Hello from Central Florida

Hi, I live in Florida. I built my first SFG late last fall and planted okra just to see how it worked. It worked great! I procrastinated this spring but I am still doing okay with corn, okra, pinto beans, carrots and tomatoes. (The onions didn't make it in the heat.) But I am having a great time. So great that I built another SFG in anticipation of the fall but ended up planting bush beans and squash so it wouldn't sit empty till then! I am looking forward to picking/harvesting what I have planted now and really excited about the fall! I am thinking about adding a third SFG.... It has been that easy and wonderful. I have told many others about this form of home gardening. I heard about it from a former co-worker and now a new co-worker is also trying her hand at it. Thank you for making gardening fun! I look forward to learning and sharing. ~pesmother

pesmother wrote:Hi, I live in Florida. I built my first SFG late last fall and planted okra just to see how it worked. It worked great! I procrastinated this spring but I am still doing okay with corn, okra, pinto beans, carrots and tomatoes. (The onions didn't make it in the heat.) But I am having a great time. So great that I built another SFG in anticipation of the fall but ended up planting bush beans and squash so it wouldn't sit empty till then! I am looking forward to picking/harvesting what I have planted now and really excited about the fall! I am thinking about adding a third SFG.... It has been that easy and wonderful. I have told many others about this form of home gardening. I heard about it from a former co-worker and now a new co-worker is also trying her hand at it. Thank you for making gardening fun! I look forward to learning and sharing. ~pesmother

Howdy Pesmother and Welcome:

I called my Mom in North Florida (Macclenny) and the high temps have been 99-102 degrees F. and with the Florida humidity it is brutal. Keep your garden well watered and if the plants look to be sun burned you may need to put up shade cloth to protect them. Glad to have you as a member and we always encourage questions and love pictures.

God Bless, Ward and Mary.

Thank you Ward and Mary for the welcome! I have been looking through the Tropical Region forum. Lots of interesting topics....may spend lots more time on here just researching!

Pesmother

Really nice to have you join us and now we have a new member who has experience of at least a fall season.

I procrastinated this spring but I am still doing okay with corn, okra, pinto beans, carrots and tomatoes. (The onions didn't make it in the heat.) But I am having a great time. So great that I built another SFG in anticipation of the fall but ended up planting bush beans and squash so it wouldn't sit empty till then!

I love the way you think, and I agree, no reason to have empty squares. And yes, keep spreading the news about SFG, it has helped so many people who thought that they could no longer garden due to all of the hard work.

Again, Welcome and keep us posted on your progress. Share pictures if you will.

Pesmother,
So glad you found us. It has been Hot, Hot, Hot these days and mighty smokey up here. I will be planting a fall garden for the first time this year. Trying my hand at many vegies I've not grown before like beets, turnips, and brussel sprouts for example. Do you have any fall gardening tips for me?

So happy to have ya!

Do you have any picture of your SFG? We LOVE pictures around here. We can learn so much from each other just by looking at the beautiful pictures posted on these forums. When you get your SFG up and running please post some pictures for us.

Also, please stop on by your regional forum when you have a chance. Regional forums are a great place to get region specific information, ask regional questions, and generally get to know folks from your area.

Take care and happy gardening.

Shannon - unfortunately I planted late last fall (I may be using "fall garden" incorrectly) and it was only to see if I could actually grow something so I don't have any read words of wisdom to pass on. I planted okra and spinach. The okra did wonderfully with very little intervention. Spinach, on the other hand, never even reared a seedling thanks to the hot Florida winter. The mere fact the okra grew and produced was enough to encourage me to try again this Spring. Stress interfered with timely planting in the Spring but I remain hopeful.

Dizzy Gardner - I must have spent at least an hour on the Regional forum for the Tropical South just reading posts and threads about first time SFGs, non-productive tomato plants, yellowing bean leaves, and anything else related to new gardners!! I love this forum! And I posted pictures somewhere yesterday but I have gotten lost in here. I repost them for y'all's pleasure and my chagrin!

PS - this is my second attempt at posting this. I have now lost a draft in here somewhere!

My brother's in Spring Hill and he's done well with most of the crops, but has had a LOT of trouble with peppers.

Pesmother,
Well we will learn together. I can't wait. Planning now so I will be ready to plant Aug./Sept. If all goes well. I must wait for my landlord to hook the duplex up to city sewer first. Naturaly the pipes will be going right where I am putting/relocating the garden.

Shannon, I am re-reading the book and planning the next vegetables I want and how to lay them out as well as planning an additional SFG in a more shaded area. We love spinach! On to the Regional forum for ideas!!!

pesmother

To find your "lost" drafts, click on Profile in the green bar at the top of this page.

Then click on "drafts" and you will find all of your hard work stored there.

Hope this helps.

Thank you Furbalsmom for the tip on where to find my lost draft. Now it's not lost just unnecessary.

Well, now I am not so sure about gardening. This whole SFG thing was going pretty smoothly until I started reading too many of the forums.... The bugs are really grosssssss and I do not look forward to disposing of pests. My co-worker found some cutworms in her corn and I think I found a tiny, baby hornworm on my tomato plant. But I am putting on a brave front for now because I think I spotted a baby crookneck squash! I love squash with onions and pepper! I re-read my seed packet and discovered I have dwarf okra which explains why they aren't getting taller. But the pods are so velvety... love fried okra! Three of the corn plants have tassels?!! So I am hoping between the okra, corn, and squash the excitement will overcome the revulsion. Forging ahead bravely!

Sounds good so far. I was once a bit squimish about bugs too. Being an organic SFG gardener I had to get over it, and it took some time. There are still some that make me head for the hills The huge buzzing, stinging kind we get down here mostly, and realy big beattles. When they are on the wing they sound like hellicopters.
So I know where you are comeing from about the bugs. I have found if you take a spray bottle fill it mostly with water then add just a few drops each of chilie and garlic oil and spray it heavely on the garden in the evening after the sun is not shining on it it keeps a lot of the pest bugs away. Be careful not to put too much oil in as I have heard gardeners have burned their plants away. Oh my, it does smell bad, but better than bugs or poison in my book.

So I am hoping between the okra, corn, and squash the excitement will overcome the revulsion. Forging ahead bravely

Yeah for Excitement. You can do it.

Thanks for the tip Shannon. I will try that. This weekend I am making another "cage" to slip over my second SFG that has squash and green beans in it. I will find the ingredients and make up the spray. I really don't want cutworms or squashvine borers!!