10 Tropical Vegetables That Grow Great in a Florida (Easy Garden Swaps)

[@CH-hm8ud]

I am in central Florida, every year I grow all kind of tomatoes, big, medium! I start my crop in December, by by April and May I am picking tomatoes, squash, peas, carrots, green beans, onions, potatoes, celery, drying my herbs, canning! By the rainy season I am done! That’s my time to do other projects!!! I grow Marconi peppers,very prolific, I have grown bell peppers from ALDI seeds! Peppers, potatoes they are very heavy feeders.

[@CLacy]

Summerfield here.

[@jolus6678]

I can't grow much of that stuff in the spring as they're all eaten by moth caterpillars starting in late winter. Also during rain-free periods ( typically of late winter through spring) there's always an outbreak of spider mites which weaken the plants. But those moth caterpillars are the worst. They seem to mate and lay eggs most during rain-free periods. I refuse to ever again spend so much on sprays to kill the caterpillars. I used Bt last spring weekly in addition to picking the pests off by hand. I still couldn't keep the caterpillars from devouring my plants. Every single morning I would wake up and spot hundreds of more freshly laid moth eggs. I quickly ran out of Bt and patience. it was so much cheaper to just buy the produce. Green beans however were very easy and hardly bothered, as where bell peppers (which were never attacked by caterpillars. Celery was surprisingly easy too. My big pot filled with celery lived for nearly two years.

[@Kappucinokiss1]

Me too I grow heirloom large varieties and start same time before even spring temps and I also grow bell peppers

[@FloridaGardeningdiva]

Same

[@Pinkychi305]

I planted mini sweet pepper seeds and tomato seeds from Aldi and they sprouted very fast! ALDIs produce doesn’t have the growth inhibitors as other grocery stores do so things like potatoes and ginger will sprout fast from Aldi. Aldis items are supplied by the same distributors as Trader Joe’s, they just label them differently.

[@davidthegood]

My recommendations: cassava, chaya, true yams, sweet potatoes, Everglades tomatoes, Seminole pumpkins, yard-long beans, okra, Okinawa spinach and longevity spinach. Those all do incredibly in Florida, and make gardening super easy. Also - you are right on seasoning peppers!

[@TheUrbanHarvest]

For sure! These are all annual veggie swaps. I have list for more of perennial food forest type gardens.

[@imafan26]

I could grow all of these. I am growing sweet potatoes, long beans, and okra. I actually also grow a sweet potato that is grown only for its leaves, and it is a spinach substitute. The other tomato I would recommend especially for the south is Creole from Louisiana. Chaya, I can get in trade and I don't have the space for pumpkins. Other perennial crops for me would be eggplant, kale, and hot peppers. Sweet bell peppers are hard to grow but the bull horn types of sweet peppers are more prolific and tolerate heat and humidity much better. Kale is a biennial. It tastes sweeter in cooler weather, but it actually does well all year. It is better for smoothies in summer because it has a stronger flavor and is more bitter in summer. I did have gynuura, Okinawan and Malabar spinach, but they are slimy, and sweet potato leaves and NZ spinach is less so, so it is more palatbable. They all run wild, so I can only contain one, and I picked the sweet potato leaves.

[@Sojourner24_7]

Do you know of one source that sells the seeds for all of these plants, or does one have to buy from a dozen different obscure sources?

[@June-p8j]

Thanks for sharing. Florida has different zones. Namely 9 2011. Can you say where in Florida you are growing these vegetables

[@cherylj7460]

@@Sojourner24_7that’s a great question. So far, I haven’t found a one stop source. But I have more success with Texas and Florida nurseries.

[@elliottmcfadden6261]

I grown vegetables in Central Texas with very similar challenges. I would add the following recommendations: for cucumbers, take a look at Armenian cucumbers. They are actually melons so they do well in the extreme heat and humidity and grow all summer when traditional cucumbers die or get bitter. They are also huge, like at least a foot before they get too big and seedy. For garlic, try Elephant garlic over winter. They are actually an onion, not true garlic, and don’t need the cold weather time. For squash, look at Cucurbita moschata varieties which do well in the heat and are extremely vine borer resistant. Examples would be butternut squash, Seminole and Cherokee pumpkins, and Tromboncino squash, which can be harvested either as summer or winter squash. Finally, on green beans if you can’t trellis but have room for bush beans, plant cowpeas in the summer. Most people harvest them when they dry out for the beans (like black eyed peas), but if you harvest them green and thin, they taste like green beans with a nutty flavor, like the foot long beans.

