Moving to Lake Mary from where?

I'm coming from Long Island, NY. My mother has some beautiful plants. Hopefully I have inherited her green thumb.

The other important question- How expensive is this hobby?

Here is what I have noted on the expense side: as you get more and more into it (read "addicted"), items for your garden move from the "luxury" column to the "necessity" column. :)

Carol in Jacksonville

It does require time to tend to our gardens in this muggy, buggy environment. I found fall gardening to be more of a challenge than spring in that the bugs are worse at the end of summer, but my fall gardens were more productive in the end (thanks to no killing frost this year). I don't think its a ridiculous endeavor... I'm doing the same thing, and I keep investing more time and money doing it.

The only thing I have to say is the first thing you will find yourself running out of here is good dirt. Because of our sandy soil and nematodes, we generally have to amend pretty heavily here in Florida and I would say that most of us plant vegetables in either raised beds or pots.

I made the mistake of buying a bag of dirt here or there, never really having enough to work with. So then I would plant my new plants without enough amendments and then they'd fail to thrive.

This year I remedied last years mistake by just having a truckload of mushroom compost dropped off.

I found the most time consuming part of the year to be right when it starts to warm up but before it's started raining everyday. Without irrigation you pretty much end up watering everyday. So, I was spending an hour or so a day outside watering with a hose, and that got old fast. Now that it's raining everyday I have more time to do the fun parts, like transplanting stuff.

Additionally, find a good local nursery to buy from. They usually cost more, but I have never lost a plant I bought at my local nursery. I have lost TONS of plants purchased at the big box stores. I would be a lot further ahead never buying anything from the big box stores and just picking out things I really liked from the local nursery. Obviously there are some exceptions, like hard to pass up clearance perennials for $1, but, for the most part I would have been better off just shopping at the local nursery.

As a nebie also I can attest that the people here are some of the best around! I have gotten much help and assistance from them. From identifying what is in my yard to even seeds to start. Looking forward to the day I will get to meet some of them in person and see their gardens.

Let me be one of the first to welcome you to 'the neighborhood and happy gardening'.

Cindy

Hi
WOW 3 acres i struggle with my 35x75 foot grow area lol
i think what I'd do is move in assess your property and divide it into "USE" zones . Come up with an overall plan
and set priorities Obviously you'll have to deal with what is already there so that should be # 1 one. then "hardscape '
permanent structures such as patios ,fences, walls. This will be the most expensive and most difficult to change later . Then lay out what you want to grow where then you can plan for irrigation ,paths and so on..This will allow you to spread the cost,labor , over long periods while still moving toward your Ideal." make a list of what you want to accomplish and grow and what is neccessary to do that .
Good luck and welcome to florida!! gary

Thank you so much, everyone. We officially move down next month and I'll then be able to get a better grasp of the land. It's quite exciting.

when I was younger I wanted to be a farmer. of course, then, I wasnt aware of how difficult a life that is. now I'm going to be more than content with a few peppers.

I'm sure I'll have tons of questions to come.

Welcome to Florida. The best way to start gardening is only plant just a few different easy plants you would like to grow.in your garden. Once you learned the best way to grow those plants, then you can expand and try more. All of us have killed many many plants by starting too big at first without knowing what we need to do in Florida to have a great garden. Growing a garden in Florida is very different than any place else. Stick with it, ask questions, above all DON'T get discouraged. We all have failures (we just don't show those plants in our pictures)

Lou

I grow most of my veggies from seeds I get on the Seed Exchange here or a few that I buy and finally a few that I saved from my own plants. So much cheaper and disease and bug free. I always seem to buy the plants with bugs and diseases when I get them at the big box stores. No plant nurseries near me. We planted our veggies in a hugel for the first time.Unbelievable growth. Worth googling. Mostly compost, and yard waste. Gardening is the best part of my day. I lived in Florida since1989. We moved to Georgia in 2006. We are only 8 miles over the state line. Gardening in the same here. Nothing like home grown veggies. The store bought ones taste like plastic compared to them. You can grow something year round down here. Two different seasons. Cool weather crops for the fall and winter and warm weather crops for the spring and summer. Welcome to Florida and to Garden web!

Hi,
I live in Lake Mary, welcome! My big problem is deer. They eat nearly anything. I have found that the smell of fish emulsion keeps them away. I use it to fertilize and then a very diluted mixture for repellant. If you are a zone stretcher as I am, during the months of January and February, you will be covering some things with frost cloth or hauling in potted plants during colder nights. I have some plants that are subject to Nematodes, Golden Guardian Marigolds seem to deter them. There are some types of peaches that will grow here and some types of roses, but you have to research the varieties that do best here. Mangoes take a lot of extra care in this zone. But if you have a passion for gardening, you will be rewarded.