Harvesting and Storing Potatoes in Florida
In north Florida, potatoes come out of the ground in spring, not fall, so the region’s frost window matters more for planting than for harvest.
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.
Potato Varieties That Suit Florida
Florida gardeners get the best results from early-season and mid-season potato varieties, planted for a spring harvest rather than a summer one.
Growing Carrots in Florida: Soil, Sowing and Forked Roots
Florida’s official state soil is almost pure sand, which sounds like carrot heaven until you learn it’s also rated poorly drained.
What to Plant in Florida in September
September in Florida means the fall garden opens, not the frost season. In north Florida, the first freeze doesn’t arrive until late November at the…
What to Plant in Florida in October
October marks the start of Florida’s main growing season, not the end of one.
What to Plant in Florida in November
November splits Florida in two. In the north, from Jacksonville up through the Panhandle, it’s the last wide-open stretch before frost finally shows up…
What to Plant in Florida in May
May in Florida means two very different gardens depending on where you stand.
What to Plant in Florida in March
In north Florida, March straddles the last frost window (February 16 to March 7 at the Jacksonville station), so it’s the month cool-season crops finish…
What to Plant in Florida in June
In June, Florida’s growing calendar is running on heat, not frost. North Florida sits five to six months clear of any frost risk by this point, so the…
What to Plant in Florida in July
July across Florida is not about frost. It is about heat, humidity, and the daily thunderstorms that mark the start of the wet season.