Basic/general gardening tips for Florida – according to what has worked for us.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/vh021
*Pick a sunny spot; most crops need atleast 6 hours of sun per day; more is even better
*The Florida soil is sandy and doesn’t hold moisture well; if you are planting directly in the ground, you might buy an organic potting mix and then enhance it with black cow or some other compost (using more than one kind is good too), peat, and vermiculite (these amendments help hold moisture in the soil and aerates it as well). You can use equal amounts of each amendment, or keep it simple and use what you have; it doesn’t have to be an exact science.
*If you are making a large garden bed and want to buy soil in bulk, there is a company in Oviedo called K & K Materials and they have a very nice, well rounded garden soil you can buy by the truck load. If you don’t have a truck, but have a trailer hitch on your car, you can rent a small trailer for $45 and go fill it for about $100 or less.
*You can build or buy an above ground system; using whatever you have on hand or can find even if it is a small kiddie swimming pool that you put holes in the bottom of. The idea is to keep it simple so it is doable.
*Check the website for the extension office to see what grows in this season.
*Buy seeds locally or online. Start them in the smallest pots you can find. Set them in the sunniest spot in your yard, and water them twice a day. Be sure to label the pots or make a diagram in a notebook so you know what you planted in each pot. Or you can purchase seedlings and start that way.
*After the seedlings are a few inches tall, you can transplant them to your garden bed. This is a good time to give them their first fertilizer; using fish emulsion at half strength.
*Fertilizer – It is good to feed your plants. They will take in the nutrition from the fertilizer and soil and then you will get it from eating the plant. You can research different fertilizers and choose what you want, or you can do what I do (and I learned from a workshop called ‘Organic Gardening in Florida). Alternate using a ‘fish emulsion’ type fertilizer and ‘blood meal’ every three weeks. Follow directions on label.
*After planting, continue to water twice a day unless you are getting a lot of rain. You can research ‘drip irrigation’ and that is a good system to install to help out with the watering.
*Harvest your food! After everything is established it isn’t that much work and you get to enjoy the fruits of your labor. Be patient with yourself as there is a learning curve. Sometimes it takes a few years to really get the hang of it but once you do, you have it for life. The extension office in Seminole and Orange Counties both have regular gardening workshops. Check the schedule and attend one.
*South Seminole Nursery in Winter Springs http://sseminolefarmandnursery.com/ has classes you can attend and a nice selection of seedlings to start with if you don’t want to start with the actual seeds.
*Just plant what you like to eat. You might also include some herbs and especially mint because they are so yummy.
*Good Luck! Message me if you want or need to talk about any of it!