Starting a vegetable garden in Florida can be very# intimidating.

There's so many things to consider, like what vegetables grow well here.

Do you want# to grow from seed or seedling?

Do you have enough sun or water?

I call this decision overload.# That's why I want to make this process simple and easy for all beginners out there.

I've been# gardening for around 7 years now, and trust me, I've failed more than I can count, but every# failure has helped me discover what works best in my space.

Now, I harvest around 200 pounds of fresh# food every year.

So, be patient with yourselves during this first season.

Fall in love with the# process and you'll get better every year.

Today,#I'm breaking down my monthly gardening schedule# into 10 easy steps so you don't get overwhelmed.

We'll talk about location and watering and# soil and the best time to start planning, planting, and harvesting, which I think is the# best part.

I'm also going to share five easy-to grow vegetables and five that beginners,# including myself, usually struggle with.

Florida doesn't have your typical garden# season, especially South Florida.

It's a subtropical wonderland with unique weather, soil,# and growing cycles, which mean we have to grow a little differently here.

First, we technically# have two seasons instead of four.

We have a dry season from November to April, and we have a wet# season from May to October.

This impacts what we grow and when we grow it.

Second, Florida doesn't# really have a winter, so we have endless sunshine.

Most Florida gardeners can plant something nearly# every month if you choose the right crops for the season.

We can grow warm season crops like# eggplant and tomatoes, as well as cool season crops like kale or broccoli.

This means more# fresh food, less store-bought produce, and a healthier lifestyle all year long.

Unfortunately,# warmer temperatures also mean more bugs like white flies and aphids, and even this one that's# eating my green beans.

We think of them as pests, but in nature, everything plays a role.

Now, let's# get into vegetable gardening.

Step #1,#planning.

I like to start in May.

This means# researching what works best in your Florida#zone.

Here in Florida, we have a plant hardiness# zones that range between zone 8b to zone 11b.

I live around 11a, 11b depending on the season, but# make sure you check your USDA plant hardiness zone online to see where you are and which plants will# thrive in your area.

Once you choose your crops, check your seed catalogs and nursery websites# to see what's available and what fits in your budget.

Gardening can be expensive,# so it's okay to start small.

Step #2, seed or seedling.

In June, I decide if I# want to grow from seed or purchase seedlings, which you can see here are very young veggie# plants.

For beginners, I recommend getting seedlings at your local nursery.

You can buy# them around 2 weeks before you're ready to put them in the ground.

I usually buy them around# mid-September.

If you want to start from seed, it's important to know that some vegetables can be# direct sow, which means the seeds go straight into the soil.

For example, green beans or carrots.# Other seeds like broccoli or eggplants need to grow indoors before they're moved outside.# This can be tricky for beginners.

I actually just started growing my own seeds last year.

And# for those of you that are brave enough to try, remember indoor seeds take around 8 to 12 weeks# to grow before you introduce them to the outside world.

I would start these in July.

But how do# you know which type of seed you have?

Check your seed packets.

So many of us, including myself, buy# seeds and don't realize that there's instructions on the packaging.

And when you go to the store,# you're also going to need some gardening tools.

I like to have gloves, a trowel, a watering can, some# labels, and sometimes you might need a shovel.

Step #3, plan your layout.

In June, I like to# observe my space and ask myself three questions.

Number 1, do you have enough space for# your plants?

Each veggie needs to be spaced out differently to grow to their mature# size.

So, do your research.

Number 2, does your space get 6 to 8 hours of full sun?# The sun is an important source of energy and growth for your vegetables.

Too little# sun can weaken the plant.

Number 3, does it drain well?

Do you have easy access to# water like a hose or sprinklers?

You don't want water pooling around your vegetables because# that can cause root rot or other diseases.

And you want water nearby to make sure it's easier# to water your plants every day.

If you answer yes to all the three questions, then you just# found the perfect spot for your veggie garden.

Now you get to decide if you want to plant them# in the ground, in containers, or in garden beds.

If you're considering garden beds, a# couple things to keep in mind.

Number one, the cost associated with purchasing garden beds.# Do you want wood?

Do you want metal?

Do you want plastic?

Those are questions you have to ask# yourself.

Number two, the cost of soil.

Garden beds can be very expensive because soil can# be very expensive.

So, you have to keep that in mind.

And number three is the space.

Do you# have the space to be able to build garden beds?

