the winter months.

Greenhouses are a very welcome luxury in this area because we can put our tender perennials or tropical fruit trees inside for protection. I am just getting started with my new greenhouse and plan to grow mushrooms, summer veggies, and herbs inside during the cold months. When the weather begins to turn spring-like I'll start my seeds in there and get a good head start on growing my summer garden. There are many avid gardeners here who grow tomatoes, peppers, etc... during the winter months.

Hopefully this will offer encouragement to others who want to venture worth into new territory.

Debbie...(0;

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dirtygardener73
8 years ago
How did you get to be in 10a in North Florida? I just moved up here about a year ago, and I will say that the best thing I did was find a group of local gardeners (you can find them on social media or by joining a garden club) and I learned most of what I know from them. I also helped a few of them with tropicals they were trying to grow, since I came here from SW Florida (10a). We can give you general advice, but finding local gardeners or at least a local garden center is your best bet.
dirtygardener73
8 years ago
I've seen people growing all sorts of citrus here in Gainesville, and I thought they wouldn't grow here either. Maybe not in the panhandle, but here in 9a N. Central, they do fine.
N FL gardener
6 years ago
I live in Gadsden County (panhandle) and have two enormous meyer lemon trees and 3 pink grapefruit trees that are so loaded with fruit that one of the grapefruit trees has split in half! I also have satsuma's which are now producing fruit. I have some pine tree coverage which may keep them from the worst frost but even this year with 20degrees, they are doing great.
(Jay/Jax FL/Zone 9a)
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
It depends on the citrus, satsuma oranges are supposed to be the most hardy and can be grown into parts of zone 8 but might need some sheltering. cumquats can be decently hardy too. Meyer lemons are up there but maybe not quite as hardy as those two.
Florida_Joe's_Z10a
6 years ago
I think you've got your hardiness zone wrong. There's no 10a zone in North Florida.
keraurduck
6 years ago
live in Pensacola and desperately want to achieve a tropical garden. I am presently working on a pond. the surface soil of the garden is pretty good, so in order to get rid of all the sand from the pond area, I dig out the "good" soil from some other areas and put first old leaves, then sand and then the "good" soil. thereby, I hope to effectively get rid of the sand, create a more "hilly" look in the back of the yard. this will make the back look a bit more interesting.

Where I plant, I use a mixture of existing "good" soil, manure, peat moss and perlite; this has been a successful soil mixture for anything and everything I plant.

Now I get to the plants, and here is where I need advice. I love palms and broadleaved plants, and red/pink flowers. Ferns, Brugmansia, all those tall red flowers. Elephant ears. Hosta. And after that, I don't know. Have some "diffenbachia" type plants that I want to use.

What else would you suggest? What kind of palms? I am at a loss. My most tropical plants like papaya, guava and frangipani, I keep in pots. Plan on building a mini greenhouse with a heater (when needed) for them for the winter.

Am I doing right? What other things can I do?

And... those pesky oak seedlings and root offshoots... I am planning on eradicating them (and some unwanted nandina) with brush killer.

I do have a watering system that I am planning to extend, three times a week.

is there a benefit to digging up yucky bog soil for ferns etc? plenty of wilderness around here, and am NOT going to hurt mother nature.
(Jay/Jax FL/Zone 9a)
6 years ago
@

keraurduck

For Northwest FL (zone 8ish)

For tropical gardens I recommend making evergreen hedges (or a wall) on the north side, just to increase the protection from winter winds.

I also recommend letting things get full and lush as that really enhances the tropical jungle sort of feel.

All of the following are definitely hardy in your zone and I have personal experience with almost all of them

Understory tree/large narrow shrubs:
- Red Buckeye (one of my favorite natives, leaves are large and give it a tropical look+ has red flowers)
- Florida Flame azalea
- many bananas and relatives are hardy for zone 8
- Coral Bean Erythrina herbacea there is the native one listed or the hybrid Bidwell's Coral Bean which has a longer bloom season. bright red and unique flowers (these love sandy soil)

Palms:
- Cabbage palm of course
- Sabal minor/Dwarf Palmetto (could function as a hedge/shrub "backbone" of a bed)
- Needle palm
- Butia/Pindo palm (edible golden fruit hardiest feather-type palm but silvery foliage might not match the theme)
- Mule palm (hybrid of Pindo and Queen) MIGHT be hardy but I'm not sure, it is definitely the hardiest green feather palm there is

Shrubs:

- Winter Cassia can get tree-like but most likely a shrub for you
- Hibiscus coccineus native Red swamp hibiscus
- dwarf figs, various for foliage interest. 'Brown Turkey' and 'Celeste' both do well here for me
- Red Florida Anise very cool plant, evergreen (not the edible star anise)
- Small-flower Anise 'Florida Sunshine' another native star anise, this one has more chartreuse foliage that brightens up a shade garden (not the edible star anise)

Perennials:

- Coontie cycad (absolute must IMO, prefer native sandy soil I think, adaptable to a lot of different light conditions)
- Red cardinal flower (needs a lot of moisture so good in a swampier spot)
- Spigelia marilandica (another native shade-lover, very unique red flowers)
- Salvia elegans, Pineapple sage. (edible red flowers in fall, lush and tall, benefits from some relief from sun during the day so dont put it in full exposure)
- Salvia blepharophylla shorter red-colored shady sage
- Salvia miniata another red-colored shorter shady sage
- Cannas of course
- Cuphea 'Vermillionaire', Cuphea 'David Verity', Cuphea micropetala
- for ferns stick to native species as most others in cultivation are for northern zones or are invasive (like the tuberous sword fern). Christmas fern is evergreen
-Hedychium coccineum (shade)

Vines:
- Manettia cordifolia, Firecracker vine

- Red trumpet honeysuckle, Lonicera sempervirens a native evergreen vine. 'Magnifica' (orange) and 'Major Wheeler' are popular selections'. not aggressive
- Carolina Jessamine, evergreen with very lush-looking foliage but a bit bigger than the other vines

Two other plants I am unsure about for your zone but love are Firebush and Red Firespike, they might work if sheltered from north winds as I hear some people growing them in zone 8b.

Lastly be careful about Elephant ears, many are very invasive. There is the clumping Hawaii series that is less invasive if you must have one. I really like 'Blue Hawaii'.
Florida_Joe's_Z10a
6 years ago
Keraurduck, have you tried the Tropicalesque Gardens forum? It's for creating tropical gardens outside the tropics. I would also try the Gulf Coast Gardening forum, just from a quick glance I see several members in your area there.
sweetolyve
6 years ago
Also, since you live in Pensacola, have you shopped at Pensacola Seed & Garden on Mobile Highway? That guy has been around for a long time and is a wealth of knowledge for this area. Hopefully this helps somewhat.

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