Category: Garden, Growing Vegetables

New Vegetable Added to My Winter Growing List

Winter vegetables in my Florida backyard garden are mostly doing well. I’ve found that cabbage will be something to add to my planting list.

After gardening for only a few years, I’m still learning what grows best when. We can grow year round, but winter is a good time to grow the things that are normal. Carrots, onions, beets, broccoli and herbs do best in cooler weather. I’ve had success with all of these.

Cabbage

This year I planted a few cabbage seeds. I don’t have a lot of garden space, so I only grew a few. Now I am wishing I planted more! They took a long time to sprout. Once the cool air arrived, the big leaves began to show up. Now they are growing like mad. That is borage you may see amongst the cabbage leaves.

Next winter I will be adding more cabbage to my garden.

Cabbage and a few Borage leaves poking through

Although I had loads of Tatsoi and arugula last year, I’m struggling to grow it this year (photo below). I have been looking forward to having fresh greens, but I only have tiny little plants.

The Urban Harvest sells Tatsoi seeds and I didn’t get mine from them this year. I think they were sold out.

Small Tatsoi in grow box
Tatsoi greens

The Rest of It

Cherry Tomatoes

The Apricot cherry tomato plant is giving me a few tomatoes. I struggle to grow tomatoes so I’ll take what I can get. They are yellow, not red, but yummy.

Tomato plants may grow in summer here, but no tomatoes will form. This plant was begun in late summer from seed. It kept growing, in a fabric bag, and is now full of little tomatoes. I have one more cherry tomato plant I will put into the ground in February.

cherry tomatoes
Apricot cherry tomatoes

Squash and Zucchini

I am not fooled by this tiny squash and flower. Squash (of all kinds) and zucchini don’t amount to anything in my garden … ever. I won’t grow them any more. I threw some leftover seeds in just for fun. That little squash has since died.

flowering squash plant

Seminole Pumpkin Replaces Squash

In my sub-tropical garden, the Seminole pumpkin replaces squash. I love orange vegetables and need them to help my old eyes. The Seminole pumpkin tastes a lot like a butternut squash.

Alas, I had only one to eat this year. That doesn’t mean I will give up. The vines are long, and they trail all over the yard but I don’t get many squash. I will definitely try for more of these this summer.

Seminole pumpkin cut in half
Seminole pumpkin
Seminole pumpkin baking in the oven
Seminole pumpkin cooked
Yum

Loofah or Luffa

Loofah is a crop that is grown in summer here, I think. I planted seeds in summer and they did nothing. So, I took a chance and planted some seeds this Fall. One plant grew and I have one loofah on it. Supposedly, you can eat the young gourds as a replacement for zucchini. It doesn’t sound appealing.

The bees love the big, yellow flowers and it would be fun to have some dried loofah to use. See how to use homegrown loofah in this video. With any luck, I will have seeds from this one. I need a good trellis if I plant more.

Loofah gourd on the vine
Loofah

Healthy Beets, Even If I Only Get Greens

Beets grow very slowly but are worth the effort. They never get very big in my garden, or maybe I am too impatient. I love that I can use the greens as well as the root, so I will keep growing these. They are perfect for planting in a shallow grow box.

golden beets pulled up in garden
Golden beet

Looking Forward to Spring Planting

January has been a pretty cool, gloomy and windy month. We went camping for a few days in the beginning of the month and after that the weather went downhill.

We haven’t had any freezing temps yet, but it’s been dry. While the rest of the country is getting deep freezing temperatures and ice and snow, we are safe with temps in the 40’s for lows here. So far.

As most gardeners do, I am looking into the future and planning my Spring and summer planting. I have two Vegega metal raised beds to assemble. Then they need to be filled. I’ll have to get this done soon so I can plant seeds and seedlings. There is a lot of clean up and planting planning to do.

Florida backyard winter garden view
Winter garden & Skittle the Cat

Meanwhile the seeds I started a few months ago are growing – mostly. I’ll have a few things to put into the beds. First I need to harvest that broccoli.

green divider leaves long

Yay, It’s Time to Cook the Garden Beets!

A simply and healthy way to use beets from the backyard garden. Use the whole beet to get all the nutrition they offer.

I am becoming very impatient with my beets. They were planted back in September and it is now January. The tops are beginning to break off so I decided to pull some of the bigger ones. Haha… they are not very big.

