A Vegetable Garden Begun From Seeds

Planting a garden, year two, from saved seeds. Everything growing in my small backyard vegetable garden was begun from my own seeds and seedlings.

As of the end of April, my backyard garden is nearly full of little vegetable plants. Today I added two pumpkin plants after they grew from seeds in little pots.

The eggplant plants have been growing in garden boxes near the house and were transplanted into this garden. They came from seeds I saved from the eggplants.

vegetable garden spring
April vegetable garden

Vegetables I am Growing This Summer

In the garden I have okra (purchased seeds) that was planted as seeds. I’ve never grown (or eaten) okra, so this is new. I’m finding that okra plants are pretty hardy. Some animal dug up some of the seedlings and I replanted them and they are doing fine! Soon I will thin the row by cutting off the okra I want to remove.

The watermelon (seeds I purchased) is beginning to take off, and I will choose only a few of the best plants to keep.

Also in the garden: Hot peppers (from seeds I saved). I have planted one poblano, a couple jalapeños and one Habanero. We have more seedlings in pots, but I am running out of space.

Also growing are eggplants, watermelon, okra, pumpkin, dill, and marigolds. Everything started from seeds. Most plants grew up in pots and were transplanted, but the okra and watermelon were put directly into the dirt.

Watermelon seedlings
watermelon
okra seedlings
A row of okra

I’m already planning a couple more gardens in the small yard. I’ll be moving the kayaks and white barrels to dig up that area for my “winter” garden. It’s an area that gets a lot of sun.

garden

The picture below is of the edge of my garden where I put a board to walk on. I’m hoping it will help keep all those weeds out from the edge of the yard.

board to keep out weeds

I am standing in the lot next door to take this photo (below). The back corner of my yard contains a few banana trees which I did not plant. They moved in from the back of the empty lot next door. Each year a big banana tree would have a bunch of bananas, grow a couple of new baby trees, and then die. The baby trees kept moving this way and are now in my yard.

banana trees in back of yard
Back corner of the yard

Saving Seeds

By saving seeds from your own (and sometimes store bought) vegetables and flowers (marigolds in my case), you will always be able to re-plant your favorites. And it saves money, obviously.

Marigolds are very useful in the garden as bad bug deterrents. To make sure you have plenty for the following year – or all season long here in Florida – snap the old flower heads off and save them.

After a while they will dry out and all the seeds are inside. Every flower contains many seeds, so I sprinkle them generously all around the garden.

Not every seed will root, and they can be thinned.

To save vegetable seeds, simply do that. When you cut a pepper, eggplant, tomato, etc., cut out some seeds to dry. I put them on a plate. Seeds must dry out to store. Don’t put them into a closed bag or bottle. An envelope or paper bag works, and don’t forget to label with type of seed and the date.

Because of the humidity here, I store my seeds inside and not on the porch.

Saving seeds
Saving seeds – arugula stems and seeds, dill, lettuce and pepper

The Seed Garden Beginnings

Although every vegetable and flower in the garden began from seeds, I did have to first buy a few packets. Last year I began all my seeds in saved eggshells – and I do not recommend this. I purchased Dill and Marigolds as seeds and started them last year. Both plants are prolific seed providers.

So all my purchased and saved seeds have carried over to this year.

Please keep reading….

Growing Native Milkweed in Florida

Year two and I’m still trying to fill my yard with native milkweed plants. After the freeze, my plant number has dwindled but seed pods are showing up, which will help.

Native Milkweed That Survived the Freeze

I’m still trying to fill my yard with native milkweed. After the cold spell over winter froze most things back, and killed many things, I have fewer milkweed plants. All the…

How to Begin Growing Vegetables in Florida

Some things I did and places I bought seeds to get my Florida vegetable garden going.

Although I have lived in Florida for most of my life, I have not done much growing of vegetables. Now, I am interested, and have begun to slowly add garden beds to the backyard. But how to know what will grow here and where to find the plants and seeds?

