New England native, Florida resident. Blogging about boating, beach-combing, gardening, camping, and knitting. Work for Zazzle as a designer since 2008.
Pictures of the Stinkhorn mushrooms growing in my garden.
I did write about the unusual looking stinkhorn fungi in the past. Suddenly I am seeing lots of them in one particular area of the vegetable garden. You can’t help but be curious about this smelly and weird looking mushroom.
Yes, they smell, but I don’t find them to be overpowering. I began seeing them pop up about a month ago – in November. They seem to be confined to one area.
To begin with, they look like a round white ball that is mostly buried. Then they expand and become a bizarre, open-sided orange thing.
They are growing alongside flowers and bean plants, eggplant, dill, and broccoli. I was hoping they were not “bad”. I couldn’t remember from the last time I investigated.
I have rediscovered that they are not bad to havegrowing in the garden.
According to the IFAS site, they are pink to orange colored here in Florida. Stinkhorns break down material, such as mulch, to make it easier for plants to use. This fungus is helpful, as most are. They are visible for a short time, once or twice a year in Florida.
More About the Stinkhorn Fungi
Don’t worry if you have these orange things in your yard. They won’t last, and they don’t smell that bad – especially from a distance. This fungi is working to help the ecology of the location, so let it do it’s thing!
Growing the white, Daikon radish in my Florida yard. Trying a new slaw recipe to use them up.
This fall, for the first time, I am growing Daikon radishes in my garden. I direct sowed seeds in a small bed back in September.
It is now mid-November and I am pulling up my first radish. I’ve never grown, or eaten a Daikon radish before. I had to do some research into ways to use them.
Pulling the Daikons by the end of November
Growing Daikon Radish – An Early Fall Crop
My experience with growing the Daikon radish was a good one. I put seeds into the back garden (early September), watered them occasionally, and watched them grow. Of course the raccoons (or possibly an armadillo) dug around the garden, but most of the radishes survived. I thinned them out a little, but they can grow fairly close together.
The first planting took place September first. One month later I planted another section with seeds from another company. I was eating the first ones in 3 months.
As is always true, the planting instructions are meant for normal (more northern climates). Wording such as; “Direct sow in Spring as soon as the soil can be worked” and “plant in late summer for a Fall harvest” or “harvest before the ground freezes”, don’t apply to my area. I can only grow cold weather crops in Florida’s “winter” months.
The fact that I planted Daikon seeds the first of September, and they grew, is very encouraging. It was still very hot in September. This type was from Annies Heirloom Seeds, and is called Raphanus sativus (organic daikon radish).
Preparing and Eating Daikon Radish
First of all, the leaves can be eaten! I only just discovered this. However, like beets, I wouldn’t want to use too many as it could keep the roots from growing well. Also, the leaves are prickly! Might just add them to the compost.
Pick the white Daikon when the top is around an inch across. A lot can be done with these radishes. Slice or shred into a salad. Stir fry with other vegetables. Make into pickled veggies.
Here is a video I found for Musaengchae. This is a quick, and instant salad made with white radish that incorporates garlic, green onion, and very little sugar. Her radish is huge, but I’m thinking that my smaller ones would work.
My Own Daikon Slaw Experience
So I have pulled a few daikon radishes from my garden. They grew so nicely that I want to keep them in mind for next year. But, I need to find a way to use them. They taste a lot like a normal red radish, to me. And I’m not a big fan.
When shredded and added to a mix of sugar (honey / Swerve – Amazon paid link), vinegar and oil, they do taste pretty good. I added carrots. The mix lasts in the fridge for three days.
Daikon & carrots slawFresh pulled DaikonsFirst carrot! and Daikons
Because my Tatsoi greens are also growing well by December, I can mix this Daikon slaw into a normal salad. It’s pretty good. I don’t eat much sugar, so I add as little as possible and use Swerve as much as possible. It doesn’t have a weird aftertaste like other fake sugars.
If you grow this type of radish, I’d love to hear about your favorite ways to use them.
November is the month to see changes for the good in a Florida vegetable garden. It is still hot in central Florida. Our air-conditioner is still running day and night, but the extreme heat is gone. The vegetable seedlings are showing signs of happiness.
Planting Schedule
This is only my second year of vegetable gardening here in zone 9B. I have a lot to learn still, but have also learned a lot already.
