Hi. Welcome to Florida! Yes, our gardening seasons are the opposite of up north, especially S. Florida. It looks to me like you're probably in Central Florida so it's a bit different from the southern part, but very different from Virginia.

Here in S. Florida we start our seeds in late August, September and put in small plants the end of September and October for a harvest from January through early May. After that, it's just too hot and humid for most vegetables. In Central Florida you can still get some cold weather so most vegetables should be harvested by December. I think you can successfully grow most of them throughout the summer months, with limited shade. Strange thing is, you guys often get higher temps than we do in S. Florida and just as much humidity. But I think your temps cool down in the fall more quickly.

Regarding containers, it's best to choose 5 to 7 gallon ones and fill them with a good potting mixture suitable for container veggies. Be sure to drill several holes in the bottom for drainage. Some of the folks on here can recommend some home made concoctions. I use a fairly simple one of potting soil, Jungle Growth or Miracle Gro potting mix, perlite and/or peat, and a sprinkling of vegetable fertilizer or the organic type. You'll want to use more of the potting mixtures than the perlite and peat. Sometimes I'll mix mushroom compost and pine bark fines into the mixture for acid loving veggies and blueberries. Every two or three weeks I'll put a solution of Miracle Gro or the K-Mart brand on the vegetables, especially the tomatoes. Use one tablespoon per gallon of water. I've lived here since 1959 and have usually had good success with vegetable planting. Keep the soils moist but not soaking wet.

I plant my tomatoes deeply into the soil in the containers or in the ground, usually removing the bottom 2 or 3 leaves first. Stake them with cages or tall wooden stakes.

Any further questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Happy gardening,

Sheri :-)

tomatoes - lots of roots, need support but won't attach themselves to it. I prefer a surround support (hoop stake, cage) instead of a pole stake, but how one stakes a tomato is a choice dependent upon variables like aesthetics, budget, past experiences, personal preference, etc...

lettuce - short, upright, shallow roots. You will access this often, so you'll want it within easy reach. The more surface area in your container, the more lettuce you can grow.

pumpkins and cucs - "rampant" vine that will attach itself to supports and surrounding plants, anything it can wrap its' tendrils around. Lots of roots.

onions - upright sword-like leaves, usually harvested as a crop all at the same time. Needs outward and downward space to expand.

strawberries - ground-hugging plants that grow out instead of up, the more surface area, the better. Like figs, they mostly ripen as a crop for a short time period.

peppers - upright, like small shrubs but the branches can get too heavy to hold themselves up. Can benefit from a smaller hoop stake. Will produce for a long period of time, like tomatoes.

Containers with plants not attached to supports can be moved around, which is an advantage as shadows change, plants are shorter or taller than expected, harvest ends. You'll probably move them occasionally.

Thanks for the advice! I am actually in Carrollwood/Forest Hills area. I hear that we are considered South Florida though there is currently a debate? Based on my location, should I plan to harvest after December?

....I am actually in Carrollwood/Forest Hills area. I hear that we are considered South Florida though there is currently a debate?

Nope, no debate, you're 9B. You get several frosts each year if not a freeze, definitely not Zone 10.

Tom

I would say December is about the right time to harvest in your zone. Some lettuces could probably go a big longer, as you know they like cool to very cool weather.

Let us know how the gardening goes.

Sheri

Wonderful, thanks! I have my list finalized thanks to all of you and plan to start today (unless the rain comes!). I will post pics as things develop.

So I started my veggie container garden over the weekend. I was only able to get my hands on a few of the veggies I want...three different nurseries were not yet selling veggies in my area. I reluctantly ended up at Lowe's garden center. The link below shows my work so far and I'm welcoming feedback.

I was able to get cucs, strawberries, red and orange bell peppers, yellow pear tomatoes, and romaine and buttercrisp lettuce. I put the cucs and tomatoes in the bigger buckets (yellow and bright green containers on ends) to allow for deep root growth and room for trellis support. The peppers are in medium-sized containers (black containers on top and bottom rows), still large enough to allow for root growth. The romaine lettuce is in the clear plastic bin (buttercrisp hasn't been planted yet).

The other pots contain previously planted basil, some parsley, and flowers that I haven't planted yet.

I did use an organic veggie potting mixture that contained ingredients such as peat moss, vermiculite, etc but it was pre-mixed. I added mulch to this mixture at the advice I read on other posts (i.e., to help with compacting). I then layered mulch on top. All container bottoms have holes.