[@TheUrbanHarvest]

all great recs. suyo is another cuc that does pretty well. thanks for sharing!

[@caliBornbEauty]

Thank you for this. I'm in North Texas. Hopefully they work for me too :D

[@helpisonthewaytutoring4259]

Did elephant garlic this year in Florida in addition to my normal garlic and it was ready a month earlier with my onions. Definitely will do it again.

[@st2778]

Thanks!

[@CH-hm8ud]

Thank You 🙏 very much! If you would like to try green pigeons, I read they have 11 grams of protein! Most of my garden I start it in October!!

[@tessaambler8715]

I was into gardening when vegetables become so expensive especially peppers, tomatoes, cucumber, long beans and squash! (I just throw the seeds in each raised beds we have attached made by hubby of 4 decades). We’re 60 years old and decided to retire after seeing our loved ones died similar to our ages so we like to enjoy life to the fullest in simplicity! Thanks again for sharing your videos, happy gardening everyone! ❤️🤗

[@TheUrbanHarvest]

Beautiful, im glad you getting some connection and time in the garden!

[@VanOutloud]

TY for this awesome video. It was very insightful. You mentioned celery sitting around too long and it goes bad. When my kids were young my second boy was tasked with cleaning up after a meal. He didn't know how to wrap up the lettuce or the celery. So he got paper towels and wrapped each and stuffed them in a plastic grocery bag. I didn't notice his "mistake" until a couple weeks later. When I finally found the lettuce it was in better shape than I expected because of his mistake. The paper towels act as a desiccant absorbing the moisture that causes premature rot. Since then we've been wrapping all our leafy vegatables they last 3-4 times longer.

[@marypead4260]

Great idea😊

[@ItsJbunny]

wow ur videos are so helpful and ACTUALLY geared towards florida heat gardening THANK YOU! subbed.

[@bretburt7317]

I'm wanting my first FL garden after living in CA for most of my life. In CA, it was almost impossible to not have a good harvest of zucchini and tomatoes. But I will need to think of the Squirrels as well, didn't need to worry about them much in California as they were all ground squirrels, as opposed to tree squirrels. I like them so I don't want to relocate them.

[@marilyncook658]

Another suggestion for celery is tropical celery. The stems are skinnier but the flavor is identical. It grows well down in the Caribbean. Same with Culantro which grows year around in my Florida garden. 😊

[@imafan26]

Is tropical celery the same as cutting celery?

[@jolus6678]

It sounds like you're describing "Chinese celery". I grew it this year because it's supposed to grow so much better during very hot weather. Surprisingly it was short lived for me and rotted during the rainy season. The standard Utah tall celery that I grew the two prior years outperformed and grew right through the rainy hot summer right into the following summer when it finally bolted.

[@CH-hm8ud]

I have discovered with the years that there’s a winter season and a fall season in Florida. I put almost all my seeds in between the middle of October to begging of December. By April you are picking and canning and drying herbs we use during the rest of the year. March I can grow watermelon, super good for your potassium we need around 4,000 mg, I pick my sweet potatoes 🍠 and name make my pasteles with my cassava. Close and go on vaccinations to see my kids! I pray all of you can continue sharing and enjoying our gardens!

[@imafan26]

@@jolus6678 I looked it up apparently cutting celery or leaf celery is the same as kin tsai. It is the same species. This is a biennial for me. The leaves are usually used, the stems are more bitter. It has a stronger celery taste. The seeds are harvested and that is what is in the spice celery seed. It is heat tolerant but treat it like a carrot, it can stand some partial shade in summer in hot climates. It needs a well drained fine soil. I use it when I would use celery as part of a mirepoix, not good for celery sticks. They are hard to start from seeds, so I usually buy a start. I need a new one, mine is heading out the door.

