When Sweet Corn Is Ready in Florida, and How Fast It Fades
In north Florida, sweet corn is ready 60 to 90 days after planting, and it can only be planted once the soil holds above 60 F, a point that arrives well…
Florida
Home and garden guidance specific to Florida: climate, seasons, local rules and rebates.
Gardening in Florida
Everything we have worked out for Florida: what to plant and when, which varieties finish in time, the pests that actually turn up here, and the jobs that pay off month by month. We also cover the rest of the property, from lawns and soil to home care and energy, because a garden rarely stops at the vegetable bed.
The numbers first, because everything else follows from them. Measured at the weather station in Jacksonville, the last spring freeze runs February 16 to March 7 and the first fall freeze runs November 26 to December 13, USDA zones 8b-11b, 7,000 growing degree days in the year.
Heat, not frost, is what shortens the season here: above 86 °F tomato pollen goes sterile, so growers run a spring crop and an autumn one rather than a single long season. Garlic is the awkward one: only 0 weeks below 40 °F, where it needs six to split into cloves. Chill the cloves before planting, or grow a softneck type.
Elsewhere on the property in Florida: the pests that turn up here.
Figures from NOAA's 1991-2020 climate normals. A state is not one climate: elevation, a large lake or the coast can move these dates by two weeks either way, so check your own county with the extension service before you spend money.
When to Stop Cutting Asparagus in Florida, and How to Keep the Spears
Stop cutting when most of the spears coming up are thinner than a pencil. That is the end-of-harvest rule, and it is something you look at, not a week on…
When to Plant Grass Seed in Florida
Sow warm-season grass seed in Florida once the soil, two inches down, reads 65°F and rising.
When to Dethatch a Lawn in Florida
Most Florida lawns never need dethatching. If a spade-cut wedge shows a spongy brown layer thicker than 0.75 inch, do the work in the warm part of the…
When to Aerate a Lawn in Florida
Florida lawns are warm-season grasses, so aeration belongs in active growth, not fall. Here is the timing, the core-versus-spike choice, and the mistakes to avoid.
How Late Can You Plant Trees and Shrubs in Fall in Florida?
Florida’s fall frost dates vary by region, but because the ground rarely freezes, tree and shrub planting can continue later than in colder states.
When to Pull Carrots in Florida, and How to Keep Them
Florida carrots tell you they’re ready with their shoulders, not a calendar. Once the top of the root pushes up out of the soil to somewhere around…
Finishing a Basement in Florida: Permits, Ceiling Height, Egress and Waterproofing
Florida’s building code sets the ceiling height, egress window and vapor-retarder rules for finished basements, and a local permit is required regardless of size.
Roof Wind Speed and Heat Requirements in Florida
Explains the 126 mph design wind speed at Jacksonville, when impact-rated shutters are required, and why heat, not snow, wears out a Florida roof.
Growing Roses in Florida: Planting Dates, Varieties and Local Pests
Roses go into Florida ground on two very different calendars. In Jacksonville and the rest of north Florida, the safe window sits between mid-February…