I hope to add onions, pumpkins, and carrots at some point (I created a separate forum about this). I bought seeds for these but am also going to keep my eye out for seedlings once they are available at nurseries.

Feel free to critique!

http://s1128.photobucket.com/albums/m499/blankmd/

Lets post some of your pictures for others to see ;-)

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WHERE are you? Zone 9 isn't enuf info to tell us what climate you may be dealing with....I'm more than a little concerned about the size of many of your containers and that fact that they will either hold too much water or absorb too much heat to be successful if, as it appears, they are mostly in direct sun through out the day.... Also, the dyed cypress mulch for edibles....On a positive note, the setup looks great ;-)

If you want to be successful with container soils please study this post.

Tom

It is cute. It looks like they are waiting for a high school football game to start. I don't know why I keep anthropomorphising these container set ups. I think I'm cracking up. I did just get a good idea for a cofee table book though.

I would set the tomato on the ground next to the fence to secure it and prevent it from shading the other sun loving plants. Yellow pear is a very tall plant. Ditto on the cucumber. The lettuce will need more shade than the other plants so put it somewhere where the other plants will shade it. When you plant the pumpkin keep in mind they have very large vines. Also when you plant the carrots they will need a very deep container, but it can be skinny. Have fun with your new garden!

Hi all! Thanks for the advice so far.

I am located in Carrollwood/Forest Hills. I do plant to move the pots around once they start growing. For instance, I have cages for the cucs and tomatoes. I also plan to put the taller plants on the ground or bottom row once they start growing for the reason you mention (to avoid them overshadowing the others).

Tom -- which containers worry you? I choose them based on the advice of others :( I wanted the tomatoes and cucs to have a large enough container to for deeper roots and to fit a small cage for support. I was also told that the lettuce would work in many containers, preferrably ones that would allow for expanded growth.

The little containers are flowers that will be potted by the weekend. So far this week I've seen nothing but rain.

I can easily move the lettuce to a location where it will only get morning sun if needed.

Please advise!!!!!

Oh my....I know that growing in Florida is daunting......

We DON'T add MULCH...especially not Red CYPRESS Mulch to the container soil...We use BARK...specifically Pine Bark Fines

When the "woody" portions of any the soil mix decay they rob all the available Nitrogen from the pot.....BARK doesn't decay in the same manner...

Do all the pots have drain holes ? What is the direction NSEW...when is there sun ?

As a start....I would garden the entire fence line...Til or cover the grass (lasagna style ?) along the fence and under the plank garden......otherwise the grass will continue to be a maintenance problem

Move the tomato and cukes as mentioned above.....They will need the room....

Plant the carrots in the ground...Dig and prepare an area....carrot roots extend feet from the actual carrot.... container-carrots are short runts....I like to grow mine in a bottom-less container (on soil).....filled with Al's 511 Mix

The pumpkin vines will like some running-room too.....

Is there a "wild animal / child" requiring the wire fence ?

#9....Emulate a successful gardener in your Zone....
RE: Watch Silvia's timing and methods

Good luck.....doug

Well Doug, you have me crying and laughing at the same time.

My "wild animals" include three dogs who love to chase the anoles. One of the dogs will not let anything get in her way when she sees one, hence the wire fence. I was hoping that it would prevent her from wandering up and down the benches. It is barely in the ground though and easily moved.

I have ready MANY posts (mostly on the container gardening forum) which referred only to "mulch" used within potting mixtures for container veggies. I don't recall seeing the type of mulch specified (i.e., bark) which is why I used this type. It was what I had leftover from my front flower beds.

All of the pots do have drainholes. The sun rises on the opposite side of the yard (so not where the plants are currently located) but moves to this specific spot. Not sure of the NESW direction.

I am not able to plant directly in the yard because we are renting, hence this container garden. I might be able to do the "bottomless container" however for the carrots. In VA I had raised garden beds and didn't have to worry about some of these factors!

I thought I WAS following the advice of others. I spent so much time on this and other forums before I started this project. Sigh...

Don't be discouraged. You have to learn a lot of this by trial and error. It will be a lot harder to grow stuff here compared to Virginia, but we can grow it all year round.

I will also mention that at my house the angle of the sun changes a lot in the winter. I will be moving the tomatoes to the opposite side of my driveway when that happens. Since pots are portable in makes it easier to get the right light level.

Tom -- which containers worry you? I choose them based on the advice of others :( I wanted the tomatoes and cucs to have a large enough container to for deeper roots and to fit a small cage for support. I was also told that the lettuce would work in many containers, preferably ones that would allow for expanded growth.