I love beets, and have had a bit more success growing them this year. Even the small beets can be eaten, along with the green tops.

beets pulled from garden grow box
Fresh pulled beets

The beets are small. The Golden variety grew larger than the red. I had tags in the beds to differentiate the red varieties (Detroit red and Lutz), but they have disappeared. I blame the raccoons who love to mess with my things. I wanted to know which ones grew best, but I think the Golden are the winner!

If you are curious about the healthy benefits of eating beets (and especially fresh from the yard!), read this page at Heart.org.

Easy Peasy – Simply Boil Them

There are many ways to cook beets. From boiled to roasted, you can find many recipes online. I immensely dislike all the pop up ads on cooking websites, so I cooked my beets the way I always do. Simply boil them in good water. I always save my vegetable cooking water.

To cook the beets I cut off the tops and roots. Then, I scrubbed them with a brush under water. I did not peel them, except for the really dried up areas around the top. After that, I thinly sliced them. After boiling in water for about 30 minutes they were tender. Freeze or use the water leftover!

I didn’t get many, and the yellow ones turned red, but they are good. There is nothing like fresh picked garden vegetables.

sliced cooked beets in a jar
Cooked beets

The beet greens were rinsed and finely chopped. The beets, greens and red water will be part of the slow cooker soup I am making tomorrow.

More beets are still growing in the yard and I’ll leave them to get larger. I don’t need the dirt space this time of year. Our Central Florida January has been pretty cold so far.

More small backyard gardening stories

Growing Beets in Florida Zone 9B

Beets are a cool season vegetable that can be grown in central Florida gardens. Last year at this time (November) I tried growing beets. I ended up with a few small ones. They didn’t grow very well, and I ate more of the beet greens than the root.

This Fall I planted beets a little early (September) to see what happened. Some of the seeds did grow. I bought a few varieties, including golden, Lutz, and Detroit red. The first planting was done in grow boxes. The boxes were recently overhauled to improve drainage and make space for crops.

Beets will grow in little clumps of 2 or 3, and need to be thinned. I cut off the extras, leaving the roots undisturbed.

beet seedlings growing in a clump

Now, it is December. My beets are looking good. I’ve eaten a few leaves with my salad greens.

Golden beet pushing up from the ground
Two beet varieties. One is the Detroit red.
Lutz beet seedlings in fabric pot.
Growing beets in grow boxes during the winter months in Florida.

My later planting of beet seeds was done in the ground. Those are still very small.

Cooking My First Beets of the Season

Some beets look ready to be pulled, so I pulled two golden beets. I cooked them, with the greens, for supper. The taste was pretty good, but they were small.

Golden beet
Small beets

Challenges of Fall and Winter Growing

It’s funny trying to grow Fall crops in Florida. The beginning of “fall” is very hot. September and into October can be too hot for winter crops. But if you miss the warmer planting time, then the cold can move in and seeds won’t want to germinate.

Check out this December planting guide (UF IFAS) to winter vegetables and herbs. REMEMBER – they don’t say growing from seed. I believe this guide is referring to transplants.

Early planted seeds don’t do much. They slowly push up and then seem to stop growing. Once the cold hit us in November, most of my Fall crops seemed much happier. My growing plan is to have decent size seedlings already growing when the cold arrives.

backyard garden in December
Winter garden view

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Smelly and Weird Stinkhorn Mushrooms in the Garden

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 have growing 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!

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My First Experience With Daikon Radishes: Tips & Recipe

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.

Daikon radish seeds packets from Annies and SESE
Daikon seeds packets from Annies and SESE

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 radish and carrot slaw
Daikon & carrots slaw
white Daikon radishes
Fresh pulled Daikons
peeled radish and carrot from the garden
First 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.

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November in the Florida Vegetable Garden

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 garden bed
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.

cherry tomato plant

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?

Vegega garden bed planted with broccoli seedlings.
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 yellow flowers
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
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 eggplant
Little eggplant growing in the garden
New eggplant
Eggplant plant
Old eggplant
Eggplant shrub tied up from Hurricane winds
Big 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.

Japanese eggplant plant
Japanese eggplant growing
purple eggplant flower
Japanese eggplant

More Florida Garden Stories

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