I always assumed that nothing would grow in a Florida summer. But, if you look around, the citrus and banana trees do just fine. Some vegetables are specifically known as being southern, such as collard greens and okra.

Bunch of bananas hanging from a tree in the yard
Bananas in my backyard

There is a definite advantage to having a very long growing season here in Florida. In New Hampshire my bell pepper plants would just be looking pretty good when suddenly it was cold again.

Peppers like it hot, and I’ve had good luck growing some types of peppers (jalapeño, Serano, and bell) in my southern location. If the winter is not too cold, they will come back and produce more peppers the following season.

green pepper
Green Bell Pepper

Begin the Search

It’s tough to know what to plant and when, but the University of Florida has a collection of excellent advice for the southern gardener. This page, for central Florida gardening, is filled with flower, herb, lawn and vegetable advice.

Narrow it down by viewing the vegetable planting guide, and you will be ready with a list to use when seed shopping. Decide which foods you and your family will eat and see how to go about making it happen.

When I view the lists of warm and cool weather crops for Florida, I do disagree with some of the vegetables listed. This means that maybe each gardener will have different degrees of luck with certain crops.

Maybe I have planted at the wrong time, and maybe I need to try again and take notes. But at least these vegetables have a chance of growing and are worth a try. I have not had luck with carrots or beets.

If broccoli is a favorite with southern gardeners, I will put that on my “cool weather crops” list. Now I have expanded to have a ground garden where I can rotate “warm” and “cool” crops. The only thing is… many vegetables continue to grow year round – the growing season does not really end. I have had eggplant plants and pepper plants grow for years! So one garden may not be enough space.

backyard Florida garden plot planted with seeds and seedlings
Peppers, dill and eggplant growing in the ground

Where to Buy the Seeds and Plants For This Climate

If you live near a nursery that sells plants that will grow locally, you are lucky! Big box stores like Home Depot don’t seem to specialize in selling local plants. I’d rather give my money to a small business but I can’t seem to find the plants and seeds I want at a location nearby.

The Farmer’s Market and flea market are places I plan to scour further. Sometimes local farmers will have plants for sale.

Shopping for Seeds Online

First, I bought seeds from The Urban Harvest, which is a central (west coast) based seed and plant seller – they also have many YouTube videos. I have had good luck with the seeds germinating, but they were sold out of many items I would have liked. If you live near them in St. Pete (I believe) they have a garden center where you can pick up live seedlings.

Some of the seeds I got will be planted in Fall, but I did plant the pumpkin, okra, and Moringa this Spring. I don’t know what to expect from okra, but the UF site has a whole page about okra.

seed packets from the Urban Harvest, a florida based company
Seeds from Urban Harvest

So, I continued to look online. Johnny’s Selected Seeds had a nice variety, including heirloom and organic vegetable varieties, but they wanted $11.50 for shipping just a few packets of seeds! I moved on.

Mary’s Heirloom Seeds has a good selection of beans especially, but the seed potatoes were sold out. I liked this site, but had already purchased some seeds from the Eden Brothers site.

I found mimosa seeds (a flowering ground cover) at the Eden Brothers, and it is something I had been looking for. Then I found more flower seeds and a few veggies and placed my order. This time shipping was only $3.98 which is much more reasonable.

Most seed sellers do not specify what does well in a sub-tropical climate, so have that list of specific, Florida friendly crops, ready before you shop.

If you are a Floridian and have a favorite online place to buy seeds, please let me know! I also appreciate any helpful advice when it comes to gardening in our climate.

In Closing…

Check for vegetables and herbs that will do well in our area / your area of Florida. Decide what you have room for, and plant what you want to eat! Search for a place that can supply the seeds. Local nurseries, farmer’s markets, or online. Maybe a neighbor is also a grower and would share some seeds with you!

Remember that most seed packets are packed for a specific year, so don’t load up on seeds that you can’t use within the year.

