[Lindsey_Mcfarren]

I hear people talking abour orange trees but what other things do you guys grow?

I am planning on planting my poinsettas outside rather then just letting them die.

I'm sure osme of you grow tomatoes, is their one type that grows better then another?

I would also like to try and grow a lemon tree, artichokes maybe in the winter growing season when its dryer and avocado bushes.

A friend has told me an easy way to do it here is in a raised bed type system. AND that you can grow things year around here. Things that don't like so much wet might be something you can grow in the winter rather then during the rainy hot summer. Of course if everything is in a raised bed, at least it would all be in one place to cover should there be a few days with really cold temperatures.

I would like to get more into growing things because I will know what chemicals and so forth have been put on my food.

[LM1]

The best thing Florida has going for it is our absolutely superb growing seasons.
My fiancee gardens like a banshee and is always bringing in strange things that I've never tasted before, until I realize that it's a tomato or an eggplant and that this is how they're supposed to taste...

The absolute best part, though, is buying produce on the cheap.
Veggies and fruits have become extraordinarily expensive in the stores, but the "vegtable stand" type places can still beat Wal Mart each way of Sunday not only on quality, but on price too.

Just yesterday, I purchased 10 pounds of tomatoes, 3 stalks of celery, four heads of lettuce, a pint of raspberries, two eggplants, three lemons and an avocado for $20.19 from a veggie seller. That same bunch in a store would've EASILY cost me 2X that.

[macguy]

Originally Posted by Lindsey_Mcfarren

I hear people talking abour orange trees but what other things do you guys grow?

I am planning on planting my poinsettas outside rather then just letting them die.

I'm sure osme of you grow tomatoes, is their one type that grows better then another?

I would also like to try and grow a lemon tree, artichokes maybe in the winter growing season when its dryer and avocado bushes.

A friend has told me an easy way to do it here is in a raised bed type system. AND that you can grow things year around here. Things that don't like so much wet might be something you can grow in the winter rather then during the rainy hot summer. Of course if everything is in a raised bed, at least it would all be in one place to cover should there be a few days with really cold temperatures.

I would like to get more into growing things because I will know what chemicals and so forth have been put on my food.

This would be for my wife to answer but she grows all kinds of stuff. We have raised beds. We have used this kind of gardening for years. A lot of Florida soil is kind of sandy but it doesn't matter what you have with raised bed gardens. There used to be a guy who did a TV show called "Square Foot Gardening" and that is where we learned about it, it's easy. Being almost life long vegetarians growing much of our own food has been a real pleasure.

The Official Site of Square Foot Gardening and Mel Bartholomew, Originator and Author

I may go as far as to say growing our own food may have a little to do with our excellent health. I have mentioned in other threads we never seem to get sick. We also have a water distilling system and it accounts for most of what we drink, no soda, alcohol or anything like that. Just water, juices and so on. We are not fanatics and don't preach we don't care how people want to live their lives. Heck, I have owned two bars yet have never drank in my life. Come to my house and I will be happy to stock up some pepsi and hamburger if that is what you like.

Anyway to get back to the original subject, some areas of Florida don't have the best soil for growing but raised bed gardening is fantastic and you don't need a farm, you can grow a huge amount in the average yard. Year around gardening may be one of the nicest parts of living in Florida. We also have a few fruit trees, 2 Mango, 2 Grapefruit, and 2 Orange. They provide more fruit then we can use, we have to give it away. Florida gardening is a great subject for the forum.

[EasyCheeze]

we got 5 citrus trees(grapefruit, minneola, 2 orange, tangerine) and an avocado tree

[Racelady88]

My husband is the grower of food. He uses 5 gallon buckets, that way they can be brought in for cold or hurricanes. He grows grape tomatoes, cucumbers, corn, onions, bell peppers, lettuce, cantaloupe, watermelon, chives, basil, and catnip. We have also grown potatoes & whatever you call the vine that makes loofas, but those were planted in the ground.

The frustrating thing about this man is that he can grow edible corn out of an ear that got left in the fridge too long. He just plants the ear & separates out the sproutlings.

[Lindsey_Mcfarren]

Originally Posted by Evey

My husband is the grower of food. He uses 5 gallon buckets, that way they can be brought in for cold or hurricanes. He grows grape tomatoes, cucumbers, corn, onions, bell peppers, lettuce, cantaloupe, watermelon, chives, basil, and catnip. We have also grown potatoes & whatever you call the vine that makes loofas, but those were planted in the ground.

The frustrating thing about this man is that he can grow edible corn out of an ear that got left in the fridge too long. He just plants the ear & separates out the sproutlings.

Thats an awesome idea to use container gardening for things your growing during either hurricane season or the winter. I hadn't thought of that one.

[cmsvmom]

Back when I was a kid, there were U-Pik fields in South dade for "cukes &zukes" and strawberries. My mom's friend had a very bountiful avocado tree. In our yard, we had orange trees, lime trees, a key lime, grapefruit, and mango. Our neighbors grew starfruit and cumquats.

I liked the flowering trees, wild poinciana, and we had orchid trees as well.

[sunrico90]

Depends in your location, we grow:
tomatoes
lettuce
green peppers
a variety of hot peppers
spices: rosemary, dill, celantro, etc
eggplant
grapefruits
limes
lemons
grapes
green beans

A family from the Philippines grows everything in the book, they have a true green thumb....

[Mike1306]

Corn, green peppers, jalapenos, melons, blood orange, lemon, lime, pear (need to far enough north to get at least one freeze), tomatoes (I grow mine upside down) and much more.

Growing in the sand is fine just use compost around each plant and realize you may need to water a bit more.

We just got rid of our chickens and took down the coop so we are moving the garden to when the chickens used to be. Should be good growing this year.

Edit: Grapes are the next project, I want to see if we can make some wine.

[House4Sale]

Poinsettas. I'm trying my first this year. My neighbor who has a successful annual crop swears by leaving the plant in the plastic when planting it. Gonna give it a try.

Tomatos, basil, cat's wheat grass and the Spring Hill house we're selling has a cool hydroponic gazebo for orchid and vine growing and whatever else Mr. Petterson grows. He's somewhat of a neighbor.