If you're limited with space, it's okay.# Container garden is as efficient as garden beds or in the ground.

It's less expensive.# You can grow all types of food.

And you can have all types of shapes and sizes and aesthetic# when it comes to containers.

If you're thinking#about planting in the ground, ... remember.

It's not that expensive as garden beds 'cause you're not purchasing a lot of soil, but you# are mending our soil because Florida soil is very, very low in nutrients.

So, a really good bag# of compost is an essential part of growing in the ground.

And that takes me to our next#steps.

Step #4, prepare the earth.

In July, you want to start removing your weeds and old# plant debris to make sure your space is clean and ready.

You can also find out what type of soil# you have by grabbing a handful, squeezing it, and seeing if it falls apart.

If it falls apart,# it's sandy.

If it sticks together, it's clay.

And if it holds its shape but crumbles when poked,# then it's loam.

Loam is ideal, but here in Florida, most of our soil is sandy or limestone# based, which is horrible for gardening.

Luckily, soil gets better over time.

If you're growing in# the ground, supplement your soil with compost or organic matter.

You can purchase this at any local# hardware store or nursery.

Here in my garden, I have a compost bin.

I like to put dead leaves,# banana peels, and even kitchen scraps to make my own compost.

The more compost you add to the# garden, the more life you will bring to your soil.

For those of you using garden beds, you can# use a mixture of garden soil and potting mix and of course some compost.

You might be wondering# why I'm not mentioning fertilizers.

This can get a bit complicated for beginners.

So, I recommend# trying compost first.

Step#5, nurture and#anticipate.

From August to September, you go into#nurturing phase.

That means prepping any remaining garden beds and observing your space.

Are there# pollinators visiting your area?

Many vegetables require pollination, so having pollinators is# a good sign.

Are you seeing any drainage problems or is your space getting too much shade?

This is a great time to change up your layout before you're ready to plant.

Step #6, planting#time!

October is my favorite month because it's finally time to plant your vegetables.

Grab your# seedlings that you either purchase in store or grew indoors and carefully put them into your# prepared beds or in the ground or your containers.

Make sure to space them out accordingly to mature# plant size.

If you have direct sow seeds, which go straight into the soil, you can start planting# them as well.

Once everything's planted, make sure to label them.

You also need to water all your# vegetables thoroughly to help them establish their roots.

I like to put a timer on and water them for# around 10 minutes to retain moisture.

Remember, apply mulch around the base of the plants.

Step##7, enjoy and tend.

From November to January, it's time to tent your garden daily.

Remember,#plants are living things that thrive on attention.

So, even if you have sprinklers, don't assume your# plants are doing okay.

That's the first mistake many beginners make.

I know life can get busy, but# the more you go outside, the easier it is to check for pest, diseases, or watering needs before it's# too late.

I like to water by hand so I can really enjoy my plants and keep an eye on them.

If you# start noticing a lot of bugs on your vegetables, don't panic.

You can handpick any caterpillars or# beetles.

If you see aphids or whiteflies, you can blast them with water.

Sometimes I like to wipe# my leaves with a damp cloth.

Step #8, harvest and renew.

From February to April, many... 90 to 120 days after planting, you can finally# enjoy the fruits of your labor.

And if you have more than you can eat, remember to share them with# family, friends, and neighbors.

Step #9, rotate#and refresh.

This is also the time to pl... two.

It's the perfect window to start new seeds or seedlings and decide what your next planting# cycle is going to look like.

Remember, don't plant the same crop in the same bed.

Rotating your# crop helps keep the soil from getting depleted.

Step #10, rest and restore.

Now, we're back in# May, and this is when Florida's intense heat and humidity make gardening extremely difficult.# High temperatures bring more pest, and stress out your plants.

So, let your garden rest.

I use# this time to improve my soil.

I add compost, organic matter, and apply heavy mulch to my soil# to keep it healthy and happy.

It's also really important to look back at your growing season.# Ask yourself what went wrong, what went right, and how you can improve.

Now that we have our plan# in place, I want to share my five easy-to-grow#vegetables.

This is kale, and I think kale is an# easy crop to grow for beginners.

As you can see, it's a lush crop that will give you an abundance# amount of food throughout the growing season.

I planted these in October.

Kale is a cool season# crop, so they prefer more of the cooler weather.

So don't try to plant these in July or August# 'cause it'll be too hot for them and they might go into their bolt and they create flowers.

