Food-Gardening Lessons From A Wartime Victory Garden

Articles

Tag: Florida

What is the Best Soil for Herbs?

 

“What is the best soil to use when planting a container herb garden?” Question from Joanne of Ocala, Florida

Answer: You are in luck! Herbs are some of the easiest plants you can grow, if given the right growing conditions–soil included. Almost all herbs require full sun, fertile soil with good drainage, and average water. Some are perennials (meaning they will survive the winter and grow each year) and others are annuals (meaning they will survive just one growing season and die). All are very easy to harvest. Just clip the leaves as you need them, while being sure to leave enough to keep the plant full and healthy.

Soil for Herbs

At planting time, be sure to give them good soil that holds water well, is porous and fertile and drains well. If planting them in pots, they grow best in Black Gold Natural & Organic Potting Mix, which is approved for organic gardening. Sometimes it helps to add extra Black Gold Perlite for added drainage. If eventually want to grow them in the ground, plant them in a prepared, weed-free garden, and work some Black Gold Garden Compost Blend into the soil to ensure that they perform really well. After your herbs have been initially planted, water them every other day to help them become established. After a couple of weeks, you can water garden-grown plants less unless the ground becomes very dry. Potted herbs will need to be watered every other day or even daily if the weather is very hot and windy. Add a slow-release fertilizer at the beginning of the season to ensure that they grow their best. (Click here for more information about essential culinary herbs.)

Happy gardening!

Jessie Keith

Black Gold Horticulturist

What are Shade- and Sun-Loving Groundcovers for Florida?

Texas Frogfruit is a native groundcover that feeds bees and butterflies.

“Can you tell me, please, which ground cover plants do well in SW Florida, in a shady and wet location, as well as an area that is drier and gets sunshine most of the day!” Question from Colleen of Englewood, Florida

Answer: There are several groundcovers, for wet and dry areas, that are suited to your Zone 9 landscape.

Florida Groundcovers for Moist Shade

  • Ogon Golden Variegated Sweet Flag (Acorus graminius ‘Ogon’): This evergreen, grassy perennial will tolerate soil moisture, shade, and brings sunny yellow color to shaded spots.
  • Evergold Sedge (Carex hachijoensis ‘Evergold‘, Zones 5-10): Evergold produces moppy clumps of grass-like blades of green striped with gold. The plants will tolerate both moisture and shade. 
  • Snow Drift Caladium (Caladium hybrids, Zones 9-11): All Caladiums are beautiful, but snowdrift is extra elegant and brightens shady spots. They will grow well in moist soils and shade.
  • Fizzy Mizzy™ Sweetspire (Itea virginica Fizzy Mizzy™): These compact shrubs grow well in partial shade, boggy soils, and are natives that feed wildlife. White, fragrant, spring flowers feed bees and butterflies and the fall leaves turn shades of russet-red.

Florida Groundcovers for Dry Sunshine

Texas Frogfruit (Phyla nodiflora, Zones 8-11): This semi-evergreen groundcover reaches 3-6 inches and produces small pinkish-white flower clusters that feed bees and butterflies. The flowers may appear from late spring to fall. It is a Florida native that can tolerate sunshine and partial sun as well as moist and dry soils.

Asian Jasmine (Trachelospermum asiaticum ‘Minima‘), Zones 8-11: The evergreen Asian jasmine is compact, slow-growing, and it has deep-green, glossy leaves that are bright red when they first emerge. Throughout the growing season, it produces small, white flowers that are fragrant. Established plants tolerate drought and light frost.

I hope that this list gives you some ideas.

Happy gardening!

Jessie Keith

Black Gold Horticulturist

How Do I Get Pomegranate Trees to Set Fruit in Florida?

“I live in Southwest Florida (Englewood, FL) to be exact. I bought 3 Pomegranate Wonderful trees and planted them about 3 years ago. They’re really not doing much of anything. They just exist. They refuse to flower, they barely have grown at all, and one just clings to life and is constantly yellow. I planted them with storebought soil at the base, and fertilize with 6-8-6. They are in almost full sun, get plenty of rain this time of year…but they just don’t do anything.” Question from Nikki of Port Charlotte, Florida

Answer: Pomegranates are Mediterranean and Middle Eastern fruits adapted to cooler winters and hot, dry summers. Florida is not their ideal climate. They need heat, dry weather, and rocky, well-drained soils. As horticulturist Maureen Gilmer wrote: “So long as the local climate is within the cold tolerance range (USDA Hardiness Zones 8-11) and summers are not humid and rainy, pomegranates should thrive. Untimely rains in the fruit’s late-summer and fall ripening season can also cause rinds to crack open prematurely, spoiling the contents.” (Click here to read the full article.) They also like a soil pH range of 5.5 to 7.2. If your soil is more acid or more alkaline, then they will struggle to get the nutrients they need, which may explain the leaf yellowing. Excess water can also cause leaf yellowing and encourage fungal disease.

Growing Pomegranates in Pots

You can create sandy, rocky mounds for your trees, but your better bet is to grow them in large pots in a sunny spot under cover from the rain. Once you can control how much water they get, water them weekly after they become established. More water is needed as trees as setting roots and during very hot times.