[@imafan26]

@@CH-hm8ud Same here. I live in Hawaii. I have a 365 day growing year. However, there is a wet season and a dry season. Tropical plants no problem, but temperate plants are sensitive to heat and humidity. Cool season crops most roots, cilantro, sweet peppers, leafy greens and buds (broccoli, Brussels sprouts) need to mature in temperatures under 75. Usually late October, can start some seeds in September. to about April. Cultivars grown during the rainy season must have good disease tolerance. Warm season crops eggplant, hot peppers can be started in around March. Only very heat tolerant cultivars of tomatoes, cucumbers, beans will tolerate temperatures above 85 degrees. Tomato plants can survive with enough water but will stop production in temperatures above 88 degrees. Summer squash can be grown but gourds are easier and much more productive. Tropical corn does better than temperate corn because of the short days. Some temperate crop surprisingly grow very well like kale (year round, but bitter in summer), asparagus (with enough water) Hot peppers, eggplant, and some herbs will live multiple years. Only southern varieties of day length dependent cultivars.

[@kaylahull8846]

SUCH a helpful video. Almost every plant you mentioned, I've tried and failed to grow or get a good harvest from. Shifting to these alternatives seems like working WITH the grain instead of against it. LOVE IT!

[@TheUrbanHarvest]

You can do it! These should make a big difference!

[@CH-hm8ud]

I don’t know where are you located, but if you are in the north, everyone starts crops out there after the frost, but if you are in the South you start around October!! Wishing you have the pleasure of having a great crops!

[@adigmon]

Red noodle beans taste like mushrooms when you cook them down. Love them too!

[@waynespringer501]

I grow cucumbers here in NE OK where it's routinely over 100 degrees and 70-80% humidity and have never once had squash vine borers on them as they do not have a large enough stem for the vine borer to borrow into.

[@LaRa-youknowit]

BEST video yet! Just what I wanted to see. Info on plants I’ve never heard of, and want to try. I’m in Land o lakes Fl. I’m excited to try these. Keep these type videos coming. Thx again.

[@TheUrbanHarvest]

Awesome! Glad it was helpful!

[@betterlivingonabudget]

I live in SE FL, and this is the best 'what to grow instead' video for subtropical climates that I've seen. Thanks for all of these ideas!

[@lovehealthmarket]

also, my lacinto kale is 2 years old. this video is fulllll of gems!!!

[@Florida882]

I have some three years old. Shocking how long it is lasting

[@backyardwarrior90]

I definitely will have to try some of those alternatives so thanks for the video. Green beans or "bush" beans taste way better than long beans. We have not had a problem growing green beans in our Florida backyard in spring or fall. They don't mind the sandy soil. It's one of my top recommendations for new Florida gardeners.

[@thedenimredhead]

Do you have a preferred vendor for buying seeds for Florida that you listed?

[@WhitneyHardy-p8s]

This was yet another great video thatnks most of these crops i have tried and building my verma compsting bin working towards that goal already have so many things growing love to learn new things

[@lostlakeOR]

My first year growing stuff after moving to Cocoa Beach from Oregon. This video is helpful! Carrots! What a disaster. Germinated quickly but never grew. I suspect too much heat. Cucumbers as you say, not good. They got to 1-inch tall then withered. I bought coffee tree seedlings with me. I thought they’d thrive here. They produced lots of berries in Oregon but the plants gradually died here one after another. They’re usually grown at higher altitudes so I think it’s too hot here with no nightly cool down. What is doing well is sweet potatoes and ginger.

[@PamIam04]

Welcome to Florida! I live in Wellington, FL and the only things I grow in the summer are sweet potato, ginger, okra and some hot peppers. Grow things like carrots in the winter. Our growing season is the opposite of almost everyone else. Guide To Florida Fruit and Vegetable Gardening by Robert Bowden is a great book that will tell you the varieties of fruit and veg to plant and when to plant them in your zone.

[@TheUrbanHarvest]

Have a ton of resources and suggestions for things that thrive here. You’ll get the hang of it!