But you# want to plant these at the beginning or the end of October.

And this crop here, which I have 10# plants, will last me all the way up to December, which is a really good amount of food and a# small amount of space when you think about a crop.

I actually enjoy growing my kale# in between lettuce because I do find that lettuce does really well with indirect# sunlight and because they're sensitive to sun, the kale gives them a little slight protection# over it.

When it comes to planting kale, keep in mind that brassicas usually do really# good when you start them indoors or when you purchase them as seedlings.

I actually started# these 10 indoors.

I went ahead and planted them.

If you can kind of see, they're actually planted# around 8 to 12 inches apart.

They actually like the soil to be moist.

So, don't let them dry too# much.

So, when you're harvesting kale, what's really cool about it is we're not removing the# entire plant.

The cool thing about kale is that all you're doing is snapping the amount of kale# that you want to eat.

You just snap as many as you want.

You have a beautiful salad to eat.

And then# the next day you snap some more.

What will happen is that the new leaves will start to grow from# the top.

And as you're harvesting, you're only harvesting from the bottom up, meaning that you'll# have kale for a long period of time.

If you love#looking for treasure, I would hig... green beans.

This is a crop that will give you an abundance amount of food throughout the growing# season.

This is actually a warm season crop.

The best part of these is they're actually direct# sow into the ground, which means all you need to buy is a pack of seeds.

You can purchase your# seeds.

They're actually planted 2 to 4 inches apart and you can space them out in rows around 12 to 8# inches apart.

This garden bed here has three rows.

So, I have around 30 seeds that I planted early in# October.

Green beans come in two varieties.

They come in a bush bean, which are low and they sort# of look like a bush.

The other form is your pole beans, which means they go straight up.# They will need a trellis and pole beans require a little more water.

I prefer the bush beans# because I actually water by hand here.

And I prefer to have less water to be able to harvest my# vegetables.

This is a crop that is really fun to harvest.

And if you have kids, this is a fantastic# activities for them to be involved.

All you have to do is basically look for treasure.

And once you# find one, you just snap it off.

And look, I have a#snack for us to eat together.

Peppers are a great#addition to any Florida garden.

Peppers have tons of variety.

There's sweet peppers, there's hot# peppers, there's jalapenos, there's all kinds of really cool variety of peppers, but I say stick to# one.

It is the easiest way to manage them better.

I prefer to grow sweet peppers just because I love# to snack on sweet peppers.

This bunch of peppers here, they're only six plants, and trust me, six# plants go a long way.

It's easier to manage them, easier to have pest management when you're taking# care of your peppers.

Peppers are a warm crop, meaning that you can actually start them a little# warmer or a little sooner in a growing season here in Florida around August, September.

They actually# need to be started indoors or you buy seedlings.

I actually prefer to purchase my seedlings when# it comes to pepper.

You plant them every 8 to 12 inches apart.

And another trick that I like to do# is I don't like my leaves to touch the ground.

I think that this helps with pest management and# avoiding any diseases to jump on your leaves because peppers are susceptible to aphids and# whiteflies.

In addition to that, I think it's important to stake your peppers.

We tend to ignore# the fact that they don't need stakes.

But as the pepper starts to grow, the weight of the pepper# sort of shifts your roots and you don't want to disturb what's underneath the soil.

We want# to make sure that we protect the roots of the peppers.

And of course, don't forget to mulch.# So keep peppers in mind when you're designing or you're planning out your vegetable gardens.# It's a great addition to have and as you can see, it's a great snack to have throughout the day.

Eggplant is a vegetable I think everyone should grow.

I find it relatively easy.

This is Chinese# string variety.

But the cool thing about eggplant, they come in so many varieties and so many colors.# So that's something to keep in mind when you want to start them from from seed 'cause you want eggplant# to be started indoors.

You give them around 6 to 8 weeks to grow.

And when you give that possibility,# you give the plant a chance to survive once you expose it to our Florida sun.

When I plant them,# I only planted four plants this season and you don't need any more than that because you will# get abundance amount of food.

Do space them out between 12 to 24 inches apart.

They need space to be# able to have really good airflow to prevent any type of diseases and to allow the leaves to dry# when it's really dewy out in the morning.

I try to make sure to cut the leaves from the bottom.# It helps to avoid any type of diseases or fungus kind of jumping up onto the leaves.

