Hi Tommy

I already started my tomatoes because that is very important to have transplants in the fall. I still have peppers in the raised beds but I probably start a few more for containers.
Have all your cold season veggies ready to either start them in cups like the cole crops or direct seed like carrots and beets, for planting the cold season crops it is important to wait till the weathers gets cooler, less problems with bugs and nematodes.
If you like collards, Swiss chard and kale, you can start them in a shady area of the garden to be transplanted later.
I will wait till it gets cooler to direct seed lettuce and spinach. On the varieties for fall it is better to choose short days varieties especially if we want to grow winter squash, we don't want to get hit with the cold weather.
This month we should all be very busy cleaning the garden from the old tomatoes, fixing and amending the beds, getting ready the container soil for tomatoes, checking the seeds and what we need, growing the new tomato transplants (important) Rainy season is great for planning.:)

Silvia

I started my eggplant seeds last week. So I should be getting my tomatoes going soon? I still have tomatoes ripening

Minderella,
For us in zone 9, when our spring planted tomatoes are still ripening but the lower leaves and branches on the tomato plants are in rapid decline, getting yellow and drying up, that's a good sign of when to start your tomato seeds for the fall crop. I find that the plants are a better signal than just the same exact date every year. Let your plants talk to you, and you have to learn how to listen to them with your eyes.

Lou

You guys and ladies never have a problem with tylcv leap frogging from one crop to the next? My tomatoes always get the virus so I try to give a little dieing off period before I have the next crop coming out of the ground. Course I always transplant my stuff when it is real small and young so I never have plants growing in a pot or cup for very long. I really only plant in cups because it is easier to control things like moisture and sun exposure and to get the number of plants that I'm hoping for. Most stuff I direct seed.

thanks for all the info on starting seeds !I plant my new seedlings in fresh compost in contaners every season Thank's Tommy

My eggplant is in the ground and still going, got two so far and it's blossoming again. I'll be planting a few okra seeds tomorrow in ground and starting seeds of various tomatoes and peppers for the transplanting to the fall garden. Got all the supplies and plan ready, just have to do it.

I looked over my posting and it should have said( want to plant like Silvia) and i am not far from you Silvia and i have not gotten much rain .also planting tomatoes ,bell peppers and eggplant in the next day or two.
Thank's again for the good addvice

I'm planting:
Pole Beans
Sweet Corn
Peppers
Pumpkin (jack o lantern and pie)
Squash (Spaghetti)
Watermelon
Broccoli
Celery
Collards
Bunching Onions

Here is a link that might be useful: My blog on Florida Veggie/Fruit growing

Tommy, I am getting rain almost every afternoon, I hope that you are getting some, we really need it. I recently planted red noodle yard long beans and the black jungle butterbeans and they are flowering now, soon it is going to be time to harvest the sweet potatoes and peanuts.

If you use spinosad or serenade, it is available now in the feed store in Winter Garden, she was nice ordering for me.

Silvia

Hey you guys... I have never done tomatos in planters before, so what is the best thing to do with the soil from the finished toms, should i amended for the next batch,
Carmen

I'm confused - you're planting your tomatoes in the fall? Are they going to be ripe before we get any freezes?

Matt,
We start our tomatoes now for the fall harvest before the frosts hit.
Most of us will collect and use green tomatoes if the frosts come early.

Lou

good to hear the WG feed store is stocking that now. i planted some tomatoes today just befor the rains hit.
I plant in contaners also and use soil from last season for other than vegetables and use mushroom compost to replant in and I have hoop house i put my cold sensitive plants in

What about annuals? I accidentally choose pot marigolds instead of marigolds and started them recently - but it made me think - why not get some great plants ready that you can't easily buy from the box stores? So what else would be a good choice? Does anyone else do this?

You zone 9'ers-- lucky ducks! You can expect cold weather and a good veggie season much sooner than we can!
I live in 10b and I don't want to miss my tomato-starting window. When should I start my seedlings?
Also, I just read on the garden web tomato seed starting FAQ that the seedlings will need lots of direct light right away or they will get leggy. How can I give them enough direct light without putting them outside (not like it's sunny anyways!) where they would get too warm?
Any help would be most appreciated!

I live in 10b and I don't want to miss my tomato-starting window. When should I start my seedlings?

I'm 10A and start my tomato seed 7/15 for a 9/1 set, always a risk that early due to hurricanes and rain but any later than 8/1 -> 9/15 and you'll be too late for good seasonal growth.

...seedlings will need lots of direct light right away or they will get leggy.

True but if you put then in the Florida direct sun right away they will fry and die. I start mine inside under lights for three weeks, then move them outside in the shade for a weekend, then into morning sun and afternoon shade (east side of house) for three weeks, then onto the garden. Silvia and others will come along soon for advice without the use of lights.

Tom

Here are my seedlings started for the fall season, they get morning sun and in the afternoon they go in the porch were they are away from the full sun and rain.

Silvia

What 'mater seeds are you-all planting ? thanx, sally

I'm Re-planting my success stories from the spring container garden:

Tolsoi....egg sized, first to harvest, prolific
Pineapple....when ripe red skin yellow fruit, great taste
Tomande....an "ugly" tomato, tastey
Rutgers....suprise classic, good producer
Beefsteak....another classic good tasting and producer
Super Sweet 100....a sweet cherry

New for this Fall garden:

Seeds from OrganicElizabeth....." Santorini "

Store bought: Cherokee Purple and Black Krim

doug

I'll try some new ones but my mainstay's are; Beefmaster, Big Beef, Sweet Chelsea, Husky Cherry Red, Sweet Treats, Dr. Carolyn and Black Cherry. Think I'll add some Rutgers again too, I don't usually grow determinates but they are good producers, hardy and tasteful.

