Growing vegetables - Deed restriction (Port Charlotte, Punta Gorda: 2013, power lines, house)

[jay695]

Hello Friendly Forum Dwellers:

This is my first post, so apologies in advance if I am breaking any forum etiquettes.

My wife and I are planning to move to PG in the next year.. hopefully.

We are in our late fifties, immigrants to the US, originally from Asia. For most of our adult life, we lived in the Washington DC area and would like to relocate to a warmer area as we are transitioning towards our golden years.

Now the question I have is about growing vegetables and fruit trees in our property and the deed restrictions that is common in the PG area. I realize that without a specific property or a community (HOA) in mind this may be shooting in the dark, still here we go.

I searched the forum for the keyword "vegetable" and "vegetable garden" and couldn't find much discussion. We love to grow veggies in our yard for health reasons and as a hobby for keeping us active.

1. I would like to know if there are other folks here growing vegetables in their yard some what extensively? If so, what veggies are grown successfully?


While living in the DC area, we have grown a large varieties of vegetables in our small backyard - many of them are Asian vegetables such as bitter melon, snake gourd, winter melon, yard long beans, okra, egg plants, chilly peppers, amaranths etc. In addition we have also grown broccoli, tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini etc just to show the varieties of plants we have grown.

2. To grow these plants we need to build a fenced area in the backyard, setup a drip irrigation system etc. Is it a common practice to build such structures in PG? Will the HOA's generally allow such constructions? Are there nice neighborhoods in the PG area where there are no such restrictions?


Due to the cold winters in the DC area we couldn't grow any tropical fruit trees or perennials. We would love to plant Mangoes, Jack fruits, Moringa plants, Papayas, Bananas, Pineapples etc.

3. Any recommendation from the folks here regarding the locations in PG that will allow us to do all these?


Hope you guys would appreciate () our over-enthusiasm and big gardening dreams.
Thanks,
Jay

[JERSEY MAN]

I live in PG in a HOA. I have close to 80 pineapple plants growing along with fruit trees. No problems as I try to keep everything neat. No irrigation system except rain and a hose once in a while.

[jay695]

JM, thank you for sharing the details of your pineapple and fruit tree cultivation. Appreciate it.

Since I got just a single response, I assume there are not many people doing vegetable or fruit tree gardening in PG.

Originally Posted by JERSEY MAN

I live in PG in a HOA. I have close to 80 pineapple plants growing along with fruit trees. No problems as I try to keep everything neat. No irrigation system except rain and a hose once in a while.

[mrs.cool]

We haven't moved yet, but we have bought a house, in Harbor Heights. We've been told that fruit trees, and vegetable gardens equals fruit rats.

[TamRE]

I sold a house to a buyer in Punta Gorda Isles on a canal. She set up a vegetable garden on the side of her house in a raised homemade wooden bed. Most lots are not large enough to have a large vegetable garden in PGI, but many residents do have fruit trees. You do have to spray them and take care of them. If you were a seasonal resident, then it would not be a good idea unless you have someome take care of them while you are gone.

I live in Port Charlotte in a regular residential neighborhood with no deed restrictions and two of my neighbors have large vegetables gardens with framed sprayers. One is screened in so the bunnies don't eat the plants. We have a lot of wildlife in this area of Florida so birds, bunnies, squirrels or other critters and bugs may get into the plants. It takes diligent care. Some owners grow plants such as tomatoes or herbs in pots on their screened lanai. They don't get as much sun, but they are protected from animals/bugs.

I want to set up a vegetable garden myself and am thinking of getting a couple of these from Sam's Club or something similar. https://www.samsclub.com/sams/easy-g...m&source=ifpla

[jay695]

TamRE - thank you for your detailed response sharing what you know about vegetable gardening and growing fruit crops in PG. Really appreciate it.

Since I grew up in the tropics, I understand what you are saying about spraying. When commercially grown some fruit trees (and vegetables) may need spraying. However in our case, since we have no plans to grow them commercially we have no intention of spraying the plants.

The whole idea of growing fruits and veggies at home is to pick the produce untainted by chemicals, even if we don't get as much as the plant produces. We are OK to leave some share to the bugs and the birds.

I am also looking at homes in the AG zoned areas where there will be more land area.
Being a Realtor, Do you have experience in such areas in PG?

Originally Posted by TamRE

I want to set up a vegetable garden myself and am thinking of getting a couple of these from Sam's Club or something similar. https://www.samsclub.com/sams/easy-g...m&source=ifpla

Regarding the use of containers for vegetable gardening, here are my two cents.

In general these planters are good for growing ornamental plants as you can move them around and strategically place them for their beauty when the plants are in their prime.

However for growing vegetables, these are not a good solution - from my direct experience.

The truth is, the soil or growing media we buy from the stores are sterile by design as the buyers don't want anything growing on the media.

When we grow plants on these containers, we use this sterile (dead) media. So the result is, with good care, the plants will come up nicely for the very first time utilizing the nutrients available in the media.

After the first season, unless we fully replace this media, the performance of the plants will be significantly lower because there is no live force to rejuvenate it.

However, if we grow plants directly in the soil, due to the activity of numerous beneficial bugs, bacteria and earth worms, the soil fertility is not lost after each season. As long as we add some organic matter, the beneficial critters present in the soil, will work on our behalf to convert them to nutrients required by the plants.

Watering also is less critical when we grow plants in the soil directly compared to growing them on containers.

A simple analogy to highlight this difference is a comparison between battery power vs plugged in power. When the batteries are drained after use, you need to replace the battery. The plugged in power is perpetual as long as there is power in the power lines.

[SeaRay35]

Almost everyone has fruit trees, enjoy them!

[CindyRoos]

I'm going to watch this thread too as I also love gardening and will be moving to Florida someday (soon I hope).
I am not sure where we will end up moving but it will be on the Gulf side of Florida anywhere from Beverly Hills Florida down to almost Ft Myers. I often wonder what the soil will be like there........LOL
I have a big garden here in my present location and I really don't want to be without a garden in my retirement home

[blare246]

We've lived in Deep Creek, which is deed restricted, for 2 years so far and have fruit trees (orange, grapefruit and key lime) as well as pineapple, pepper and tomato plants in pots. Eventually, we plan on building a raised garden so we can have more fresh veggies. We lived in the DC metro area for close to 30 years (in both MD and VA). Our VA had a shaded back yard so no garden...which is why I love the prospect of having one here!

[mrs.cool]

No problems with rats, blare?