I’ll be updating this blog with my garden stories as I try to grow more vegetables. Currently my “in the ground” garden is planted and doing well.

backyard garden with vegetable seedlings
The new garden – Nearly full, end of April

Keep Reading ….

How to Use Coconut Coir in the Garden

Using coconut coir for the first time to grow seeds.

For the first time ever, I purchased a block (well two) of Coconut coir. I’ve heard about this stuff for gardening and for some reason never tried it. What a mistake to overlook this wonderful planting material!

I chose the Burpee brand, which claims to be organic. The package comes with two bricks of coco coir.

coconut coir
This link goes to Amazon, where I am an affiliate. This is the brand I bought and used.

Is the coir only used for seedlings? Apparently not. It can be used to grow plants, or mixed with soil in a pot to increase aeration. It works like peat moss, if you’ve ever used that, but is more environmentally friendly. The idea is to break up the soil and provide an easier growing environment for roots. The coir also holds water well even though it is quite loose. When watering, the water will pour right out, but the coir retains moisture enough to nourish the roots. This way, the roots will not become waterlogged, but have the moisture needed to thrive.

Coir for Starting Seeds

My basil died over winter and I’ve been trying to grow more from seeds in pots this spring. The new plantings in dirt finally sprouted and are still pretty small. So I used the remaining seeds by putting them into the coir.

Three days later…. seedlings already showing! I am amazed by this quick sprouting action in the coir.

Basil is sprouting in Coconut Coir – after 3 days

basil seedlings in coconut coir
Basil seeds sprouting after 3 days in the coconut coir

The first seedlings below were planted weeks ago in a dirt, compost mix and are still very small. I’m betting that the basil in the coir will surpass the dirt-growing plants!

Basil seeds planted in soil- weeks ago

Basil seedlings growing in soil.

By May 1, the basil in the coir has nearly caught up with the basil in the dirt.

basil growing in pots
May first – a comparison of the basil seeds

The coir does not contain any good nutrients for the little seedlings. Once they begin to grow be sure to give them something… I water with a fish fertilizer. When my seedlings are a little bigger I will put them into a combination of coir, compost and soil….. BUT, better yet, do not start seeds in Coir only.

In fact, the next time I made up pots with “soil” I used the coir in the bottom for good drainage, then a layer of coir mixed with compost, dirt and bone meal.

My basil seeds are Genovese Basil from Seeds of Change. I bought them at the local Home Depot last year and they (Seeds of Change) were not available this year. My local store did not carry any of this brand for some reason. Now I am looking for someplace to buy organic, non GMO seeds. I did buy seeds from the Urban Harvest (which is a local Florida company), but many varieties of veggies were sold out.

From Coconut Blocks to Growing Medium

If you are wondering how the bricks become fluffy medium for planting, it couldn’t be easier. Just add water. It does get a little messy. I added too much water and the stuff became soggy, but it doesn’t really matter. It was easy to pull out the coir and add it to pots and then strain out the excess water. All this was done outdoors.

coconut coir block in bucket
Coconut coir in bucket
planting medium coconut coir

I suggest you don’t add lots of water all at once as the directions say.

Certain flowering plants may do better when planted in the coir. It is also a good idea to mix the coir into a planting bed to loosen the soil. Research according to what you are planting and then decide how much you want to spend to add this fine “soil” to your gardening plans.

Use as a Rooting Medium For Cuttings

I’ve had some cuttings from the Elderberry and Beautyberry trees / shrubs that are growing wild in my yard. The cuttings have been sitting in water for a few days now, but don’t seem to be doing well.

I took more fresh cuttings and stuck them straight into the coir in pots.

Here they are: Beautyberry on the left, and Elderberry on the right. I keep the pots outside tucked up under the cherry tomato for shade.

The Beautyberry is difficult. I’ve tried to root this one before without success.

Cuttings of the beauty berry

Helpful articles about coconut coir

Please keep reading more gardening stories…

Digging, Planning and Planting a Backyard Food Garden in Florida

Digging and planting a backyard garden takes muscle and planning, but is worth it to pick homegrown food. Here is my small beginner garden in my little Florida backyard.

