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Container Gardening Tips

Container Gardening in Florida

Why Grow Vegetables and Herbs in Containers?

Container gardening is one of the easiest ways to grow fresh vegetables and herbs in Florida. Whether you have a patio, balcony, porch, or small backyard, containers allow you to enjoy homegrown food while using very little space. Growing in containers also helps reduce weeds and gives you greater control over soil quality and plant health.

One major advantage of container gardening in Florida is the ability to control sun exposure. During the cooler months, many vegetables and herbs thrive in full sun. However, as temperatures rise in late spring and summer, some plants can become stressed by intense afternoon heat. Because containers are portable, you can easily move plants to a location that receives morning sun and afternoon shade, helping protect them from excessive heat and sun stress.

Choosing the Right Container

Choose a container with drainage holes and use a high-quality potting mix designed for container gardening. Many gardeners have good success with potting mixes that contain compost, peat moss or coconut coir, and slow-release fertilizer. For beginners, a potting mix labeled to feed plants for up to six months can help provide nutrients during the early stages of growth.

Container size is especially important when growing vegetables. In general, deeper-rooted crops require deeper containers. Small herbs can often grow successfully in relatively shallow pots, while vegetables such as tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, and okra perform best in larger containers that provide plenty of room for root development. A plant’s root system largely determines how much water and nutrients it can access, which in turn affects plant size, health, and productivity. When in doubt, choose a larger container rather than a smaller one.

Florida Container Gardening Tips

Florida’s heat can cause container plants to dry out quickly, especially during late spring and summer. As temperatures rise, containers may need watering daily or even twice daily during extreme heat. During the cooler months, plants generally require less frequent watering. Check the soil regularly and water when the top inch feels dry.

Most vegetables and herbs grow best with 6–8 hours of sunlight each day. However, some leafy greens and cool-season herbs may benefit from afternoon shade during Florida’s hottest months. Regular harvesting, proper watering, and occasional fertilization will help keep container-grown plants healthy and productive throughout the growing season.

Learn More

For more information about growing vegetables and herbs in containers in Florida, visit these University of Florida IFAS resources:

• Growing Vegetables in Containers in Florida
https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/plants/edibles/vegetables/growing-vegetables-in-containers/

• Growing Herbs in Containers in Florida
https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/plants/edibles/vegetables/herbs/

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Use Epsom Salt to Protect Against Slugs and Snails

As our Florida “cold snaps” grow fewer and further apart, heat and sunshine reign unchallenged, leading to the first appearances of slugs and snails in the garden. At first they seem small and few, but as time marches forward, they multiply, growing ever-larger. There is a natural solution to keeping these little guys away from your garden. That solution is Epsom Salt!

Epsom Salt in contrast to table salt, contains micronutrients such as sulfur and magnesium. It can be used as a natural barrier or a foliar solution to ward off our slimy little invaders.  

*Cucumber and Squash leaves are particularly susceptible to slugs and snails.

Foliar Solution: Mix one Tablespoon of Epsom Salt into a gallon water. Spray or lightly apply this solution to the leaves of your plants up to once a month. 

Barrier Method: Make a line of Epsom Salt around the edge of your garden, creating a barrier around the perimeter. Slugs and Snails will not cross this barrier because if they do, they will not survive. Remember that Slugs and Snails cannot fly, they can only crawl, it will be impossible for them to cross the Epsom Salt Barrier. 

Container Gardens: Trying to decide which method to use for you container garden? Create small Epsom Salt Barrier around the base of each of your containers. For example, if a plant is growing in a round pot, then make a round Epsom Salt Barrier around the base of the pot. 

The Slug Beer Trap Myth: Many people say to put a little bowl of beer out near the garden to attract snails and slugs away from the garden. This is False. This does nothing more than attract snails and slugs from a farther distance to the area of the garden. This causes the snail/slug problem to multiply. 

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SOLUTION: Cucumber Flowers Appear, but Fruit Doesn’t Set

A common problem that Florida growers sometimes face while growing cucumbers is, “the plant is producing flowers, but not producing cucumbers.” Believe it or not, there is a reason for this problem, and the solution is quite simple. 

There are two types of flowers that cucumber plants will produce; male and female. Cucumber plants rely on pollinators, most commonly bees or butterflies, to take the pollen from the male flowers and deposit that pollen into the center of the female flowers. A problem arises if there are no pollinators to accomplish this task. 

Solution: The solution to this problem is actially very simple. Pollinate the female flowers by hand. There are a couple of methods that can be used to hand pollinate.

One method that can be used is called the “hand pollination method.” To accomplish this, take something that has dry brissels or fabric (a toothbrush, the end of a dry paper towel, pipe cleaner, etc.) and rub it around inside of the male flower. The purpose is to make the pollen from inside of the male flower, stick to the end of the brissel or fabric tool. Once some pollen has become stuck to the end of the fabric or brissel tool, rub it around inside of the center of the female flower. This will pollinate the female flower, accomplishing what a pollinator (like a bee) would accomplish. The flower will be fertilized so that the cucumber can fruit, set, and ripen.

The other method is called the “flower removal method.” This method is very simple. Pull the male flower off of the the stem, from its base. Make sure to keep the entire male flower intact, most importantly, the inside. Rub the inner pistols of the male flower inside of the inner most part of the female flower. This will accomplish pollination. Multiple female flowers can be pollinated by one male flower. Discard the male flower, once the process is complete. 

