Garden in Central Florida

Gardening in Central Florida, we have some unique challenges in our experimentation with the earth. These are some of the elements we will be learning to work with:

First, our soil is very sandy, which makes it extremely easy to work with, but it lacks rich organic matter and drains water quickly.

Secondly, our seasons in no way resemble those described in gardening books. We sort of have two seasons: "decent" (October through April) and "extremely hot" (May through September). Add to this the fact that we have a "wet season" (June through September) and a "dry spell" (April and May), and you see our confusion when it comes to ordinary "spring," "summer," or "fall" crop divisions.

Likewise, and thirdly, our climate thus requires modifications to many recommended gardening methods. For example, we must ignore the most often recommended watering regiment (water deeply but not often), since the heat dries out the sand quickly.

Then, of course, comes the humidity, which makes many Southern gardens more susceptible to plant diseases. And with no winter, we have no respite of pests either.