I don't really know where to start, so many things need to be considered.

Be careful about what you read over at the Container Forum, they don't live in Florida. Doug's right about the mulch, unless we're in the dry season and you need to cut down on the soil heat and improve water retention it will trap too much moisture and be problematic, certainly not necessary in a typical September with all the rain we get, and NEVER dyed mulch for edibles.

Study the link I sent you earlier, you MUST understand PERCHED WATER in a container and it's inverse relationship to healthy oxygenated roots, and the fact that for the most part you won't have microbes to break down material into nitrogen such that the more organic stuff you have in a small volume of soil, the more heat will be generated in the soil, which equates to more stress for the plant and its roots.

Tomatoes need LOTS of soil in a container and lots of support, cukes can do with 1/4 of the soil you give a tomato but still need something to climb on and unless you pick a bush or short-vined variety will need lots of room to grow!

Lettuce won't do well in this heat, it's a cool weather crop so if your containers are small generally they should be in the shade until we cool off, not necessary immediately though due to all the rain we're getting now and the overcast skies.

I work in N. Tampa but live in St. Pete, I'm well aware that where you are is usually 6-7 degrees cooler at night than I am but you're still at least two weeks early on the cool season crops.

Tom

Hey Scarlet, Welcome to Florida where everything is upside down or means something different!

In my backyard, everything is in pots except the banana's. And the banana's have the very same metal fence around them as you have to protect them from one certain wild animal who likes to hike his leg really high. Which means my pots are also pretty tall, usually. Or something non-edible to break the boy dog stream :)

The smallest pot I use is 3.5 gallons. I have an affinity to the 3.5 gallon wider than deep pots that Home Depot carries. But then, I have my pots so the plant roots can grow through to soil if they want.

Pots need not be expensive, you can find all sorts of things to work well. You can frequently find large black nursery pots for cheap on craigslist or by curb shopping. Also, large totes or tubs at the dollar store or Wally World. Or on clearance at other stores. I hit up the dollar bins regularly looking for things to use as pots. Tom came up with a bunch of 'salad bowls' from Panera I think. I just love these salad bowls. Lots of holes in the bottom.

Speaking of holes, just about every pot I bring home gets more holes drilled into it. More holes is good, very good. Holes on the bottom, holes on the side. Here a hole, there a hole. Ooops, I digress.

I have a lot of tall pots and bins and stuff in the back yard. Which means lots of soil volume. I do cheat a lot though. At the very bottom of the pot, I'll put a few to several inches of leaves or something organic. Then I'll mix lightweight stuff that doesn't decompose in with the potting soil. Free lightweight stuff like plastic bottles and jars, wine corks, shipping peanuts. If I'm using a 40 gallon container to plant a few peppers I don't really need that much soil at the bottom. So I mix it in with stuff that is lighter weight and free.

Making your own potting soil using Al's mix will help make it easier to fill big pots up with soil. And big pots with lots of room for roots and weather will make it easier to learn about what is happening.

Gardening in Florida, especially in pots is .... educational. Experiment a lot and keep notes. One of my most pleasant surprises lately was picking a cucumber off my rock star a few weeks ago. It is a plain old cucumber growing in a big white bin. With about 4" of wine corks and pine straw mulch!

When Florida gardeners talk about mulch, they are generally talking about stuff to cool the roots in the summer time, or hold moisture in the dry winter time. You see, we have the horribly hot and wet season and then the dry season. Sometimes we get hot with the dry. If we have a hot and dry October you will see what joy that is.

I generally use pine straw (pine needles) and oak leaves for mulch in my pots because I have plenty of it around here. You can also use straw bales, like from a feed store. Or a light layer of pine fines. One of the folks around your side of the peninsula can point you to a good place to get pine fines.

I keep a journal, and try to keep good notes so I can go back and see what has worked and not worked. I also experiment alot. Oh, and I found that keeping my journal electronically (blog) works best for me. Experimenting is a good way to learn what works for you and your environment.

Oh, and I have a neighbor who only grows carrots in pots. And her carrots are way bigger than mine. Go figure ....

So I have some experiment carrots growing in a pot. They are huge. I'm thinking about pulling them and eating them. I planted them in May I think it was. Must go check my journal .... And I have this kind of lettuce plant (two each) that has been green and healthy all summer (in shade). I have no idea what kind of lettuce it is, it was a mix. And the planting of it was an experiment. I think I'm going to let the lettuce go to seed so I can have it to plant late next spring :)

Then I have the spring tomato plant (container) that lived into August. That I dug a hole in my raised bed, lined with newspaper and planted the tomato. It died. That too was an experiment. More of my experiments are of this nature, but I labor on!