September is a hot month. But I planted some carrots and radishes and they grew. Also, I planted beets in September.
This year I discovered that I can plant Daikon radish early. I put the seeds in the ground on September 1st, and they grew. I’ve never eaten one. A second batch was planted in October.
As a plus, I pulled up the old watermelon vine and found another planting space! I put golden beet seeds here on November 11th.
Daikon radish and new dirt section for planting
Also, an early crop of carrot seeds has done well. Those seeds were planted in mid-September into a fabric bag. I have since been planting carrots every few weeks wherever I find space.
Carrots planted mid-Sept.
Plagued by two hurricanes back to back this Fall – Hurricane Milton was the biggest problem. We had Category 1 winds with gusts to over 100mph. The cherry tomato looked completely dead. I’m glad I did not give up on it, because it looks wonderful now! The type is Apricot Cherry tomatoes – seeds purchased from Annies Heirloom Seeds. This is where I also bought my golden beet seeds.
I did try to grow some cruciferous veggies early, but that didn’t work. Also early cucumbers got bugs and died. I re-planted broccoli and it is finally beginning to take off. Broccoli seeds are not worth planting early.
Today, November 12th, the broccoli is finally doing well. Also, I have a few cucumber plants that do not yet have bugs. Could it be that I get to eat a cuke one day?
Broccoli in center of Vegega raised bed. I’ve planted bulb onions and carrots around the edge of this bed.
Luffa squash did not grow for me over summer. Now the vine is growing and has beautiful yellow flowers each day. The honey bees come to it each morning. Even if I never get a luffa, the plant is good for beneficial bees.
Luffa flowers
Egyptian spinach was something new to try. I dislike it, but it keeps growing. If you want something easy to grow – get this stuff. It has seed pods and spreads. I have cut it back and it re-grows. The flowers are very tiny and yellow and I have seen some bees go to them. All in all, I won’t plant more. Right now it is taking up garden space and I will eventually rip it out.
Egyptian spinach
Planting Seeds in Pots
I mixed up some soil and planted some long, purple eggplant seeds. After telling myself to NEVER GROW PEPPERS AGAIN, I ordered pepper seeds (oh boy) and will put some into pots. I’m a little mad at myself. I love peppers and add them to all my food. It would be perfect to get them fresh from the yard. I’m prepared to be disappointed, but am a little hopeful yet.
I’ll grow the seeds on this table outside, but can bring the pots in if we get really cold weather. I’ll put the plants into the ground in early spring.
Eggplants grow for a few years in this climate before they begin to look bad and have to be cut down. The ones in my yard are mostly older so I want a few new ones to replace them. I don’t love eating eggplant, but I will use it when it grows. The plants themselves are excellent for attracting lady bugs, are carefree to grow, and have very few pest problems that really bother the plant. Raccoons leave them alone too!! I also like the looks of the plant with its big fuzzy leaves and purple flowers. It’s like having cute little trees in the garden.
In my experience, the long thin purple eggplant grew the best. Other larger purple eggplants were also good, but not as prolific. The Rosita type had a lot of bug problems and I got only one to eat! Not worth the trouble.
2 eggplantNew eggplantOld eggplantBig eggplant, blown over by Hurricane Milton, but looks good! Not sure of the variety.
The long purple eggplants are my favorite. They don’t have to be salted to remove the bitterness, and can be chopped and sautéed with other veggies. They grow to about the size of a long hotdog and then can be picked. I will be planting this type from now on.
Photos from a previously grown, long purple eggplant.
Planting and re-planting in Fall for a good vegetable harvest. Bugs, weather, and animals can make things difficult.
Planting seeds is an ongoing process in my yard. Thanks to raccoons, my cats, and the armadillos, a lot of seed replanting happens. In my photos here, the only thing grown from a purchased plant (and not seeds or a cutting) is the sage.
purple sagebell peppereggplantbroccolitomato after Hurricanepepper & carrotsFall garden 2024 – Firespike is permanently angled from Hurricane winds
Where Are The Good Bugs?
I am into year two of vegetable gardening and I’m still wondering where all the good bugs are. Occasionally I see a ladybug. I rarely see much of anything else. It has me wondering if this area simply can’t support good things.
I’m not a fan of Florida. In my opinion the state is a swampland and should have stayed that way. Now, everyone sprays their lawns to kill all the things they never want to see.
