Thumbnail image by Ekaterina Ershova from Pixabay
Florida is a garden lover’s dream: with year-round gardening and the ability to grow just about anything, your garden never has to go unused. During February, both warm and cool-season crops can be planted. Below are a few crops you can start planting now in order to harvest them in the spring.
Start Indoors
Eggplant, tomato and peppers are able to be planted now, but they must be kept indoors as they are warm-season crops that need extra protection against potential frost. Plant the seeds in a seed starter tray or kit. Once planted, be sure to keep the tray in a well-lit, warm place such as a window sill.
Cool-season crops such as beets, broccoli, Brussel sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, Chinese cabbage, collards, endive, escarole, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, mustard greens, bunching onions, peas, radish, spinach, Swiss chard and turnips can all be started now, too. Once sprouted, these plants can all be planted outdoor under the supervision of frost or cold snaps.
Below is an infographic listing each of the vegetables that can be planted in Florida during this month.
Moving Outdoors
Wait to plant the seed starter pods until two or three months after placing the seed in the pod. This ensures that the seedling is well-rooted and able to survive by itself in an outdoor pot.
You can find the harvest times for your crop depending on when the seed germinates and when you plant the seedling. Timelines vary from 50 days to 110, depending on the health and quality of your soil.