And I bet you will also.

~dianne

Here is a link that might be useful: My Journal

I keep getting these images of Doug, Tom, and Diane visiting my house. As they walk out into my yard, Doug clutches his chest ("oh my...!"), Tom scratches his head ("I don't really know where to start,..."), and Diane starts counting the holes ("here a hole, there a hole...").

Anyway, many of my choices thus far have been based on feasibility and convienence: the fact that I am renting, I don't know where all the awesome gardening stores are located, I'm just now figuring out that I can plant veggies this late in the year, etc :)

I think I will keep what I started with and see what happens. This weekend I will plant some more veggies but in different types of pots and with bark. In the mean time I will make sure that I move the lettuce into a more shady spot and keep the cucs, tomatoes, etc on the bottom. I will also start seeds in the next couple of weeks. And to top it off, I will start a journal as you all suggested. I might also have to start a dictionary for all these "fancy" terms you all throw around: "leggy", "damping off", "perched water",...

We've all been there, information overload can often be more problematic than dumb luck and experience....Enjoy you're early successes and don't be discouraged by your early failures, they're opportunities to improve ;-)

Tom

Scarlet...OMG !.....

We keep laughing about your vision...Ya-know-we've-met Tom and Dianne.....Pam said: "we've GOT to meet this Scarlet !"

You have a gift...Keep writing....and of course gardening

dougandpam

I am in Carrollwood as well- I love fall gardening- my garden lasted thru March last year- I lost eggplant & couple of green beans with the freezes- but with good frost covers most survived. Have decided I will never attempt a summer garden again. Alot of work with little reward. Just now getting started with the fall garden- it's been so humid & hot I have not been able to bring myself to do it until this week.

Thanks, Scarlet, for asking these questions. Others, who are newer to gardeining in FL, are benefitting from it.

Dianne, I have a couple of bins with bell peppers, carrots, etc. planted in them, full of soil mixture. Am I reading correctly that you can add other items (plastic bottles, etc.) in the bottom of the bin to reduce the amount and weight of the soil? Like Coke and Gatorade bottles, etc? How much soil (deep and wide) does a plant like a bell pepper need?

dougandpam...

It's a good thing that you think I can write because it's what I do for a living :) I am a researcher at Moffitt Cancer Center and write ALL DAY LONG (grants, manuscripts, etc). Oh, and run experiments, but usually on people. I also spent the last 4 years teaching young minds (undergraduate students) how to write.

I'm always up for meeting! I am learning so much from you all! My dream is to one day have a small farm and a really big vegetable garden!

Nothing of substance to add, as I'm a newbie. But just had to say, I feel your pain. Sorry for the Clinton quote, but I am originally from Arkansas (where gardening is soooooo much easier!).
I did so much reading on here and UF sites and felt like I had learned so much, and still went off and planted way too early. I have those same thoughts about the gurus of the site coming over and just shaking their heads at me.
But I still love playing in the dirt....well, sand. ;) And have started the recommended journal, so I can learn from all this experimenting.
Keep trying. I know I'm going to.
Becca

You are better than me..
JUST starting on this gardening lark... A lot different to U.K..
I will buy 2 tomato plants (no seeds) and put them in a bag of black kow.
No lettuce available at Lowes, so I will have to wait for that.
Have tried, unsuccessfully, at least 3 times with rosemary and lavender... Giving up now, as pots/ground nothing works.
Swear words to you all I am sure, but I will do what I (hope) think is successful to spur on my daughter in our quest for a greener living.

Caveat! I'm not a guru, I'm just a tad bit farther from the starting line. A very small little bit ....

Jen, this is my 'rock star' pot. So named ....

A good 40% of the bottom of the pot is mixed with potting soil and lightweight stuff. In an ideal world, to reduce weight and the amount of soil in the pot, while keeping good drainage and aeration for the roots; I would use packing peanuts. I don't always have a good handy supply of free packing peanuts, so I'll also use wine corks, empty prescription bottles and any other small'ish plastic bottles and jars. I'm not terribly worried about plastic leakage or I wouldn't be planting in a plastic bin in the first place.

I don't know exactly how much a bell pepper needs, but I know that I have several happily growing in 3.5 gallon pots.

~dianne

Thanks Dianne.