University of Florida

Vegetable Gardening


Introduction

Vegetable gardening offers fresh air, sunshine, exercise, enjoyment, mental therapy, nutritious fresh vegetables, and economic savings, as well as many other benefits. Vegetables can be grown year-round in Florida if attention is paid to the appropriate planting dates. While this guide provides recommendations primarily for home gardens, the information may be useful in other situations, such as container, community, and market gardens.

Steps to a Vegetable Garden

Locate a site. For convenience locate the garden near the house, on a well drained site, close to a source of water, and in a location that receives at least six hours of direct sunlight daily. With proper care, vegetables may also be included in the landscape among ornamental plants. Coastal sites are also suitable. Where possible, rotate the garden from place to place to help control soil diseases and other pests.

Plan the layout. Before planting, draw a garden plan that includes the name, location and planting date(s) of the vegetables you want to grow. Use the Planting Guide (Table 3) and the list of suggested varieties (Table 4) to develop your plan.. Make a list of supplies and order or purchase seeds early if you intend to grow your own transplants. The Planting Guide lists which vegetable seedlings transplant easily and which do not. Vegetables that are difficult to transplant should be seeded directly into the garden or started in containers first.

Prepare the soil. Gardeners often plant on whatever soil type is available, but it is usually worthwhile to improve the garden plot with additions of organic matter (see below). Spade or plow the plot at least three weeks before planting. At planting time, rework the soil into a smooth, firm surface.

Apply organic matter. Most Florida soils benefit from the addition of organic matter, such as animal manure, rotted leaves, compost, commercial soil mixes and cover crops. Thoroughly mix liberal amounts of (un-composted) organics in the soil well in advance of planting, preferably at least a month before seeding. If you do not plan to use inorganic fertilizer, spread 25 - 100 pounds of compost or composted animal manure per 100 square feet. Composted organics may be applied at planting time. However, un-composted manures should be worked into the soil 90-120 days before planting. Due to inconsistent levels of nutrients in compost, accompanying applications of inorganic or organic fertilizer may be beneficial. To avoid plant stunting, organic amendments low in nitrogen (such as composted yard debris) must be accompanied by fertilizer. See EDIS Publication CIR375, Organic Vegetable Gardening.

Consider cover crops. Green manure is fresh plant material turned into the soil. Planting and plowing in green-manure crops during the off-season is beneficial. The following cover crops are recommended: cowpea, velvet bean, soybean, and sunflower in summer and cereal rye (FL 401), crimson clover, and Austrian winter pea in winter.

For more information, see EDIS Publication ENY918 Soil Organic Matter, Green Manures and Cover Crops for Nematode Management.

Adjust Soil pH. Soil pH is important because it governs how available nutrients are to plants. The best pH range for vegetable gardens on sandy soil is between pH 5.8 and 6.3. If your soil pH is between 5.5 and 7.0, no adjustment in pH needs to be made.

If your soil pH is below 5.5, apply lime at a rate recommended by a reliable soil testing facility, such as the IFAS Extension Soil Testing Laboratory. Two to three pounds of finely ground dolomitic limestone per 100 square feet will usually raise the pH one point. Caution: Application of lime when it is not needed may cause plant nutritional problems. Lime is best applied two to three months before the garden is to be planted. However, lime may be applied as late as one or two weeks before planting. Make sure the lime is thoroughly mixed into the soil to a depth of 6 - 8 inches and then water the soil to promote the chemical reaction.

If your soil pH is naturally above 7.0 (alkaline), where limestone, marl, or shells are present, there is no practical way of permanently lowering soil pH. Additions of acidic organic matter will help, but only temporarily. Use a fertilizer that contains micronutrients. If the high pH is the result of previous over-liming, application of granular sulfur (1 lb/100 sq ft) will lower soil pH.

Compost. Create your own “garden gold” by converting yard wastes to compost. Composting is easy to do and yields a manure-like, organic fertilizer/soil conditioner, which highly benefits Florida's infertile native soils. See EDIS Publication ENH 1065 - Compost Tips for the Home Gardener.

  1. Buy a compost unit or build one from recycled wood pallets, concrete block, sturdy wire, etc. The minimum size should be 3'x3'x3'.
  2. Make successive, 12-inch-thick layers of plant waste -- such as leaves, lawn clippings, shredded branches, and wood chips. Kitchen scraps may also be used.
  3. Animal (not pet) manure, finished compost, blood meal or fertilizer can be added to each layer if desired.
  4. Moisten each layer and keep the pile moist.
  5. Turn the pile frequently to add oxygen and help the decomposition process.
  6. Depending on how intensively it is managed, compost should be ready for use in two to twelve months, when plant parts are decomposed.
  7. Cover the pile to keep rain from leaching nutrients from it.

Fertilize. Unless very large quantities of organic fertilizer materials are applied, commercial synthetic fertilizer is usually needed for Florida gardens. Gardeners find it convenient to use commonly available fertilizer grades, such as 6-6-6 or 10-10-10. However, some Florida soils contain adequate phosphorus (the middle number), and additional amounts should not be added as phosphorus is a pollutant in surface water, such as lakes and rivers. A soil test can determine whether phosphorus is needed. See EDIS Publication Cir 1248 UF/IFAS Extension Soil Testing Laboratory.