So, what# I'll do is I'll go around and sort of snip all the lower leaves of the plant to make sure that I# kind of keep the ground of it, of the plant clean.

Make sure you're mulching as well, which is key# to any vegetables.

Another thing to keep in mind, just like I mentioned, in peppers, I you have# to make sure to stake your eggplants.

Eggplants get relatively large.

They get heavy.

The plant# starts to shift, or what I like to say, it starts to dance.

And you do not want the plant to dance# because you don't want to affect the root system in the plant.

So staking is an important part of# growing eggplant.

When it comes to harvesting, eggplants typically take around 60 to 90 days# depending on the variety.

So when you harvest it, you basically snip and you get sort of a# very sort of long and narrow uh eggplant, which this is great for me if I'm the only one# eating eggplant.

But I enjoy this variety.

This probably took around 60 days.

um to sort of ripen# and it's ready to eat and enjoy with your healthy#meal.

Do you see how beautiful this is?

The collard green.

This is something that I encourage everyone to grow.

Collard greens are a cool season# crop.

They do better in the later of the year, especially in South Florida.

They don't do well# with too much heat.

So, you want to start planting these probably in mid-October to even November.# So, collard greens don't need full sun like most vegetables do.

They can do well with only six# hours of sun and they don't mind the shade.

So if you have an area in your yard that gets more shade# than sun, think about the collar green.

And as you can see, this is one leaf.

So imagine harvesting# three of these.

That means you have a really good collard green dinner.

So when it comes to spacing,# as you can see, they require a lot of space.

I will consider 24 to even 48 inches when you're# planting collard greens.

I know it kind of looks kind of crowded here in my space.

I actually enjoy# to grow my collard greens next to my Swiss chard, but I only actually have two plants, which is not# a lot of plants, but that is enough to just feed a family of five like my household.

Collard green, you# can actually start them indoor or direct sow.

So, it's really up to you.

I prefer to start them# indoor.

I just planted two seeds.

I nurtured them and then I put them into the ground.

And within# 60 days, probably sooner than that, you'll be able to harvest a fresh batch of collard greens for# your household.

And when you're harvesting them, remember to harvest from the bottom so you# encourage new growth from the top.

So, this is a really easy and fun variety of greens to grow, and# they will give you an abundance amount of food.

You're probably wondering why I haven't# mentioned some of the top vegetables that we all love to grow like tomatoes and broccoli and# carrots and onions.

But I'm going to be honest, I find these to be a little challenging.

And when# I started this process, I struggled.

But hopefully some of the tips that I'm going to share with you# would allow you to be successful as you venture into these very popular vegetables.

So tomatoes# can be fussy and many of us have that experience with tomatoes.

Number 1, tomatoes actually need# a stake.

And these are very large stakes.

These are actually furring strips that I purchased at big# hardware stores.

They're 12 feet tall.

But believe it or not, this tomato plant can reach this.

So I# think having a really strong stake for tomatoes to sort of shoot up, it's a very good way to keep the# plant stable.

Number 2, make sure your leaves are not dense because you want airflow to go# through the plant itself.

Tomato plants are very susceptible to diseases.

So, you want to make sure# that you're keeping the leaves dry.

And how do you keep the leaves dry is to make sure that they# get a lot of sun.

These tomato plants are full sun.

They do not want any shade.

So, keep that# in mind.

Another trick is making sure that you're watering the ground.

Tomatoes don't like to be# wet.

The leaves are susceptible to diseases.

So, make sure that when you're watering, try# to keep the water to the ground.

Of course, we can control rain, but it sort of helps when# you are not watering from the top and you're watering from the bottom.

And as you can see, I# have a batch behind me.

They want space.

Tomato plants don't like to be next to each other.# And if these varieties are too challenging, don't forget our Everglades tomato that are native to Florida.

Do you know what this is?

The infamous broccoli.

The one that we all should be growing# and eating as fresh vegetables.

Sometimes broccoli can be a little challenging at times, but remember# this, heat.

They are very susceptible to heat.

Our Florida sun is very harsh, so remember to keep# them mostly in the shade.

This bed here gets mostly shade in the morning and after around kind# of the afternoon is when it starts to get sun.

If they get too much heat or too much sun, they're# going to bolt, which mean they're going to start flowering and you're not going to get very good# and tender broccoli.

So, keep that in mind.

When it comes to spacing, broccolis get large.

In# this bed here, I only have six plants.

