What to Plant in Florida in January
January splits Florida in two. In Jacksonville and the rest of the north, frost is still a real threat and the safe list stays short: garlic, onions…
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.
What to Plant in Florida in February
Florida’s answer depends entirely on where you’re standing. In Jacksonville and the rest of north Florida, frost is still possible through early March…
What to Plant in Florida in December
December splits Florida into two different gardens. North Florida is inside its first fall frost window, so hardy greens, alliums, and root vegetables go…
What to Plant in Florida in August
August is Florida’s hardest gardening month to get right: soil and air are too hot for most direct-sown vegetables almost everywhere in the state, so the…
What to Plant in Florida in April
By April, Florida’s growing calendar has split into two different stories depending on where you stand.
Growing Peppers in Florida: Fruit Set, Heat and Timing
Florida pepper growers face a narrower window than most gardeners assume. Plants stop setting fruit once nights drop below 55°F or days climb past 90°F…
Pepper Varieties That Ripen in a Florida Season
North Florida gardeners get a real answer to this question by working backward from two numbers: how many days each summer punch past 90°F, and how many…
When Does the Heating Season Start in Florida?
Florida’s heating season opens in November, when the average temperature at the Jacksonville reference station dips to 62.3°F, just below the 65°F line…
Watering Through a Dry Spell in Florida
Florida’s driest summer month still delivers 6.77 inches of rain, yet 73.2 days a year climb past 90°F.
Watering Pots and Containers in Florida
Florida gardeners face a rare combination: heavy summer rain and relentless heat working against each other at the same time.