[dave w]

You might want to look further south than Daytona to avoid cold snaps.

[goodman3]

Originally Posted by dave w

You might want to look further south than Daytona to avoid cold snaps.

Thanks for the suggestion.

Just before covid, around the time of my original post in January, I had identified some homes I was ready to go look at. But then covid hit. But thru the winter, looked online from Daytona to Port St Lucie including Melbourne, Palm Bay and Vero Beach.

[Fredesch]

I have seen frost in Jacksonville but I haven't seen frost on my street. We live in Ormond-by-the-sea (zip 32176). We are beachside and have the Atlantic Ocean which has a minimum temperature about 60 degrees on one side and the Halifax River on the other.

We grow java blue (ice cream) bananas, grapefruit, dragon fruit and a couple of pineapples. I don't know whether the pineapples will produce or not and we expecting our first dragon fruit which we have to hand pollenate. A neighbor two streets over has a 4 or 5 year old papaya. He is trying a peach (looks terrible) and a mango. I doubt the mango will have reliable harvests.

We grow orchids outside and will bring a garden cart full of orchids into the garage 3 or 4 nights a winter. We might leave some vandas (orchids) inside the house for a week since they aren't as cold tolerant as our other orchids.

You should be aware that citrus and some families of palms are dying because of wide spread unstoppable diseases like citrus greening (candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus).

Good luck on looking at areas under the current conditions and try to become aware of Florida's unique gardening environment, micro-climants and unique challenges.

[goodman3]

Originally Posted by Fredesch

I have seen frost in Jacksonville but I haven't seen frost on my street. We live in Ormond-by-the-sea (zip 32176). We are beachside and have the Atlantic Ocean which has a minimum temperature about 60 degrees on one side and the Halifax River on the other.

We grow java blue (ice cream) bananas, grapefruit, dragon fruit and a couple of pineapples. I don't know whether the pineapples will produce or not and we expecting our first dragon fruit which we have to hand pollenate. A neighbor two streets over has a 4 or 5 year old papaya. He is trying a peach (looks terrible) and a mango. I doubt the mango will have reliable harvests.

We grow orchids outside and will bring a garden cart full of orchids into the garage 3 or 4 nights a winter. We might leave some vandas (orchids) inside the house for a week since they aren't as cold tolerant as our other orchids.

You should be aware that citrus and some families of palms are dying because of wide spread unstoppable diseases like citrus greening (candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus).

Good luck on looking at areas under the current conditions and try to become aware of Florida's unique gardening environment, micro-climants and unique challenges.

Wow! Thats actually where we are going this winter. Renting a house for 2 months. But we plan to check out homes around the area and all the way to the Tampa Bay area - most likely to the south like Bradenton and Sarasota. Possibly along the way outside Orlando.

Good to know that those tropical plants grow around there. I am partial to Citrus myself especially oranges and pumelo.

[Fredesch]

Enjoy the winter, it looks like this week will be in the 70's.

[goodman3]

Thanks. We won't be there till February. Yes, i heard about the citrus diseases. Even finding nurseries that sell them can be a challenge.

[Arcenal813]

Originally Posted by goodman3

Thanks. We won't be there till February. Yes, i heard about the citrus diseases. Even finding nurseries that sell them can be a challenge.

I haven’t had any issues with that. Quite a few nurseries in Lake County and West Seminole sell them in abundance

[double6's]

come on down to the west side..you won't be alone..everybody down here is from either Michigan or Ohio..

[goodman3]

Was a post removed from someone in Colorado?

[drive carephilly]

I'm in Orlando (110 ft. above sea level - no mandatory evacs here), have a fireplace and use it often enough in the winter. I haven't seen frost here but I hear about it in Ocala, Gainesville, even the difference in overnight lows between Orlando and DeLand seems to average 3-4 degrees. My neighbors have an avocado tree, which is huge. They said it died back after a freeze 20 years ago but grew back bigger and stronger.

For December - February the average high is in the low-mid 70s and the average overnight low is somewhere around 50F. But on any given day it could be a high anywhere from the low 50s to the low 80s and the the overnight low can be anywhere from the low 30s to the mid 60s. It all depends on which way the wind is blowing.

I moved here from CA - for the work, not the weather. I've always wondered why people move out of the freezer and into the frying pan. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to dissuade anyone from moving here. But like maybe try the fridge, or even the counter, before you jump into the sizzle. If you move here for the weather it should be because you love the sauna - not because you hate the winter where you live. If you're just trying to get away from a brutal winter a place like Charlotte, Nashville, Atlanta, etc are probably just as good in terms of jobs, not living in an icebox for 4 or 5 months, but also not sweltering for 6-7 months.

What I'm trying to say is, I appreciate the winters here. It's a welcome break. By the time late September/early October rolls around I'm ready for summer to be over but first week of November we're still in the pool. When I can walk down to the coffee shop in long pants and not break a sweat is a great day in my book.