Hi From West Coast FLA!

FLA-girl 1/2/2012, 11:23 am

Hi there, I come from Pasco County in Florida, land of eternal sun until the random frost hits.... ^^; I've tried a couple of gardening methods since marriage but the SFG is the first I dare to hope will succeed! I stumbled across the original SFG book in a JoAnns, then later bought the new book after visiting Mel's website. I haven't had a chance to start my first boxes yet because life decided we should move to an apartment, then to a house...so here I am, in the winter of my first year as a new happy house owner and preparing to finally put those boxes together as soon as the last frost date passes!

**walshevak** 1/2/2012, 11:52 am

You are going to find this the easiest veggie growing method available for the backyard grower.

May I suggest you put the boxes together now so they will be ready to plant as soon as the last frost date arrives. Also, there are some plants that can go in before the last frost date. Snow peas, broccoli, kale are some that come to mind. Besides, your last frost date should be coming up faster than you think you have planned for.

Start now collecting the composts and vermiculite as sometimes they are a challenge to find. Besides, if you start now you can do it a bit at a time instead of all the expense at once. I bought some vermiculite in Dec and will buy some compost in Jan. I will buy more in Feb. I'm adding 4 more beds to my garden.

Kay

**Furbalsmom** 1/2/2012, 4:30 pm

FLA-girl, Welcome!

It is nice to know you have the ALL NEW SQUARE FOOT GARDENING book, as it does make your gardening adventure a lot easier.

I have family on the Gulf Coast near Tampa and they enjoy the extended growing season there. They all bundle up in winter parkas when the temp drops to 65. Laughing

Congratulations on your new house. A garden is a wonderful addition to your new home.

I go along with walshevak, locate a good spot for your SFG bed, and get that frame and weedcloth placed so that once you have your Mel's Mix ingredients, you are ready to go.

Speaking of ingredients, finding those five different sources of compost can be quite a challenge. The following thread is really a must for new SFGs. HEART AND SOUL OF MELS MIX

Again, Welcome, and please keep us updated on your progress. We do love pictures, so please share yours if you can.

CaptainKidney 1/3/2012, 9:29 am

FLA girl, I am just south of you in Pinellas county (Dunedin). One of the biggest lessons I am learning is that our growing season differs from others. By that, I mean for spring/summer garden, we have to plant early since the late summer heat does a real job on most veggies. I have four tomato plants that are loaded and producing right now (will have to cover them tonight since we are getting a front moving in).

Mike

kgreseth 1/3/2012, 12:31 pm

Welcome FLA Girl - I'm in Tampa and agree with Mike - the heat generally does us in over the summer but the good news is that along with Mike I've got three tomato plants that are rocking right now - not many northerners can say that:) I did pull a lot of the fruit from the vine because of the cold but hoping a cozy blanket will protect them for just a bit longer. Welcome!

ksbmom 1/3/2012, 5:26 pm

Welcome! Where in Pasco are you? I am in Lutz - another mile or so and we'd be in Pasco too. I just finished putting Christmas lights around my giant tomato plant that is loaded with fruit and covering it all with plastic. They're predicting 23 degrees tonight for us! Shocked

I'll try to post a picture because it looks really weird....

**sfg4uKim** 1/3/2012, 5:27 pm

Welcome.

FLA-girl 1/3/2012, 9:02 pm

Thank you for all the welcomes, I'm going to take your advice and start putting boxes together next week! I'm waiting on plants because I'm shy of frost, I lost a garden to it one year and care to repeat.

I do agree that we suffer from heat in the summer though, August can be so brutal around these parts... sunny

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	Hello Guest! Welcome to the official Square Foot Gardening Forum. There's lots to learn here by reading as a guest. However, if you become a member (it's free, ad free and spam-free) you'll have access to our large vermiculite databases, our seed exchange spreadsheets, Mel's Mix calculator, and many more members' pictures in the Gallery. Enjoy.