Hello from a Central Florida suburban gardener

Hi all!

I'm new to square foot gardening. I've only planted vegetable rows in-ground like I learned growing up in the Midwest. Now that I'm living in the suburbs, I am short on square footage for vegetable and herb gardening. I'm also learning how different the seasons are here in sub-tropical Florida. Square foot gardening seems like the best way for me to get back into gardening after 15 years of city-living. I'm looking forward to learning a lot!

FL Garden Gal wrote:Hi all!

I'm new to square foot gardening. I've only planted vegetable rows in-ground like I learned growing up in the Midwest. Now that I'm living in the suburbs, I am short on square footage for vegetable and herb gardening. I'm also learning how different the seasons are here in sub-tropical Florida. Square foot gardening seems like the best way for me to get back into gardening after 15 years of city-living. I'm looking forward to learning a lot!

Boy, are you in for a nice surprise! Getting started will be more expensive, but SFG gardening is only a fraction of the work, and the results are amazing. All gardening presents a learning curve, however, so be gentle with yourself the first year.

  to the friendliest forum online, from Redding, CA.

Hi There!
     I garden in Central FL as well, but on a bit more land than a typical suburban lot. This year we built three 4' x 8' raised beds 26" high so I can sit on the side to work in the bed. These old knees and back are no longer happy with ground level beds. Since my Mel's mix is brand new, my seeds are germinating like crazy. I know that some of them will not produce for long because they are not heat loving plants, but I am a bit late getting everything planted.
     Whatever you do, do not be frustrated by things not doing well in the heat. Unless you are planting heat tolerant varieties or things that grow well in the heat like green beans, cow peas, okra, Seminole pumpkin, watermelon, collards, and sweet potatoes you may find that your plants do not produce beyond May or early June. If you are able, plan to plant a fall garden in August or early September. Most veggies will do much better then and produce for much longer. 

Enjoy!
KathyP

Hi FL Garden Girl. Hi Kathy. Welcome to you both from Atlanta, GA!

Hi all!

Thanks for the welcome and encouragement. There's definitely a learning curve from zone 6 to zone 9. My husband and I are making plans to build the SFG for fall. When we moved to our house in December 2019, I just wanted to get something planted. The gray sandy soil was like planting on a beach lol! I'm excited for us to get started on the SFG.

Whatever you do, do not be frustrated by things not doing well in the heat. Unless you are planting heat tolerant varieties or things that grow well in the heat like green beans, cow peas, okra, Seminole pumpkin, watermelon, collards, and sweet potatoes you may find that your plants do not produce beyond May or early June.

Kathy, we love butternut squash, but Seminole pumpkin seems more practical. Do they taste like a squash? How much room do they take up in a SFG?

thanks!

I think I will add Seminole pumpkin to my seed list for 2021. They are small enough, like winter squashes, to trellis vertically.

FL Gal, I plant winter squash and small Sugar Baby watermelons at 1/sq ft, and trellis them.