vue - How to Grow a Vegetable Garden Year Round in South Florida

1. Please do a video on Louisiana. Love your channel thank you
2. https://www.facebook.com/groups/554659734690191/673497436139753/?notif_t=like&notif_id=1476492533146003
3. Eggplant is easy to grow in SW Florida.
4. Its all possible. I have no issues with lettuce, collards, kale, etc. Eggplants and cucumbers are a lost cause- i will agree there
5. Im in new port richey/tampa area,I have grass hoppers the black ones coming out of the groud,they ate my whole garden last year..I need help what can I use to get rid of them naturally
6. In south Florida insects like (pickle worm )will devastate melons, squash,and zucchini. So row covers are important and the tomato horn worms can get crazy I also found that the horn worm will go after eggplant as well.great video john
7. I live in Palm Beach, a beginner gardner and I have had trouble with blight on my tomatoes which I started using aspirin to combat this and it seems to already be working. (only used one application) I have had minor success, the first garden planted in 2014,started growing beautifully at first, from cucumbers, cabbage, punkin, tomatoes, kale, beets, carrots, butter lettuce, also watermelon, but in the end I only got some
   1. Butter Lettuce (didn't grow very large and died off after cutting )
   2. Kale (a few plants survived)the plants that did survive did well
   3. No watermelon or punkins survived,
   4.Tomatoes were small, few and plants suffered with blight, they are heirloom
   5. Red Dragon Carrots tops were beautiful but the carrots were small, ,
   6. Cucumbers started producing but then died,
   7. Raspberry and Gogi berry did poorly.
   8. Cabbage died after a month or so.
   9. Beets were very small (Bullsblood)most didnt survive
   I also planted a Florida Peach, Olive tree, Fig, lemon and Jujube tree, over 1 year now. The growth has been very little but they are alive and I know it can take a few years after planting to produce. I also planted herbs and calendula, only a few plants survived so I make sure I always propagate, I am growing knock out roses and gardenia, I have had trouble with gardenia as well so I make sure I propagate, and those gardenias are doing better than the one I planted. I did get 3 good size Black Diamond watermelons this year 2015.
   I have picked up and made compost, and fertilizer from local farms, and it seems to make no real difference I also compost my waste, (Food, leaves, grass, etc)use compost tea and will soon buys worms for composting, I think this will make for a faster composting process. I now know about the water Im using its reported that if your water contains chloramine your plants will produce poorly or die, which I have in my water so I let it sit out for 24 hours before using or use my well. I have tested my soil its actually very alkaline, avg 8. Moral of the story most of my plants start off well then die off before producing food.
8. Also, Florida is mostly covered with various fine sandy soils (like Myakka soil) that are largely devoid of nutrients and plant matter. There are a few areas with better soil near Okeechobee - and a few areas with more clay like soils toward the panhandle - but most people have this useless sand. And it doesn't act like other sandy soils because it's very fine and doesn't let water through. You can water it forever and it just rolls off the surface until it finds the lowest elevation and stubbornly soaks in. In most Florida areas, you need to make your soil from scratch. In St. Petersburg, we have access to free composted mulch from the city. Not a lot in the way of nutrients, but it's a great substrate to start with - and the price is right. It's not a good idea to try to 'turn' compost into the native soil because it will just get mummified and ruin the compost. Better to start layering compost and mulch on top (sheet mulching) until you have a thick layer of humus to grow in. The soil needs to maintain a constant medium level of moisture and never be allowed to dry out completely. A generous layer of top mulch will help. Basically, if the earthworms look happy, your plants will be happy too. I totally agree about growing perennial 'permaculture' vegetables in the summer time. It's the only way to go.
9. For those not living in Florida, here's the nutshell explanation. Florida has 3 climate zones. The Panhandle and North Florida correspond to USDA Zones 7 and 8. These areas have a humid subtropical climate like that of the Deep South. Summers are hot and winters can be very chilly, with frost occurring frequently. Snow will fall in this region about every 10-20 years on average. Changes in the seasons are much like those of the rest of the Eastern US. Central Florida south of Gainesville and north of inland areas surrounding Lake Okeechobee correspond to USDA Zone 9. This includes Orlando, Tampa/St. Petersburg, and Daytona Beach. This area is transitional between the humid subtropical climate of the northern portion of Florida and the tropical climate of South Florida. Summers are very hot and winters often get chilly and frosty, but snow will not fall unless an exceptionally strong cold front passes through. The four seasons that can be noticed in North Florida are less noticeable in CenFla. Everything south of Lake Okeechobee and along the coast up to Jupiter on the Atlantic Coast and up to just north of Fort Myers on the Gulf of Mexico coast corresponds to Zone 10 and, for the Florida Keys, Zone 11. This comprises South and Southwest Florida. These have a tropical climate and very hot summers and moderately cool winters with no frost. The changes in seasons are more like those of the tropics than the higher latitudes, with wet and dry seasons.Florida soils are varied. South Florida tends to have chalky soils due to the abundance of coral reefs thousands of years ago when the area was under a few feet of seawater. As well as having a lot of limestone, SoFla soils also have a lot of sand, with loamy soils occurring mainly in areas that were once swampy or formed part of an agricultural property. Central and North Florida have more acid