With crisper winds and cooler nights, October marks the start of the dry season in Florida. The bigger storms are fewer and far between, and the chance of rain peters out.
No matter the size of your backyard space, break out your gloves and tools, because now is the perfect time to start planning and planting for a beautiful garden come spring and early summer.
Small Space Gardening Solutions
Even if you don't benefit from a rolling back yard, you can still grow your own veggies and fruits in the comfort of your own patio! Container gardening is one of the most popular trends in the area, with thousands of homeowners capitalizing on the trend.
There are certain advantages to container gardening, for instance, potted plants are easy to move to around when you want to get more (or less) sunlight to keep plants growing happily throughout the season. It's also easy to move them to safety when storms or unexpected frost comes knocking. On the flip side, container gardening requires more care and watering to ensure plants are hydrated properly and draining sufficiently. You may also need to fertilize them more often, as soil in containers tends not to hold nutrients for as long as ground soil.
What To Plant
Not a seasoned gardener? No problem. Though the process of gardening isn't intuitive, there are tons of easy options for amateurs who can kill cacti. This not-so-comprehensive list will get you off on the right foot.
Bedding Plants & Flowers
Even though temperatures are still warm, it's a fine time to start planting these varietals for the cooler months ahead: Asters, Baby's Breath, Bachelor's Buttons, Balsam, Calendulas, Candytufts, Carnations, Cosmos, Cockscombs, Daisies, Dianthus, Forget-Me-Nots, Gaillardias, Globe Amaranth, Hollyhocks, Lace Flowers, Lobelias, Lupines, Marigolds, Nasturtiums, Pansies, Salvias, Scabiosa, Snapdragons, Statice, Stock, Strawflowers, Sweetpeas, Sweet William, Verbenas, Zinnias and other cool season flowers.
Herbs
Add a flavourful touch to your kitchen when there are fresh herbs at your finger tips: Anise, Basil, Borage, Chives, Chervil, Cilantro, Coriander, Fennel, Garlic, Lavender, Marjoram, Mint, Parsley, Rosemary, Sage, Sesame, Sweet Marjoram, Thyme and most other herbs
Vegetables
Plant these crops now to grow and produce throughout the winter months: Beets, Broccoli, Cabbage, Chinese Cabbage, Carrots, Collards, Cucumbers, Kale, Kohlrabi, Leek, Lettuce, Mustard, Okra, Onion Sets, Parsnips, Peppers, Pumpkins, Rhubarb, Romaine, Rutabagas, Spinach, Squash, Strawberries, Sweet Corn, Swiss Chard, Tomatoes and Turnips.
