Florida gardeningin October is in full cut !
Fall is in the gentle wind , the Christmas displays are pushing out the patio piece of furniture in your local home melioration storehouse … and suddenly … as the mercury drops … gardening is fun again .
Did you startyour downslope veg gardenlast calendar month ? If not , there ’s still clip to attack it . If you ’re from up N , the idea of planting a garden at this time of year belike sounds idiotic – but in Florida , we can grow through all four seasons . Of of course , it ’s too previous to institute tomato and desire for another craw of green bean is probably a stretch , but peas , collards , carrots and other moth-eaten - hardy plants are utter for carrying on through the winter . you’re able to also superintend to grow some decent shekels as long as you ’re willing to protect them on frosty nights .
On the tree and bush front , it ’s time to quit fertilizing . Feeding mightily now will encourage new growth – and that new growth will be susceptible to frost damage . Let your plants wind down for the year and prepare for winter . inveigle an excess salvo of growth out of them before the conclusion of the year is n’t worth the destruction that could leave . Tender new growth on citrus , pomegranates , cattley guavas , fig and olives suffer terribly .
Speaking of frigidity , do you have a greenhouse ? If so , you could keep it warmer for your plantsby adding “ caloric mass . ”(i.e . , “ something that harbour heat . ” )
One of the best ways to do this is to buy 55 - gallon tympan , fill them with H2O and come out them about the space . I did this in my unwarmed greenhouse and was amazed at the difference of opinion it made . The docile heat of the barrels protected even my to the full tropical plant – there was n’t even a touch of frostbite . Just make that thin radiant heat is very helpful – and it hold open you from more expensive heat selection . In Florida , merely concord on to the warmth of the day is usually good enough for most greenhouse plant .
Also , if you ’ve ever want to grow tropic plants but have n’t been able to pull out it off , take a spirit at the south side of your house . Do you have a sunny wall there ? You might be storm by what you may acquire . I ’m currently grow pineapple , banana and a cardinal lime tree mightily next to my south wall . It ’s my own piddling piece of USDA Zone 10 and I love it . Experiment and see what you could do – I ’ve noticed that if I get further than 2 ’ from the paries , the icing damage really picks up . Just like barrels in your greenhouse , a gracious concrete paries really holds the heat … think about essay something unexampled there .
xOctober is a skillful month for putting in deciduous trees . If you ’ve always desire a peach or a plum , a springy oak or a dogwood , snag one and constitute it now . It ’ll go to eternal sleep and awake refreshed and quick to go in the spring . Though we do n’t see leave of absence in the wintertime , the tree is still putting out roots and gathering military posture while it awaits the paying back of warm atmospheric condition . Plant now and you get a start on next year .
Until next fourth dimension , enjoy your gardening .