And as you can see, it's very dense.

I will probably# space them out a little more, but it's trial and error.

So, next time I will probably grow four instead# of six.

But as you can see, they're very broad plants.

And leaves are edible as well.

So# don't forget to eat the leaves.

You can sauté them with some salt and pepper and a little bit of# garlic.

I call that chef's kiss.

But remember, heat is where we find it challenging when it comes to# broccoli.

So stay away from the sun.

And trust me, you'll be successful.

When you're planting carrot#seeds, remember these key things.

The seeds of carrots are very tiny.

And I tend to forget that# because when I usually pour the seeds in my hand, I'm losing half the seeds.

So, you know, I like to# be thorough now to make sure that what I'm pouring in my hand stays there.

And what I'll do is I'll# make a very fine straight line, an indention in the soil.

I will go and open my seed package and# I will sprinkle a very generous amount of seeds.

And what you're going to do is you're going to# cover those seeds with very fine soil out of peat moss or coconut coir.

Carrot seeds do not# like anything around it, any obstruction.

So do not mulch your bed.

After that step, you want# to cover the seed.

And this is something that I learned from a good friend of mine that's worked# wonders for me.

I cover the seeds with a piece of cardboard or a piece of wood, anything flat to# prevent the seed from shifting.

Throughout the days, I will uncover it, mist it, make sure that# your soil is always moist, but I will continue to cover it for around 10 days.

After 10 days,# the seeds start to germinate.

Once you start to see the seeds sprout, it's time to thin them out,# which actually means you're removing some of the seeds.

And I know that's hard to do.

You want to# give the carrots and depends on the variety too, enough space to grow under the ground.

They need# around six to eight inches of space between each other.

So, what I would do is I will remove# anything within that space.

I left around 7 inches here of space.

Probably less than that# because this is a very small variety of carrots.

But if you're growing a larger variety of carrots,# you want to give them a good 8 inches of space.

So, keep that in mind.

So, don't feel bad when you# hear that you have to thin out your carrots or remove carrots, but trust me, that will help#you in the the long run achieve really good, large and yummy carrots.

Onions, really fun vegetable#to grow here in South Florida.

I think the hardest part about onions is our lack of patience.# Onions take between 50 to even 150 days to actually produce an onion.

To skip most of that# time, I would highly recommend that you buy onion sets.

Find yourself a reputable farmer out there# that will actually ship you a pack of onion sets.

And I usually buy these probably in like August# here in Florida and they'll ship them out between October and November.

When you're purchasing# onion sets, remember onions come in two variety, a short day and a long day.

Here in Florida, you# want to buy the short day variety of onion sets.

This is the variety that does really well for us# here in Florida.

Onions like to have a lot of sun, but they also require really good drainage when# it comes to soil.

When you're planting onions, make sure you keep a mound over them so the water# doesn't sit if it rains or if it's a soggy area.

So, next time you consider onions, remember onion#sets are the way to go.

When it comes to cucumber,#as much as I would love to grow ... just not all good at, and that's okay.

I think the# more that I expose myself to growing the varieties that we grow here in Florida, I've become better.# But cucumber in general, pumpkin, squashes, they're very susceptible to diseases, especially# powdery mildew.

And I tend to kind of stay away from vegetables that I struggle with.

But there# is a really good alternative.

I actually love to grow loofah, which as you can see behind me, it's# a beautiful vine.

It does need a lot of space.

It loves the sun.

There's nothing like these# yellow flowers that it produces.

But the fun part about this variety is what it actually# produces.

It produces a fruit, of course, the luffa.

And when the luffa is young, it is# edible, gray in stools and soups, but as the fruit starts to dry, it creates what we call spectacular# luffas.

And I love and it's so satisfying to be able to peel the luffa and create all kinds of# really interesting things with this beautiful fruit.

Believe it or not, I create sponges# and sometimes I just use it around the house.

Hello.

Hello.

Hello.

Hello.

I'm calling you to grow eggplant.

Thank you#for joining me.

I know we've only scratched the surface when it comes to vegetable gardening,# but I hope that this time together gives you a better idea of what you can achieve.

Yes,# my methods might be different from yours, and that's okay.

We all do things differently,# but remember, be patient with yourself and enjoy the process.

For more resources, check the# links in the description below.

Remember,#what did you want to say?

Oh, okay.

Stay rooted.#See you next time.

To keep building your native#plant garden, check ...