Choose a large pot that’s several inches larger than the tree’s root balls. We recommend planting in a well-drained potting mix. Black Gold® Natural & Organic Flower and Vegetable Soil with 1:5  ratio of soil to Black Gold Perlite for increased drainage would work well. Feed with a fertilizer formulated for citrus trees. Follow the manufacturer’s directions. (Click here to read our full article with basic potting instructions.)

As your trees grow, prune them as needed in late winter. Any long suckers or crossing branches should be removed.

We hope that these steps lead to many flowers and pomegranates!

Happy gardening,

Jessie Keith

Black Gold Horticulturist

What Florida Garden Plants Like Shade and Wet Soil?

What Florida Garden Plants Like Shade and Wet Soil?

“Can you tell me of a good, hardy plant that can survive in a shady spot that gets wet frequently here in SW Florida? It’s along my house facing North but floods when we get lots of rain, but the flooding never lasts more than a day?” Question from Colleen of Englewood, Florida

Answer: There are a number of attractive landscape plants suited to shady spots with intermittent flooding where you live in Florida. Here are just a few.

Florida Garden Plants for Moist Shade

Canna Lilies (Canna hybrids) grow well in partial shade, have beautiful leaves and flowers, and thrive in wet and average soils. I like the manageability of dwarf varieties.

Florida Gamma Grass (Tripsacum floridana) is a tidy, grassy perennial native to your region that will grow in partial shade. It will tolerate both bouts of drought and standing water.

African Iris (Dietes bicolor) is a groundcover for shade that tolerates periodic wet soil and has attractive iris-like yellow flowers.

Elephant Ears (Colocasia spp) thrive in moist soils and shade, come in many sizes and colors, and have beautiful big, bold leaves.

Chinese evergreen (Aglaonema commutatum) is a house plant up north but grows beautifully in the landscape down in Florida where it can take moist soils and shade.

White Begonia (Begonia popenoei) is a large-leaved, shade-loving begonia that does not mind wet soils now and then.

For more plants suited to your moist-shade location, reach out to your local Florida extension agent (click here to find yours).

Happy gardening,

Jessie Keith

Black Gold Horticulturist

How Do I Organically Feed My Vegetable Garden Soil for Fall?

How Do I Organically Feed My Vegetable Garden Soil for Fall?

“I’m getting ready to prep my raised beds for the fall crop.  What is best to amend the soil with since I do not use chemical fertilizers?” Question from Randal of Chiply, Florida.

Answer: There are lots of things that you can do to feed your soil for fall and winter crops. Here are some of easy options.

Feed Your Soil

Your garden is as good as its soil. For success, liberally feed it with organic matter, such as Black Gold Earthworm Castings, Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss, and Garden Compost Blend, especially if your soil is rich in clay or sandy. Add at least 3 inches of the amendment to the soil surface, and till it to a depth of at least 8 inches. Tilling in amendments will increase water-holding capacity and aeration for better root growth. Use the amendment application formula below to determine the amount you will need.

Amendment Application Formula

([area to cover] ft2 x [depth in inches desired] x 0.0031 = ___ yd3).

Example: If you wanted to cover a 20 square foot area with 2 inches of compost, the result would be: 20 ft2 x 2 inches of compost x 0.0031 = 2.48 yd3.

(Click here for a full overview of how to prep a new vegetable garden from start to finish.)

Choose the Right Organic Fertilizer

Vegetables perform better with regular fertilization, especially heavy feeders like tomatoes. In fact, most veggies will deplete the soil of nutrients over time, so replenishment is necessary. There are many organic vegetable fertilizers on the market. Alfalfa, blood, bone, feather, fish, kelp, and shrimp meals are all common natural components of non-chemical fertilizers. Earthworm castings are also a good source of nitrogen and beneficial microbes. Adding mycorrhizae to the soil is also useful because it helps plants take up water and nutrients better. Black Gold Natural & Organic Ultra Coir is another of our organic-rich amendments that also contains our proprietary blend of endomycorrhizae. We recommend that you research top-rated organic fertilizers to find the best for your needs.

Rotate Your Crops with Legumes

Vegetables, especially tomatoes, should be rotated on a three-year cycle–tomato one year and other vegetables the next two years. Legumes, like beans and peas, are excellent rotation crops because they naturally fortify soils with nitrogen. For more rotation tips, I encourage you to read Spring to Fall Vegetable Rotation: Planting for Non-stop Garden Produce. It will provide all of the information you need to effectively rotate your crops, whether container- or garden-grown.

I hope that all of this information helps! We have many more articles about gardening in Florida, click here to view them.

Happy fall vegetable gardening,

Jessie Keith

Black Gold Horticulturist

What Medicinal Herbs Grow Well in Central Florida?

What Medicinal Herbs Grow Well in Central Florida?

