Interest in growing vegetables has increased over the past several months, due to lockdown. In honor of world plant a vegetable garden day, UF Extension Urban Garden Coordinator Beth Marlowe joined us with some tips about what we can grow right now.
Beth explained that World Plant a Vegetable Garden Day marks the last average frost date for most people in the Northern Hemisphere and encourages everyone to grow at least some of their food. Though folks up North are just starting their spring gardens, we have already planted ours here in northeast Florida. We start spring crops like tomatoes, peppers and eggplants inside in January and transplant into the garden in March. Squash, beans and cucumbers are seeded directly in the garden in March and April. And we’re harvesting peas and potatoes, planted in January and February, this month.
If you’re just getting started, now is the time for planting our most heat-tolerant crops, such as sweet potato, okra and southern peas. It’s no coincidence that these are staples of southern cuisine--they are the crops that can keep producing throughout the sweltering days of July and August. Some herbs, like basil, oregano and thyme can thrive in the summer. And did you know you can grow your own ginger and turmeric in a shady corner of your yard? If you decide to forgo a summer garden, you can solarize your garden soil while you plan for a fall vegetable garden of greens, and maybe even another crop of tomatoes!
Learn more by visiting https://sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu/duval/lawns-gardens-and-trees/duval-county-urban-gardening-program/