Watch My Food Grow ~ A South Florida Raised Vegetable Garden

Florida Backyard Raised Vegetable Garden

Wind Issue in the Garden

November 4th, 2013 by Lila Steinhoff
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Weather Fronts Are Windy

There is a cool front moving into south Florida, and it has blown steadily for more than 48 hours. I checked the weather report earlier today to find the wind was 17 mph sustained with gusts to 36 mph.

The wind is great for shutting off the A/C and opening windows. However, the constant wind was drying out the garden very fast, and I found out that it was pounding my eggplant. That was something that hadn’t even occurred to me.

Eggplant Suffers with the Wind

eggplant in the wind Windblown Eggplant

I planted eggplant for the first time this October. It has very large leaves like yellow squash and zucchini.  Large leaves really take a beating with high winds, but  I found something else that was even more serious.

roots coming out of the groundEggplant Stems

The wind was blowing hard and kept changing directions. I noticed that the stems of the eggplant were moving so hard from side to side that they were digging a hole around the roots. Without support, the roots would eventually have pulled out of the ground.

Trellises

Last spring, I found a fantastic sale on small trellises from Lowes Home Improvement Store. These metal trellises are much better than the most inexpensive small trellises that I have found other places. They are heavy, sturdy, powder-coated so they won’t rust, and they are easy to move around. At 12 inches wide and 36 inches tall, they are a perfect height for most plants. I bought a dozen of them and have  found many uses for them.

trellises with eggplantEggplant with Trellises

I put one trellis on each side of  both eggplants. I left only about six inches of room between the two.  The trellises are enough to hold the plants steady and to keep them from being whipped around by the wind. Since they keep the plant from moving very far, they are enough to keep the roots from being pulled out of the ground by the wind. When it quits blowing, I will pull the trellises up and save them for the next garden emergency.

I keep learning new stuff with this garden.

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Vegetables Are Peeking Out of the Ground

November 3rd, 2013 by Lila Steinhoff
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Veggies from Seed

It has been about a month since the plastic was pulled off the garden boxes, and they were fertilized, raked level and watered. Right after, seeds were planted at various depths. Seed packets always have planting times, depths and distances on the backs of the packages. For the  lettuce, spinach and radishes, I made rows 1/2 inch deep.

lettuce bedLettuce Box with Rows

Mesclun Lettuce SeedMesclun Lettuce Seed

I plant lettuce in rows about eight inches apart. I do this to have enough room between the rows to plant additional rows of  lettuce seed every two weeks. That way, we have fresh salad greens all spring.

IMG_3448Inch Deep Holes for Seeds

Green beans are put into the ground as a single seed one inch deep. I push my finger into the ground down to the first knuckle… easiest measurement ever… drop in one seed and cover the hole.

That Didn’t Take Long

It has been three weeks since the lettuce and spinach were planted, a week for the green beans and three days for the radishes. All are coming up.

spinachSpinach

lettuceMesclun Lettuce

Lettuce and spinach were the first up. In fact,  the second planting, done two weeks later, can be seen between the taller plants. When the taller plants are harvested, the shorter ones will be well on their way to eating size. The taller plants will have be pulled up and new seed will be planted where they stand now. I keep repeating the process until it gets too hot for the lettuce to grow.

green beanGreen Bean Seedling

Green beans were planted a week ago.

radishesRadishes

Radishes were planted three days ago.

I’m always excited when the first green shoots can be seen coming up through the soil. So far, it looks like it’s going to be a good season.

 

 

 

 

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October Gardening Season

October 25th, 2013 by Lila Steinhoff
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Time to Plant

It is October in Florida, and that means the solarization covers on the garden boxes come off and the prep work for the winter season begins.

removing plastic sheeting Removing Solarization Plastic Sheeting

Once the plastic is removed, fertilizer is added to the soil and is raked in to a depth of four to six inches. I use Jobes Organics Vegetable & Tomato fertilizer. It is organic, easy to use, water soluble and it does not burn the plants if the directions are followed. Then, the soil is leveled and watered thoroughly.

turning soilRaking Fertilizer into Soil

Seedlings or Seed?

I use seed for okra, lettuce, spinach, cilantro, arugula and green beans. Everything else is a seedling. I have grown small yellow pear tomatoes from seed previously, but this year, I was able to get them already started.

planting rosemaryPlanting Rosemary

So far, Neighbor Bill (Jacqie) Jackson, my garden partner, and I have planted lettuce, spinach, rosemary, cilantro, five varieties of  tomatoes, two  types of eggplant, green beans and poblano peppers. We will add okra from seed and jalapenos and pepperoncini pepper plants this weekend.

Perennial Herbs

Most of the herbs in the garden box are perennials, so they do not have to be removed and replanted. Cilantro is an exception. I plant that fresh several times a year. I use a lot of cilantro.

HerbsHerbs

The herb box stays green and provides wonderful flavors for cooking all year. Soon, many other things will be sprouting green. Stay tuned for the winter season.

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