[@cherylj7460]

What? The seasoning peppers are not hot? Yay! Thank you!

[@etiennelouw9244]

Nice, I started my garden in August 2021 in Cape Town, South Africa, lots of mistakes. I use square foot in the back yard and started a food forest in the front yard. I have noticed micro climates in different places so I still have to adjust for this still. Also learning about what goes in the food forest and what in the square foot parts. From grass to what I have now, from tree less to 3 small trees. This is a mediterranean climate, not a lot of Utube input.

[@w.m.9883]

Thanks for putting this together.

[@sarahpalm7661]

I never would have thought swiss chard would be a substitute for celery, I will definitely have to try this. Just started growing long beans this year and have been very happy with the results. Your garden looks really good, working to make mine as productive but I put off improving the soil for so long I'm trying to make up for lost time. Florida sand is no joke.

[@TheUrbanHarvest]

it all starts with the soil, you'll get there!

[@gabriellemcnamara8955]

thank you for your advice! I'm a novice gardener in florida and I've been struggling to find heat-tolerant plants for my limited space on my apartment patio. I'm growing bush beans now (it's mid-may and they're just flowering) and we'll see how long they survive LOL I will try long beans next time. Would love to see a video on things to grow with limited space, and what plants grow well together.

[@helpisonthewaytutoring4259]

Swiss chard esp the fordhook kind is truly a prolific green. But I find celery grow fantastic for me here as well. Either from seed if you start it enough ahead of time or transplants. Harvest one stalk from each plant at a time and from about 10 plants I get a full bunch of celery every week from late nov/early dec until sometime in May usually. Just need a bit a of shade and lots of water/mulch.

[@CLacy]

Me too! I have good luck with celery central Fla.

[@BosseInTheGarden]

@@CLacy great to know! I have some planted here in Pinellas for the first time. so far so good. using transplants currently.

[@lovehealthmarket]

ooooo! i LOVE this!!! if only i’d seen this video $800 of bakers creek seeds ago 😭😭 keep up the great content!🎉

[@sv160]

Great video and very helpful, thanks. yes, hard to have a garden in Florida. Needs to be watered a lot, and fertilized. harvested some delicious cucumbers and One day I went to pick again and 😮 eaten from green worms. 😢 I will try again this year and try out neem oil or dish soap

[@mary-alyceyates]

Thank you for these helpful ideas. I live in St. Augustine and I will remember the substitutions.

[@TheUrbanHarvest]

Great!

[@fishingpinky3165]

I have my notebook and pen out and am ready to learn. Thank you again for these wonderful videos for us central Florida peeps. I also signed up for your newsletters and ordered seeds you mentioned in the video from your store. I hope you get the out of stock ones in soon so I can order them. Love from Volusia county!

[@TheUrbanHarvest]

We try our best to stay on top of inventory but it varies so much! Check back in 2 weeks and I should be restocked. Have a beautiful day!!

[@CarrieNita]

Trombocino makes a great Summer squash alternative. Pick it when green and cook like zucchini. Let it age on the vine until creamy tan color and save to eat as a Winter squash

[@TheUrbanHarvest]

ive grown it! i like tatume as well. but they still get worms and such. i find these other 2 to be even easier to grow!

[@crystalkinson4915]

Longevity Spinach and Sisso spinach does very well in zone 9B ..Im in central florida. ….and they love the shade. Btw. I still have producing collard greens 😀Thank you on info on garlic chives

[@Blindy_Sama]

I live in central / South Florida and I'm moving house soon and always wanted to grow some of my own food... One because once you get it started it can save you money in the long run and two having another hobby doesn't hurt... I'll probably start out with something that can grow on trellises first maybe out of a large pot or something.... Anyways, any recommendations for crops that are easy for a blind guy or mostly a blind guy to manage?

[@badboybootz8]

Oh, it's on now. You got me motivated to grow in Kissimmee 😊

[@TheUrbanHarvest]

Wonderful!

[@oscarbeteta5710]

Love this video! I live in Puerto Rico and would love to have a video like this but more fine-tuned to the PR climate. I'm borrowing almost all these recommendations and will see how they perform in PR. Thank you so much!