I live on the central east coast of Florida. As a gardener, who knows quite a bit about gardening – in New England – this area has been a challenge. In fact, I have given up trying to grow my old favorites. Squash and zucchini turns moldy right away and even tomatoes seem to struggle in the heat. All I have had luck with are peppers and eggplant.

Time to change my outlook and ways, and adhere to a new way of growing things in this subtropical climate.

Over the past couple of years I have invested in a few grow boxes. My son made a few raised beds last year. We’ve been growing (or trying to) in these beds somewhat successfully.

This Spring I purchased a Tiller. It was not cheap but it did the work of creating a fairly small garden out back.

garden area tilled earth

I have removed a lot of the roots, vines and horrible grass that grows in tendrils. Next I mixed in three bags of compost.

The “dirt” in the ground here is sand. I never saw a single worm, which is typical. I think it will take a lot more compost over the months to create a decent place to grow things. For now, this will have to do. I can amend later with compost from the Hot Frog.

Spreading bags of compost into a freshly dug garden

First I found some boards to set down the center. I remember from my northern gardening that mashing down the earth is not a good thing. If I can remember to stay on the boards, the remainder of the dirt should stay loose for growing.

Next it was time to plan the layout for planting. I had to think about which things would be long vines (watermelon and sweet potato) and those would be in a place where the vines could go out into the grass.

Okra gets tall, I guess… have never eaten it or grown it … so I planted those seeds along the edge. I only planted it because it’s a southern thing and should grow well.

I saved a spot for the sweet potatoes yet to come, and will fill in the rest with some pepper plants and more eggplant.

My basic sketch for planting is subject to change.

backyard garden planting

I managed to get some watermelon seeds and okra seeds planted. Then an eggplant, which I covered with a piece of rug to give it shade.

It was so hot by then, that I took a break inside and waited for the clouds. The forecast called for rain later, but all I got was tons of hot sun!

Some dill plants went in the corners, along with a parsley plant. Last of all, I threw in some saved Marigold seeds.

Backyard garden planted with seeds, dill, parsley, peppers and eggplant

As soon as I took the rug covering off the eggplant, it began to wilt. They really cannot take the midday sun. I quickly watered the whole garden (each plant got it’s own soaking as I planted it) and put the rug back.

Already I am thinking of moving the okra to in front of the eggplant to give it some shade. I can’t run outside every day to cover it because of the sun. (Side note here – the okra was popping up out of the dirt on day 4!). The seed packet says this okra will be 4 -5 feet tall!

okra seeds sprouting
Okra – tomato cage animal deterrent

Although my summer garden may not do well due to the heat, this section of yard will remain a garden bed. When winter comes I can plant lettuce and kale. Also, I will continue to look for hardy, Florida crops to plant.

Bought My Seeds From Urban Harvest

I found this wonderful gardener online who has a YouTube channel called: The Urban Harvest – Homegrown Education. She lives on the west coast of central Florida and has lots of videos about growing things that actually will grow here in Florida! Immediately, I bought some of her seed packets.

The Urban Harvest website

seed packets from Urban Harvest
Seeds from Urban Harvest

I bought some organic Coconut Coir blocks and have added seeds and other things to the pots. I’ve never used the stuff before and I will compare to planting in dirt.

I’m getting ready to post this on April 15th and noticed this AM that one of my pumpkin seeds has sprouted! More about this unusual, southern Seminole pumpkin to come.

More Gardening Stories on the Blog

Planting Moringa Tree Seeds

I’m getting to know about the Moringa tree, which is also known as the miracle tree because of its many health benefits. It should thrive in my yard and I just planted some seeds.

Just a few days ago I knew nothing about the Moringa Tree. After watching some videos about planting for central Florida, I decided the Moringa had to be added to my yard.

