When you are looking for garden info online or in stores, you’re likely getting advice for northern gardeners. Florida is unique – we have our own climate and gardening seasons and challenges.
We have developed resources specifically for Florida gardeners to help you figure out what to plant when, plant spacing, and how to determine your sun exposure as our seasons change. These lists cover many common vegetables but don’t include every kind imaginable. If you don’t see what you’re looking for, reach out. We’re happy to help!
Click on the links for printable pages.
Seed Starting Guides By Month
Planting Spacing Guide
How to Determine Your Sun Exposure as the Seasons Change
We are lucky to have 12 months of garden growing seasons in Florida. But, all seasons are not equal as far as sun exposure goes. You might think that Florida sun is too strong and plants should have some shade. That may be true in the hot months of the summer, but September-May, your garden needs all the sun’s rays it can get.
As the seasons change, the days become shorter, sunlight hours decrease and the angle of the sun changes, causing the full sun areas in your garden to shift too. A fall, winter and spring garden wants at least 6 hours of direct sun to be considered “full sun”. If you have at least 3 hours of sun, you can consider that “part sun”. Less than than, I call it “bright shade”.
Follow these simple guides to help you figure out your gardens’ sun exposures.
Hidden Full Sun Spaces
We LOVE container gardening because it allows us to “chase the sun”. We have a lot of big trees in our yard, so we need to be creative with our veggie gardens. Knowing how to find the angle of the sun to know where it’ll create shade is particularly important in the fall and winter.
For example, we have a mature oak tree in our yard. It creates lovely summer shade. But as the sun angle changes, we have this special “hidden” full sun location to put a few large containers with our tomatoes and peppers. Check out your yards for these spaces. You might be surprised!
Learn to Grow with Us!
We specialize in helping you to create your own “useful landscape”. Whether you’re trying to grow food for you or create habitat for wildlife, we custom-tailor our services to meet your individual needs, goals, and budget. We offer consultations, garden coaching, and design services.