Identifying Male and Female Flowers: Female Flowers are the easisest to indentify because below the base of the flower grows what looks like a baby cucumber. In order for this cucumber to mature it must be fertilized. Another way to tell a Female Flower, is the lack of pistols in the flower’s center.

Male Flowers do not have a baby cucumber growing at their base. They also have pistols growing out of their center, which female flowers do not. 

Below are Examples of a Male Cumber Flower and a Female Cucumber Flower

 
Female Flower, please notice what looks like a “baby cucumber” growing below the flower. This does not grow below male flowers.
Male Flower
Male Flower, please notice the pistols jetting out from the flower’s center.
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What’s the Difference Between Winter Squash and Summer Squash?

The difference between Winter Squash and Summer Squash has to do with the thickness of it’s skin. Thick-skinned squash are referred to as “Winter”. Thin skinned are referred to as “Summer”. This has nothing to do with when to grow them.

Where do the names come from? Historically, thin-skinned squash have been more popularly eaten during the Summertime. Thick-skinned have been more popularly eaten during the Wintertime. Hence the names.

Growing Squash in Florida

North Florida & Central Florida: Sqaush can be grown over two growing periods. Late Summer into Winter (August/September through December/January) and Late Winter through Early Summer (Last Frost through Early June). 

South Florida: Squash can be successfully grown over one long period. Late Summer through Spring (September through April).

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Florida Cranberry Gin & Tonic

Florida Cranberry Gin and Tonic

We are excited to share with you, our finely ground, small-batch Florida Cranberry Powder. We grow the Florida Cranberry (Roselle), harvest the fruit, sun-dry it, then mill it into a fine powder. This powder can be used to enhance the flavor & color of food and drinks!

This will be the first of many Florida Cranberry Recipes that we will be posting.

Below is a recipe for a Florida Cranberry Gin & Tonic. Use the Gin and Tonic of your choice. Please see the recipe below:

 4 oz of Gin

1-2 dashes of Florida Cranberry Powder

Shake for 30 seconds with Ice/Pour into a Glass

Top off with Tonic Water

Serves 1 person. To weaken the drink, reduce Gin and increase Tonic Water.

This cocktail is deliciously floral and bubbly. Cheers!

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The Secret Ingredient to an Incredible Florida Garden

Cracked Egg Shells

As Florida Gardeners, we come across many challenges. Some of the biggest challenges that many people face are end rot [normally on cucumbers, tomatoes, etc.] and powdery mildew. At Florida Seed & Garden, we get asked many questions about how to naturally take care of these issues. It just so happens that we have a recommendation that will not only help to prevent these issues from arising but will enhance the overall health of the soil. Remember that healthy plants come from healthy dirt.

Powdery mildew and end rot can be an unwanted scourge in the Floridian’s beautiful garden. These terrible diseases hit plants hard, making it difficult for a plant to produce even the smallest tomato. We advise taking a precautionary measure ADD EGG SHELLS TO YOUR SOIL! Adding eggshells to your soil is an inexpensive way to boost the calcium levels in our often-times deficient soil. Below we will discuss the benefits of this addition.

  • The presence of calcium helps to prevent powdery mildew and end rot. Most of the time, these diseases set in due to a lack of calcium in the soil [and by extension the plant].
  • Calcium, specifically eggshells as they break down, act as a probiotic in the soil. This leads to an increase in beneficial bacteria. The more active and vibrant your soil’s good bacteria are, the more organic, soil-present nutrients are available for the plants. The result? Healthier, more robust plants!
  • Increased probiotic activity has one more MAJOR BENEFIT. The good bacteria attack bugs. Most undesirable bugs have exoskeletons made out a material called Chiton. The good bacteria attack the bug’s exoskeleton, harming and deterring harmful bugs from the garden [like ants, aphids, etc.].

To summarize, adding eggshells to the soil boosts the amount of calcium. The presence of more calcium leads to healthier plants [no end rot or powdery mildew], more of the soil’s nutrients are available to the plants due to increases activity of beneficial bacteria, and naturally defends your garden from unwanted insect invaders.

 

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Summer Growing Season

Okra Flower

Grow your summer garden in the Sunshine State from May through September.

The hallmark of Florida’s Summer growing season are humid heat and almost daily rains. Summer tends to be too hot for many of the Spring Plants to thrive, but many fruiting plants started during Spring can be harvested into the Summer.

There are two major keys to growing a successful Summer Garden in Florida; growing the garden in Morning Sun & Afternoon Shade and making sure that plants are well-watered. The Sun during the Summer time is very intense, in fact too intense for many plants. It is recommended for the novice, especially during the Summer, to emphasize container gardening. This will give the gardener the ability to move plants around into less sunny or more sunny spots that the plants may find more suitable. Pay careful attention to what the plants are telling you, if they become droopy, while having been well-watered, this is a sign that they need to be in more shade and less sun.

Summer being such a sweltering season in much of the state, make sure that the plants are getting enough water. Signs that need water may include: wilting, droopy appearance, dusty soil (not moist to the touch, etc. Due to the excessive heat it can not be overly emphasized how critical careful attention to regular watering of the garden can be.

How long does Florida’s Summer Growing Season last?

On Average: The Summer growing season typically lasts May through September.

More Specifically: North Florida is normally June through September. Central Florida runs Mid-May through Early October. South Florida typically begins in late April and can run as late as November.

GROW THE FOLLOWING HERBS AND

VEGGIES THROUGHOUT THE FLORIDA SUMMER

Okra

Jalapeno Pepper

Green Pepper

Eggplant

Yellow Squash

Seminole Pumpkin

Everglades Tomato