Refer to fertilizer recommendations (Table 1) for suggested fertilizer types and rates. Broadcast  fertilizer over the entire garden plot before planting. Band the other portion at planting time along the plant rows. The fertilizer should be applied 2 - 3 inches to the side of, and 1 - 2 inches below, the seed level or plant row. In addition, during the growing season, it may be necessary to apply fertilizer two or three more times at half the banded rate shown in the table. Apply the fertilizer just beyond the outside leaves.

Plan irrigation and drainage. Vegetables cannot tolerate standing water from excessive rainfall or irrigation. Yet, at the same time, vegetables need soil moisture to grow and produce. Frequency of irrigation depends upon the age of the crop and your soil type. Young plants need frequent, but light irrigation; maturing crops need more water, but less often. Sandy soils demand more frequent irrigation than clay, muck or amended soils. Conserve water by using mulch, organic matter, and techniques such as drip irrigation. Make a slight depression at the base of plants to hold water until absorbed by the soil.

Pest Management

No-Pesticide Approaches
  • Follow the recommended planting date(s) listed for each vegetable. Plant as early in the spring (or as late in the fall, depending on the crop) as is safely possible.
  • Rotate vegetables so that the same vegetable (or members of the same vegetable family) are not planted repeatedly in the same areas. The plant family for each vegetable is listed in Table 3.
  • Till or hand-turn the soil well in advance of planting. The garden should be well tilled and free of weeds, grass, and woody material at least 30 days before planting.
  • Control weeds around the garden. Chemical weed control is not recommended.
  • Choose adapted varieties with resistance or tolerance to nematodes and the diseases common in your area.
  • Purchased transplants should be free of insects and disease symptoms (such as leaf spots or blights). Avoid transplants that are already flowering. Consider growing your own transplants from seeds.
  • Plants can be protected from cutworms by placing a "collar" around the plant. The collar can be made from a bottomless plastic cup or a waxed cardboard carton. The collar should extend a few inches above and at least an inch below the surface of the ground.
  • Lightweight row covers can be a good barrier against insects. Put in place at planting while leaving plenty of room for plant growth. Remove when plants start flowering.
  • Monitor or scout the garden twice a weekly for pest problems. This includes inspecting the plant from bud to soil, including upper and lower leaf surfaces.
  • Learn to identify beneficial insects (praying mantis, spiders, big-eyed bugs/assassin bugs, lady beetles, and all wasps).
  • Plant flowers in the vegetable garden. They provide nectar and pollen that attract beneficial insects.
  • Most plants that produce fruits, pods, or ears can stand a 10 - 20 percent loss of leaves without loss of potential yields.
  • Harvest crops such as tomatoes, peppers, squash, and beans as soon as they are ripe. Allowing over-ripe fruits to stay on the plant often invites more insect problems.
  • As soon as a plant is no longer productive, remove it from the garden and compost or dispose of it.
  • Reduce nematode populations temporarily by "soil solarization"--a technique which uses the sun's energy to heat the soil and kill soil-borne pests. To "solarize" the soil, first remove vegetation, then break up and wet the soil to activate the nematodes. Cover the soil with sturdy, clear-plastic film. Weigh down the edges with additional soil to keep the plastic in place. Soil solarization should be done during the warmest six weeks of summer. High temperatures (above 130°F) must be maintained for best results.
  • Add organic matter to the soil to reduce nematode populations. Organic matter improves the capacity of the soil to hold water and nutrients and, in turn, improves plant vigor and resistance to pests. Additional strategies for managing nematodes can be found in EDIS Publication ENT012 Managing Nematodes for the Non-Commercial Vegetable Garden.
  • See also EDIS Publication CIR 375, Organic Vegetable Gardening.
Using Pesticides Wisely

If you choose to use pesticides, refer to Table 2 and follow pesticide label directions carefully.

  • Learn to properly identify garden pests and use chemicals only when a serious pest problem exists.
  • Not every off-the-shelf pesticide can be used on every vegetable or on vegetables at all. Make sure the vegetable and the pest is on the label before purchasing the product.
  • Follow the label directions for measuring and mixing and pay attention to any 'pre-harvest interval' - the time that must elapse between application of the pesticide and harvest.
  • Spray the plant thoroughly, covering both the upper and lower leaf surfaces.
  • Do not apply pesticides on windy days.
  • Follow all safety precautions on the label and keep others and pets out of the area until sprays have dried.
  • Apply insecticides late in the afternoon or in the early evening when bees and other pollinators are less active.
  • To reduce spray burn, make sure the plants are not under moisture stress. Water if necessary and let leaves dry before spraying.
  • Control slugs with products containing iron phosphate. Products with metaldehyde as the active ingredient are extremely toxic to animals, such as dogs and wildlife, which may be attracted to the bait.
  • Diseases - Plant fungicide-treated seed. Dust untreated seed with a captan fungicide. Many common diseases can be controlled with sprays of chlorothalonil, maneb, or mancozeb fungicide. Powdery mildews can be controlled with triadimefon, myclobutanil, sulfur, or horticultural oils. Rusts can be controlled with sulfur, propiconazole, or tebuconazole. Sprays are generally more effective than dusts. Begin control efforts early.
  • See also EDIS Publication CIR 375, Organic Vegetable Gardening.
Adapted from:

Florida Vegetable Gardening Guide (SP103) by J.M. Stephens, Sydney Park Brown, Danielle Treadwell, Susan Webb, Amanda Gevens, R.A. Dunn, G. Kidder, D. Short, and G.W. Simone. Published by: Horticultural Sciences Department (rev. 2/2009).

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