soils due to the abundance of pine trees and other sources of organic matter; cool winters tend to reduce the number of days per year that temperatures are high enough to promote decomposition of organic matter. As well, the soil is of sedimentary origin, but very sandy. Some areas have clay-based soils. Also, South Florida's tropical climate tends to cause organic matter to decay very rapidly in warm weather and summer temperatures can persist even into the dry season, so adding plenty of organic matter to the soil is essential for South Florida gardening, especially in the case of plants that have a hard time growing in chalky soils.Growing apples, peaches, and plums in SoFla is impossible since winter temps do not fall low enough to induce flower bud formation in these plants. Loquats - a plant related to these three and producing a sweet, tangy fruit - do well in SoFla. As for veggies, SoFla tends to favor tropical Asian vegetables such as bok choy, ginger, and Chinese broccoli. Collard greens will also do well. Just remember to add plenty of organic matter and ensure good drainage. Certain pea varieties can be grown. Carrots and potatoes can be grown in a shady spot, in a large container full of compost and other organic matter, with drainage provided to prevent water from pooling. Decorative plants such as camellias and azaleas can be grown as well, provided that the soil is properly amended to promote acid pH. However, unless winter conditions provide for temperatures below 45ºF at night, flowering will not occur.The "Three Sisters" method of vegetable gardening will work well in South Florida. In fact, the combination of a tall grass, legume, and viney plant is common among weeds growing in abandoned lots throughout the Miami/Ft. Lauderdale area. This will work even on sandy soils rich in limestone. Corn, peas or beans, and a squash variety suited for warm climates will work well. Be sure to space apart each plant adequately and allow the corn seedling to grow a few inches before planting the other two plants, the corn stalk will serve as a trellis for the squash vine and legume.Summer vegetables typical of humid subtropical and humid continental climates will grow in South Florida (USDA Zone 10) during the dry season, when daytime highs do not go above 85ºF. Also, the soil in many parts of South Florida is rich in limestone and so the pH is rather high, around 8.0 or so. This means that plants preferring acid soil should be planted in a spot rich in organic matter, with amendments of either overripe fruit, grass clippings, urine and dog poop (!), or acidulants such as sulfur or commercial potting mixes specially prepared for the plants of your choice. For example, tomatoes like acid soils and dry, sunny spots, so plant them in a sunny spot and amend with plenty of organic matter such as leaf litter, grass clippings, and urine collected in a container.
10. I live on the Space Coast. Okra and collards have done exceptionally well. I got my collards as a starter plant and I've harvested it three times within the past few months. Same with the okra. Started that from seed. I haven't had to tend to them much at all. I find that the mulch helps with retaining the moisture during the summer months.
11. Help!,, Moving to a home with a big yard. Where should I start? No previous experience.
12. John, you look like you're melting :) I'm still trying to figure out what to grow in Central FL  (coming from Hawaii) for the past few years. It seems I've had luck with potatoes, esp sweet potatoes in the summer. The soil is very sandy and Orange county in Orlando has free compost so raised gardens work well. Thanks for doing the series on Florida/climate appropriate plants. I'm trying a bit of everything (ground, containers and hydroponics). 
13. Something he didn't mention, pineapples. You can grow pineapples for years and years. Once they mature, they will produce one fruit a year (usually). There is very little maintenance and you can save the top of a pineapple you bought in the store and plant it right in the sandy soil and they do great. They can live through the frost too!
14. Hi im a complete beginner living in South Florida that wish to start growing vegetables. I have a townhome with a decent size space. Not a lot of sun light. Is there any specific videos that I should start out watching for advice on this channel and others? Thanks I want to start growing mainly kale, spinach, romaine, onions, bell peppers, avacado, aloe, strawberries, banana tree, tomatoes, cucumber...alot I guess ;-)
15. i live in a similar climate, Philippines, i wonder if i can grow LOVAGE in my country?
16. South East Florida..I've been gardening for almost 3 yrs now & what I've had success with are: Roma tomatoes, Spanish & sweet white onions, kale, any kind of peppers, herbs, pineapple, bananas, pickle cucumbers, strawberries, blackberries, aloe. I've not been able to keep: lettuce (for very long), large tomatoes (insects), squash (don't get very big). I just planted some spinach, radishes, & cherry tomatoes. I use my own compost & some organic fertilizer. It does consume a lot of my time; hope to someday have a self sufficient garden though.
     
17. Love these older videos .. Thanks John !!!  I'm in South West Florida here ... I love the passion about growing food ALL YEAR !!  Roma tomatoes, Peppers, Watermelon, Cantaloupe, all growing well... The secret for summertime gardening is using Shade Fabric and Lots of Mulch !!  Once you can prevent sun scalding , most crops will do well. I'm getting ready to germinate some Eggplant , Malabar Spinach and Red Russian Kale, which will all be growing under the shade fabric.. Gotta love the learning experience when gardening in Florida... Thanks for all your videos !!  
18. Central Florida, Tampa area. Everything died on me except for my kale.  :(  We have really bad farmer ants that bring aphids onto the plants. Trying again this year in a kiddie snap set pool. I was thinking of putting petroleum jelly around the outside of the pool to try and keep the ants out.
19. your annoying
20. how do I keep white flies off my organic vegetables???