Tom

Hi Everyone,

Today I transplanted tomatoes to containers. In this heat it took 5 weeks from the time I planted seed to time to transplant.

I'm trying some determinates that are suppose to set blossoms in the hot weather. They are located on the east side of my house. They only get the morning sun.

Luther

Got my fingers crossed for you Luther. I started some Solar Fire seeds 6/18, just potted them up this past Sunday and will move them into their final containers 7/31 and into the Zone 10 shade. We'll see if they can survive my coastal humidity and bugs long enough to produce fruit by October...I'll start my main crop indeterminate seeds this weekend and if all goes well will have fruit in November.

Tom

Silvia, just saw your pics, Big Brother blocks PB from work...marvelous darling, simply marvelous! ;-)

Tom

Hi Luther, let us know how you do with the tomatoes and the varieties planted.

Thank you Tom. Louie, the other Oakland gardener was here last Saturday, he told me he clean up almost all his crops, he only left the peanuts and the black jungle butterbeans, he said they are heavily producing for him. He also saw the tomatoes started and I gave him some avocados which he said he loves them! He said he will never plant corn again, he gave me some corn when he harvested and it was good.
I also showed him the red noodle yard long beans because he never seen them before. He likes the fig tree, sent him with the star fruit and he said what was that?lol.

Silvia

Silvia, I'm glad Louie is seeking you're advice. He's such a nice guy and will learn a lot from you...knowledge equates directly with success ;-)

Tom

Hi, the determinates plants are Solar Set and Bella Rosa. Will let you know if they make.

My fall/winter tomatoes are Beefmaster, Big Beef, Neves Azorean Red and Kelloggs Breakfast. The seed came up two days ago. If they are planted too early the first blossoms will fall off. That is the experience I have had in the past.

Happy gardening to all,

Luther

Is anyone as far north as I am (near Jax) and grows fall tomatoes and gets them to ripen in time?

I just started my seeds today, I hope it's not too late. I started cherry tomatoes, pole beans, parsley, basil, onions, jalapeno peppers and some other hot peppers seeds I saved. I'm on zone 9b coastal. I think it'll be ok, plus I plan on putting almost all of them in containers so I can move them if I get an early freeze. This is my first year started veggies from seeds in Florida, in fact anywhere. I've always bought seedlings before. But this is also my first time growing veggies in Florida at all, just moved here. I am growing sweet potatoes and peanuts though, since the begin. of summer. They are doing great, in fact taking over the place, so much that I don't have any place to plant anything else, hence the containers.

Hi Mangomara

Welcome to the forum!

On your list of starting plants in my zone I start tomatoes and peppers, when ready to transplant the tomatoes I will be direct seeding beans. I wait till is colder to start parsley and onions. Basil I start in spring.
Good to know your sweet potatoes and peanuts are doing good, they are ones of the easiest crops to grow and if you save some can enjoy all year round.
Good luck with all your veggies!

Silvia

Hi MM,

Silvia's right, not sure where you are in coastal Zone 9 but most likely you're WAY too early for pole beans and parsley, not sure about the onions since you're starting them from seed, here we usually buy short day sets in bunches of 60 in November or December and plant them then. I don't grow Basil but if Silvia says it's a spring herb you can take it to the bank!

Tom

Hi Tom

Here is my basil planted in spring, it last a long time till the freezes come.

And my recently planted callaloo from Jamaica, thanks to Maxine who brought me some seeds

Silvia

oops. well, I guess it's a learning experience, lol. At least my mistake comes with the cost of seeds instead of seedlings. I didn't use the whole packets so I have some more left to start in spring for the herbs. The beans, well I guess I'm just going to let them grow if they will. I don't even really have room to grow beans I just thought it might be fun to try them, plus my 4 year old really really wanted a beanstalk!

mangomara,
Plant a sword bean. It makes a great beanstalk for a kid.
The beanstalk will climb up higher than a power pole is tall.
If you have a flagpole, plant it next to that.

Lou

I'm way behind thanks to a hectic Summer full of classes and really hoping I don't fail miserably for the Fall planting because of it. I just started seeds for all of the following and since it's a first time for me and I'm running late on some, praying they work out.

Muskmelon - Edisto 47
Watermelon - Crimson Sweet
Watermelon - Sugar Baby
Eggplant - Black Beauty
Corn - Sweet - Silver Queen
Pepper - Cajun Belle Hybrid
Pepper - Hungarian Wax
Pepper - Blushing Beauty Hybrid
Pepper - Jalapeno M
Pepper - Long Red Slim Cayenne
Pepper - Serrano
Pepper - Early Sunsation Hybrid
Cherry Tomato - Super Sweet 100
Cherry Tomato - Sweet Million
Tomato - Solar Fire
Tomato - BHN 640
Tomato - First Prize
Tomato - Ball's beefsteak
Tomato - Beefmaster
Tomato - Super Beefsteak
Lima (bush) Bean - Fordhook 242
Snap (pole) Bean - McCaslan
Southern Pea - Mississippi Silver
Brocolli - Waltham 29

And I'm debating on starting the lettuce.. have some Tom Thumb and Capitan Bibb Butterhead type