I’ve been discouraged by trying to grow vegetables here in Florida, and finally I realized that I need to plant differently. The Moringa contains lots of good healthy stuff and the leaves can be eaten right off the tree. I need it!

During my YouTube search, I came across the Urban Harvest channel. The woman in charge – Elise Pickett – lives on the west coast of Florida and has turned her yard into a beautiful food forest. (See the link to her channel below).

One of the plants she raved about was the Moringa tree. I can’t find that video right now because she has soooo many… and I still need to watch most of them. I’m in zone 9B and my research finds that the Moringa can grow in zones 8-10.

Moringa tree seeds
Seven Moringa seeds came in the packet

I planted them as is into three pots – one per pot. I also planted two seeds right in the ground, out in the side of the yard.

Later, when I came in to cool off, I found this video about how to plant the seeds. The gentleman suggests taking the outer layer off… Oh well, I’ll see what happens.

Mooring tree seeds
Planting Moringa seeds

The first Moringa seedling appeared ten days after planting. None of the others have sprouted yet. I also put one seed into the new coconut coir to see if it germinates faster.

Moringa tree seedling
Moringa seedling

Moringa tree images from Pixabay

It is also called the drumstick tree.

Moringa tree leaves
Moringo flowers
Moringa tree flowers
Moringa seed pods

Visit the Urban Harvest YouTube site here, with advice for a Florida gardener.

I ordered some seed packets from the Urban Harvest and got the seeds within a couple of days. It is April, which is leading us into the hotter months here. Not much likes to grow during summer, so I may wait to plant most of my seeds until Fall.

I’m off to plant my garden! Blog post to come.

My April Backyard and New Garden Plans

My April backyard garden and what I’m growing and harvesting.

Don’t get too excited, I don’t actually have a lot of vegetables growing in the backyard. This is what I do have, and am enjoying at the beginning of April, in central east Florida.

The Japanese eggplant are beginning to grow and I just ate one sliced and fried for lunch. The sun is a bit much for the eggplant. Adding my umbrella during mid-day seems to help with wilting.

eggplant umbrella shade
Shade for the eggplant
harvesting red potatoes
Red potatoes

A day or two ago I dug up one raised bed of potatoes. All the stems on the potato plant had turned yellow and died, so I dug to see what they looked like. They look great! Now I am letting them sit and dry out.

As is true whenever I search for vegetable information, I get “northern” growing advice. Store potatoes in a cool dark place – like a cellar! That is not going to happen in Florida. So my potatoes are on the porch sitting in a pan to let them cure – I hope.

I’ve discovered that sweet potatoes are the thing to grow here. More on that later.

Growing Poblano and Squash From Grocery Store Vegetables.

When I cook, I often save the seeds. They usually go into the composter, but one day I tossed the spaghetti squash guts into a raised bed. And squash began to grow. So I let it. And now I have this little squash! I don’t know if it will ever be big enough to eat because the plant looks pretty bad.

Nothing likes the extreme humidity here.

growing spaghetti squash
spaghetti squash
Poblano pepper plant
Poblano

A few weeks after throwing poblano pepper seeds into the garden, the pepper began to grow. At first I didn’t know which kind of pepper it was (because I am growing all kinds), but when I saw the actual pepper, I knew from the shape.

Going to Seed

The arugula flower stems have been going to seed. The arugula grew quite well during the winter months, and then tall flowers grew. Now the stems are full of seed pods that I am allowing to dry. Each little pod has a ton of tiny black seeds.

arugula seed pods
Arugula seeds

Digging Into the Earth

I broke down and bought a garden tiller so we could dig ourselves a garden. I can’t even run the thing because the grass and roots pull like crazy, so my son did it for me. I am now removing the chopped up grass clumps and roots.

We’ve only used raised gardens so having a ground garden will be an experiment. We have raccoons and cats constantly in the yard. I don’t know what they will do to the garden. Its been a year since I bought the Hot Frog composter, and some of that dirt will go into the new bed.

More on creating that garden in another post.

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