Rain Rain Don't Go Away

One of the delicious salads we enjoyed from our Florida garden this winter.

Yesterday, Monday March 28, the Heavens opened and forgot to close. It rained all day long and not just sprinkles here. Downpours. All day. Three inches of rain! The retention pond behind our house was full to the brim. I have never seen that and this is our fifth winter in this location.

Of course, being Florida in the winter time, we really needed a good soaking. I'm just not sure how much actually soaks in when it comes down so hard and heavy.

Soon my DH will begin tearing out the garden as we will be moving back north. He will need to prepare this one for summer. Funny how we have to adjust our thinking from northern gardening to southern gardening and back again. He is living his dream of gardening twelve months out of the year.

I must say this has been a good winter garden. We have enjoyed cabbage, broccoli, lettuce, onions, radishes, and a large harvest of the sweetest peas we've ever had.--yes, including the northern peas.

When we return to the north country in April my DH starts all over again. He already has seeds started for the northern garden. Stay tuned....

Cold Resistant Crops in the Florida Garden

Sorry I haven't posted much on the Florida garden lately. That's because the cold, freezing nights are taking a toll on the garden. We have definitely learned to grow ONLY cold resistant crops. All the beans were bit, but we did manage to get twelve Jade green beans before they were completely done in. No beans next year.

We are amazed at how well the lettuce holds up. Of course my DH covers the garden on those cold nights. Usually Florida doesn't have the hard freezes lasting five hours or more. But not true this year! The lettuces have taken the freeze and actually are growing very well and producing tasty greens. We have romaine, Mighty Joe, Devil's Tongue, and a red bibb that are providing delicious salads for us.

Onions and radishes are producing. The beets are not growing very fast as you can imagine, but big enough to pull and eat. We have also enjoyed cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli...all cole crops and hardy in cold temps.

Our winter garden is not a bust this year, but we have learned only cold resistant crops are suitable for Florida winter gardens in our area.

Frosty Florida

We've had several nights of frost and freezing temperatures. The blankets, sheets, and towels have been put to good use and are doing their job of keeping our veggies from freezing. I am amazed at the resilience of the lettuce and those young pea plants. We have had hard freezes which the weatherman defines as more than 3 hours of temps between 27 and 32 degrees. (Just a note: plastic should not be used to protect plants from freezing temperatures.)

We have given up planting tomatoes and peppers in our Florida garden. This winter is the prime reason. Oh yes, we are trying beans, green, yellow, purple, this year. Believe me they are covered with the thickest blanket we have and so far only some leaves are damaged. I still see blossoms on the stems. Of course we have a lot of winter to go here.

We are about 40 miles north of Tampa, not exactly a tropical climate here compared to southern Florida and the Keys. But we do enjoy not scooping snow, driving on ice, or blasts of blizzards. So I will refrain from whining about the freezing temps anymore and rejoice in the fact that we have beat Mother Nature's cold temps---so far.

Freezing Temperatures in Florida

Brrrrr----------freezing temperatures and winter storms are all over the country this week. Even here in sunny Florida. (I am sure the Florida Chamber of Commerce doesn't want this word to get out..LOL) The next several nights are going to be in the 20's...a hard freeze warning for our area.

Our vegetable plants are cold hardy, but we have covered our cold weather garden. With these kinds of temperatures and for so many hours each night, we don't want to take a chance on losing the plants.

Tonight my DH has rigged up a tent over the garden and added a lamp under the covers to help generate heat. We hope this will keep away the chills.

I'll update you for the results later.

Planting the Florida Winter Garden 2010-2011

I have missed posting to this blog because we were on the road to Florida where we spend the winter. Endeavoring to keep my DH's dream of gardening twelve months of the year, he again started the plants for the FL garden while we were in Michigan this fall.


Cabbage, broccoli, lettuce plants ready for planting in FL Garden. Cover crop of perennial rye growing in the MI garden in the background.



The day after we arrived in FL, my DH put the plants in the ground. The soil in the garden is so improved after all the horse manure he dumped in before we left this spring. This is the third season for our FL garden.  He brought the electric fence along to string around the garden after laboring on the small plot.

They snatched the heart of the Romaine lettuce right out of it.

 Just as the rabbits in Michigan loved his plants, so it goes with the Florida rabbits. Not even the electrified fence stopped the hungry bunnies from eating the delicious broccoli and Romaine lettuce plants.

Rabbits munched on the broccoli plant.

DH added a fence, but again the bunnies got over or under the fence and around the electric fence to get their evening meal. He is going to raise the wire and try cayenne pepper to stave off the attack.

Do you, dear readers have any suggestions? Keep your fingers crossed...



Winter Time Gardening

Perhaps to us Northerners winter gardening is an oxymoron. Our gardens lie sleeping under the blanket of winter snow. However, those who live in the Southern regions can grow beautiful crops in the winter, rather than during the hot summer time.

My husband's dream has always been to garden 12 months out of the year. He is now able to do that since we are snowbirds who fly away to Florida for the winter.

Gardening in the South is different than our Michigan gardens, so we have had to re-think gardening. We are learning. This year will be the third southern garden he has planted.

So those of you who thought you wouldn't be reading about gardening in this blog in the winter are wrong. You can read about our Florida garden. Come along with us for the hopes and dreams, ups and downs of gardening starting all over again this next week.

If you are a southern gardener, we would love to get some gardening tips from you.