“What Medicinal Herbs Grow Well in Central Florida? I moved to Florida and I want to know which native medicinal herbs to look for and grow here at my new home.” Question from Susan of St. Pete Beach, Florida

Answer: There are lots of medicinal herbs that will grow well in your Zone 9 garden. I recommend that you read our article titled Grow an Apothecary Garden: Flowers and Herbs for Healing as well as our article about growing an Herbal Tea Garden and one titled Garden Cold and Flu Remedies. Most of the herbs in these articles will grow well in your area. You can even grow your own healing fresh ginger indoors or outdoors in pots in Florida (click here to learn how)! I hope that these resources help.

Happy gardening,

Jessie Keith

Black Gold Horticulturist

What Is Causing Spots on My Bromeliads?

What Is Causing Spots on My Bromeliads?

“I have several beautiful outdoor bromeliads that sit well under a large tree.  But about two months ago, they started developing white circle spots all over their leaves.  Like measles.  Not sure if you can help me identify what this is so that I can treat it.” Question from Jorleen Aguiles

Answer: From what I can determine, the fungal leaf spot disease that plagues your bromeliads is Helminthosporium (formerly Exserohilum) leaf spot. It can be managed with reduced watering, cleanup, and fungicide, but without management, the disease can invade the central plant and cause decline and eventually death.

Reduce Watering

Overwatering encourages the disease, so reduce any supplemental water you might give your plants. If it has been an unusually wet season, try to protect the plants from excess rain. Wet foliage encourages the movement and spread of fungal spot diseases. Keeping the leaves dry helps a lot.

Clean Up

Cut off badly damaged and infected leaves with clean, sharp shears. Dip the shears in a sterilizing 10% bleach and water solution between cuts to refrain from spreading the disease further. I also recommend removing the dead leaves below the plants and cleaning up the area, just in case they harbor fungal spores. Pebbles, rock, or pine straw do not encourage fungal growth and would look attractive at the base.

Consider Fungicide

The only fungicides I would recommend for bromeliads are systemic products containing propiconazole. Avoid any copper-based foliar fungicides as these are not good for bromeliads and have even been known to kill them.

I hope that your bromeliads recover!

Happy gardening,

Jessie Keith

Black Gold Horticulturist

Can I Grow Hydrangeas in Central Florida?

“I live in Central Florida, zone 9b, can I grow hydrangeas in this zone? I used to have them in Maryland as they are my favorite flower. Not sure about the sandy soil here.” Question from Eileen of Longwood, Florida

Answer: Many hydrangeas require cold winters to survive, but there are some truly beautiful hydrangeas that will grow well way down South. These are bigleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla) varieties. (Click on this link to view many excellent bigleaf hydrangeas from Proven Winners.) Keep in mind, you are right on the most southerly edge of their heat tolerance. They are able to survive in USDA Hardiness Zones 5-9, so you will want to give them extra good care at planting time and protect them from scorching heat.

To keep your hydrangeas protected from the high heat of the day, plant them in a partially shaded location on the north side of your home, and amend the soil heavily with organic matter. Black Gold Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss and Black Gold Garden Compost Blend will really boost levels of water-holding organic matter. Follow up with a 2- to 3-inch layer of fine bark mulch or pine straw to reduce surface evaporation. If you experience any dry periods, be sure to irrigate your shrubs as needed. It also pays to feed them with a quality fertilizer formulated for flowering shrubs.

Happy hydrangea growing!

Jessie Keith

Black Gold Horticulturist

Why Is My Key Lime Losing Flower Buds?

“I have a Key Lime tree that keeps losing the flower buds, so we never get any Key Limes. Do you have any suggestions for the soil that may help? I water the tree every other day during the dry season, and every 3-4 days during our rainy season. Thank you.” Question from Jenifer of St. Petersburg, Florida.

Answer: You can always expect some natural bud drop in any citrus, including key lime (Citrus × aurantiifolia). Flower buds and blooms will typically occur in waves from mid to late winter. If your key lime is losing all of its buds, then many different factors could be the cause. These can include:

  1. Excessive water or extreme drought
  2. Extreme temperature fluctuations
  3. Pest or disease problems
  4. Nutrient deficiency
  5. Leaf loss due to hurricane damage
  6. Dry air

You seem to be watering your tree quite a lot. If it appears to be very healthy, then water it less and make sure you are feeding it with a fertilizer formulated for citrus. Reducing water can actually induce flower bud set! If it looks unhealthy, send a picture, so I can better target the specific problem.

Happy gardening,

Jessie Keith

Black Gold Horticulturist

What are the Best Fruits and Vegetables to Grow in Central Florida?

 

“What are the best fruits and vegetables to grow in Central Florida?” Question from Sherry of Silver Springs, Florida

Answer: Other than northern fruit trees and berries and a few other crops that require cold winters and droop in hot weather, you can grow most fruits and vegetables in Central Florida. We have many articles that cover some of the best fruits and vegetables for your area. Here are some of our favorites.

Happy gardening,

Jessie Keith

Black Gold Horticulturist

Growing Strawberries Indoors or Out in Florida

What Are the Best Tomato Varieties for Central Florida?

When is the Best Time To Grow Vegetables in Florida?

What Herbs Can I Grow in Central Florida?