I saw something on TV about a French kitchen garden, which focuses on staggering veggie plantings so that you have things to harvest more year-round instead of just twice a year. I'm in Florida, so I know I have more flexiblity on when to plant. I'm just confused about which "rules" I can actually break.
Can warm season crops be planted anytime as long as there are enough warm days left? Here is a typical Florida veggie planting guide for warm season crops:
http://floridagardener.com/vgarden/warmseasonveg.htm
For some it says they can be started just after the last frost date and then again in August and/or September. Does this mean I could start them anytime in between as well? I think I would like to plant a little bit each month of the summer so that I can harvest at different times. Would this work? Any tips?
Confused about when to plant in Florida...
Depends somewhat on where you are in Florida. Growing year round is no problem, but many of the vegetables normally grown in summer in northern states are winter grown in Florida. Parts of Florida get too hot in the summer for anything but hot weather plants. If instructions state "plant after last frost date AND then again in August/ September. They mean this plant can be grown in the spring and again in the fall. Two seperate seasons, which is what we have to with a lot of plants in Georgia.
Thanks Farmerdill,
Do you know what kinds of plants can tolerate the heat of the summer? I read that okra and peas can, but I wonder if there are more.
Okra, cowpeas, long beans, lima beans, sweet potatoes are the more common. Chili peppers of course, but sweet peppers like bells don't handle it very well
Great! Thanks!
Don't forget melons, cukes, and squashes.
These won't grow in this part of Georgia in July -August. Strickly spring with a repeat in fall. except for melons, which I have never tried or seen anyone else try in fall. Should be possible tho. In a good year, watermelons are harvested in July and sometimes the vines survive to set again in late August, harvest in late September- October. Most of the time a hot dry August does the vines in.