All my neighbors spray their yards. I can only imagine how many beneficials are killed along with the unwanted cinch bugs and roaches. Is the ecology in my area so bad that I will never have a self supporting garden full of beneficial insects?
We have invasive frogs and lizards. Are they eating up all the good bugs that may show up? It really seems like everything is working against me here.
I Grow What Will Grow
Ideally, a backyard garden would supply food that is most loved and eaten often. What I would love to grow, and eat often, simply doesn’t grow for me. Onions, peppers, zucchini, tomatoes, lettuce, cucumbers, and carrots would be great. I’ve had no luck with peppers, zucchini (any squash), tomatoes, and cucumbers. Certain types of greens do well – Tatsoi is a favorite. And last year carrots and onions came up.
Luffa flowersZinniaBasil Daikon radish and new dirt section for planting
The Daikon radish is looking pretty good, but I’ve never eaten one. Can I make a meal out of a radish? The luffa looks sickly, a few beets look okay, the Egyptian spinach grows great – but I don’t eat it (yuk).
I’ve given up on peppers. The one bell pepper plant is covered in white flies or mites or whatever. I’ve tried to get rid of them, and gave up. I had quite a few nice pepper plants growing that simply died.
Squash and zucchini don’t grow. Last year I had a couple of Seminole pumpkins, which were delicious, but this year I have one that might be okay.
Beansborage & cabbageEgyptian spinachcarrotsbeets
I will have some carrots in a few months, and hopefully onions as well. It hasn’t been easy to grow those either with the raccoons digging up my seeds each night.
The one cherry tomato looked nice, until Hurricane Milton blew through. I’ve now propped up the eggplant that blew over too. Oh yes, eggplants last for years, but actually grow eggplants only occasionally. And they are not one of my favorite foods.
After success with carrots and onions last year, I was looking forward to Fall planting. I had whittled down my list to the things I had luck with. Broccoli, carrots and bulb onions are tops on my list. They are all growing very slowly.
The last thing I am going to try is to plant in raised beds. I purchased two more Vegega beds but have not put them together.
Sweet potatoes are not difficult to grow where I live. In fact, once planted, they may be around forever.
I’ve dug my sweet potatoes, but little shoots keep on sprouting. I’m finding them in the garden, and in the walkways. Any parts of the original plant, that have been hidden underground (roots) continue to grow.
Sweet potato slipPotting mixCompostSlip is planted
Later…
Potted sweet potato
Sweet potato vines are popping up in my walkways. The roots are left from the sweet potatoes I grew in that box last year.
Sweet potato vinesSweet potato grow bags
Some of the vines have been added to fabric bags and one went into a pot (above).
I don’t think sweet potatoes are meant to grow over the winter. Pre-orders for slips take place during winter and the slips are shipped in Spring. They are a Spring-Summer crop. I will let these grow and see what happens. The leaves are edible and I will use them while I wait for the potatoes to grow.
The sweet potatoes I dug this year were small but I still have a few left to eat. Most were funny looking and not anything like what you buy in the store. But they taste delicious. One day I hope to have a raised bed just for sweet potatoes.
It was a long, sleepless night – October 10th – spent listening to extraordinary wind. Hurricane Milton traveled across Florida from somewhere around Tampa on the Gulf, to the Space Center and offshore on the east coast. I live about 50 miles north of where the eye traveled, and we got some big wind.
Amazingly, we never lost power. It has to do with all the tree trimming the power company has been doing. And all the previous storms that help clear things out.
Now for clean upFloodingMoringa is down
We got off lucky with minimal flooding and damage from the hurricane. A few large oak branches fell in the driveway and the rest is mostly small stuff. I was pleasantly surprised after hearing that nasty wind.
In my garden, the tomato plants are dead, the eggplant needed to be propped back up, and the Moringa tree is completely down. My beet seedlings look like they might not make it, as they were flattened.
I had been excited to get growing this Fall, but now I feel like giving up. I seem to have way more setbacks than successes when it comes to growing a productive vegetable garden.
We were lucky. I haven’t seen news about the Gulf coast, but the damage must be horrible. They were still cleaning up debris from Hurricane Helene. North Carolina is in shambles, and fortunately this hurricane did not head in that direction.
The metal hurricane shutters on the windows will stay there for now. Hurricane season doesn’t end for over a month.
Hydrangeas Blue 