[@TheUrbanHarvest]

send feedback. i imagine many will transfer great.

[@kellybeardsvideovault8711]

I have had very good success growing bell pepper in rolling raised beds on our back patio. I keep them in the shade and have had some actually produce for several years. Definitely the key is shade and not growing in the ground where nematodes can get them.

[@BosseInTheGarden]

that's a great tip about the shade! thank you

[@MichaelBeirneVettedCapital]

awesome vid, thx!

[@BosseInTheGarden]

yes agreed!

[@gerrylavelle8433]

Thanks for the tip about seasoning peppers. Southern wilt wipes out any sweet peppers I try to grow. Also, I pretty much solved my nematode problem but now it's pickle worms attacking the cuikes and army worms attacking the tomatoes. Thanx for your videos.

[@HillCountryGardenGirl]

Great information. I'm still learning what works and doesn't work in my climate so this video was really helpful!

[@TheUrbanHarvest]

Great to hear!

[@CreativelyShannon]

This was so helpful! What are the best fruits to grow here in Florida? I’m a diabetic and we are gonna be starting up our own farm.

[@Sojourner24_7]

I love this video 😊 I thought it was me! Lol I've been trying to grow things in Fl for over 20 years, and after decades of research, I decided that I'm a terrible gardener. My big question is; is there one source where I can get all these seeds ? Or will I have to get them from 10 different obscure sources. I hope someone answers because I would really live to try these plants.

[@reneegandy9035]

I grow both peppers; to grow bell pepper 🫑 in Florida is plant them in the shade or put up a sun shade over them.

[@Gnomelandsecurity1883]

Floridian here I grow bell peppers every year.

[@HouseofGlossDetailingLLC]

I'm in Naples Florida and it's hard to grow here before summer and now, you are spot on about the beans. My bushbeans struggled but produced and quickly started dying. My asparagus yard long beans have produced more and continue to produce. But you need a trellis. I love the purple flowers it makes also before the yard long beans. In Naples my biggest struggle this time of year is spider mites, aphids, and horned caterpillars. Plus diseases and other miscellaneous bugs. It's tough right now but doinable still. Shade cloths helps or areas that get shade parts of the day. Also I had a Carolina pepper that was struggling bad, I put it next to the yard long asparagus beans and now it's thriving and become very large and healthy. They are entangled in some areas but not in a bad way. Seems like those two hit it off and are both thriving off each other. Sorry for the rant! And great video and advice!!!

[@CH-hm8ud]

You should try green pigeons, it’s a big bush, gives you a lots beans, green or dry can safe a lots of people in case something happened! Dry ones have to be treated as the dry beans, but green ones are very soft. You can eat fresh or freeze them!

[@toddstropicals]

I've had good luck with patty pan summer squash here.

[@megantiseo7439]

I grow garlic in sw Fl. I just vernalize it for an extended time.

[@theBDank]

The links to events and seed shop are broken in the description btw. Thanks for the awesome vid! I am new to gardening in south florida and really like your content for noobs. If I wanted like a comprehensive guide for beginners that covers end to end like: building/filling a garden bed, first vegetables to start with, germination process, transplanting, watering, sun, etc. in an Explain Like I'm 5 fashion, where can I find that in your channel? Thanks again!

[@doloresinkenbrandtanddawnc9212]

Greetings from sunny SW Florida. Thanks for this! Have you tried Malabar spinach?

[@hfrench789]

I personally have, and it grows well here, but its muciligenous, (sp?) which I hate! But if you don't mind that, its an excellent crop for our climate.

[@TheUrbanHarvest]

Yes I have. I grow it every summer. But while it has spinach in the name and it is a leafy green I don't find it to be an actual substitute for true spinach. Its mucilaginous and cooks different. This chijimisai (or tatsoi) are almost identical subs.

[@zaneymay]

Great list. I'm in northern Florida and bell peppers do okay here I've even over winter a couple of plants in the ground no protection. But of course that depends on the winter season. I grew rat tail radish in Indiana and they did great, I haven't tried them here yet.

