6 Reasons Why Gardening in Florida is The Worst and How To Make It Better

Why is Gardening in Florida so hard? There are at least 6 main reasons why gardening in Florida is different from gardening in Northern regions. Florida is located close to the equator with a subtropical climate which requires some adjustment if you want to grow the same fruits and vegetables that you did up north.

The heat and humidity make it challenging to garden outdoors from mid-May to mid-October. High temperatures make being outside for extended periods dangerous for some people with health conditions. Most of your garden variety vegetables are not used to Florida heat and will suffer in the summer. Good thing about the Sunshine State is that you can grow food year round! To make the most of your sub-tropical garden, grow annuals during the cooler months and in summer focus on cultivating tropical perennials like bananas, papaya, mangoes, avocados, and more.

“Full sun” does not mean “full sun” when growing in the Sunshine State. The noon sun is more intense here and will damage the delicate foliage of your plants unless they are specifically bred for this climate. Your plants will thrive in partial sun especially if they receive morning sun and protection from the sun during the hottest part of the day. If you can’t find partial shade, consider using a shade cloth.

Another reason your garden is looking sad is because of fungus. The rain and humidity create the perfect environment for Mold, Mildew and Fungus to thrive. It’s hard to get rid of because they live in the damp soil. One natural way to get rid of pathogenic fungus is to cultivate beneficial fungi by making your own compost. Thanks to our environment you can make a batch of really nutritious and biologically active compost in about 3-4 months over the summer.

Floods make gardening in Florida a real pain. Most of the state is at sea level and when it rains- it floods. Most plants can not handle living in standing water for long periods of time so by growing in raised beds your plants have a higher chance of survival. It’s not a stylistic choice. It’s a necessity. Also, invest in metal garden beds, because due to mold, termites and humidity wood ones will rot in 18 months.

Florida native soil is sand, if you can even call that soil. Nutrients leach out of the sandy soil when it rains and the soil has a hard time retaining water during periods of drought during cooler months. A way to improve Florida soil naturally is to add lots of organic matter in the form of compost, leaf mold, seaweed, and topping soil with woodchips. You can also use hugelkultur style of gardening or banana circle.

And who can forget about bugs! We have swarms of mosquitoes, caterpillars, grasshoppers, moths, termites, cicadas just to name a few and they make being outside unbearable. One way to keep bugs from eating your plants naturally is to grow your garden outside of the bugs swarming season. For us that means during the cooler months when the bugs are “asleep”. Starting seeds in April/May is a bad idea because that’s when most insects hatch and are hungry. Also keeping your plants healthy will deter bugs as healthy plants do not taste as good to them as sick and stressed ones.

Gardening in Florida isn’t hard - it’s just different. And if you know how to adjust you’ll be reaping harvests of swamp cabbage and bananas in no time!