The spring vegetable gardening season begins, for most, after the threat of frost is gone. Planting in the beginning of March is typically a safe bet as the last frost of the year in Central Florida is usually sometime in February. This winter season was quite mild, where we never even got a frost. In comparison, last year we got our first frost in November and a hard freeze in … [Read more...]
In the Garden: Size Doesn’t Matter in a Square Foot Vegetable Garden!
Here’s how to get the most out of vegetable gardening in small spaces. Now, I didn’t invent square foot gardening – it’s been around for decades. Mel Bartholomew documented square foot gardening principles in 1976 as an alternative to traditional row vegetable gardens. As many of us live in social communities with smaller lot lines, we know that a traditional row vegetable … [Read more...]
In the Garden: Let Your Food Heal You
The healing properties of foods have existed since the beginning of time, so how much do people really know about the nutritional value of the foods eaten every day? The old adage, “You are what you eat,” turns out to be true. As a society, we have spent the last 60 years figuring out how to make food convenient rather than healthy. We package food to make it portable and last … [Read more...]
In the Garden: The Benefits of Going Native in Florida
In the Garden: The Benefits of Going Native in Florida By Amber Harmon Now that I have your attention, let’s talk about going native in Florida, with native landscapes that benefit the environment in so many ways! Using native trees, plants, flowers and edibles in your yard conserves water, reduces chemical runoff, and attracts a variety of pollinators like butterflies and … [Read more...]
In the Garden: Getting the Most Out of Your Fall Harvest
Since we already determined what to plant for the fall in previous editions, now it’s time to discuss how to get the highest yield of vegetables out of your autumn harvest. In Florida, we take a unique approach to harvesting fall vegetables because our vegetable-growing season is actually six months long. It begins in September and continues until the end of February. There are … [Read more...]