[@TheUrbanHarvest]

They do great down here. North Fl can help, nematode pressure is a bit lighter up there. Give these seasoning peppers a try and I think youll find them even easier!

[@Fishing-jb7cy]

Great video

[@Millenialhermit]

A must have tree for almost evert filipino home, you can be sure that if theres a moringa tree, its a filipino household.

[@keepitsunny3073]

This was so interesting! I didn’t know about that type of radish. I was also really surprised about your struggle with cucumbers. I’ve never had a trouble with regular cucumbers but those Mexican cucumbers I’ve never been able to get to grow well. I think my microclimate might just be a little different where I am, which is fascinating 😀

[@ambercolon6211]

I feel soooo validated from this video. I’ll be making an order soon.

[@travisstreeter5058]

Great stuff lady!

[@2075vj]

Do you have a video on? Was supposed to grow here in Florida in containers? I’m in Fort Myers and I can’t plant in the ground because I’m on the golf course can only plant in containers on the lanai. Thanks for your help.

[@ashleygilliland819]

Super helpful! Some of these I know to be true all the rest I can’t wait to try!! Thank you ❤️

[@carolynwheeler7651]

Thank you so much for this video (and all your others too)!! This is exactly what I have been looking for!! Gardening here is so different. The growing seasons are backwards plus the zone 10A heat and humidity preclude growing so many standard veggies. Hurricane Ian destroyed my backyard. I want to re-landscape with edibles, but it has been hard to find correct information for my zone. Your site is perfect!! Thank you!!!

[@TheUrbanHarvest]

Glad it was helpful! TONS of resources for doing that on this channel and my website. Have a florida food forest class coming up next month : )

[@adigmon]

Try gypsy bells. They taste like bells but are very prolific. They produce from early summer until it freezes. They are thinner walled but I don’t care. I live in southeast Texas and I can’t grow bell peppers either!

[@Kappucinokiss1]

I grow bell peppers no problem and large heirloom slicers in December it’s not a normal tomato time like the north but around November, and you can do it

[@gidget8717]

This was a wonderful video! Especially for experienced gardeners that retire here. Knowing what plants can substitute for familier plants but grow better in this climate is a game changer. I have a lot of favorite recipes, I have to buy ingredients for because I no longer can grow those ingredients myself! Our food bill tripled the first year living here because I was used to growing so much more of our food. There only my husband & myself but still I was surprised at the cost. Summer squash is one of our favorites, it good to know there is an alternative that grows better here. I'm tired of working so much for such small yields. 👍

[@TheUrbanHarvest]

I’m here to help! You’ve got the skills already just need a little guidance on seasons and varieties. You’ll be back to normal here soon!

[@MrRKWRIGHT]

Good morning Elise. The garden is looking lovely. Thanks for sharing. Just like you, I'm looking forward to turning my yard into an urban garden. 🌼🌼🌻🌻🌹🌹

[@TheUrbanHarvest]

Hurrah!

[@pleasantmeadows2070]

Thanks for the info.

[@TheUrbanHarvest]

You bet!

[@partner348]

I grow plenty of large tomato varieties here in central Florida. You can put up with a little struggle, or you can get your tasteless slicers from the supermarket. Cherokee purple is my favorite so far. They'll go dormant in the summer heat and come back during the fall. If we have a mild winter, they'll come back the next spring. So, I made it to about 4 minutes and moved on.

[@soniauscategui5780]

I really enjoy your videos. Thank you so much for the information. I grew green yard long beans last year and loved them..even as a raw snack. I'm now growing the red variety. Tasty and beautiful! Also have enjoyed growing okra and roselle hibiscus.

[@TheUrbanHarvest]

Wonderful! Love roselle, its my thanksgiving cranberry sauce every year!

[@hfrench789]

I tried the yard long bean this year. It really didn't last and we didn't like the taste of it. I grew blue lake beans until this month and now the black eyed peas are taking off. Most people don't realize you can eat the young ones like green beans and they are SO good! We mix those in with the bigger ones we shell and they are called "field peas and snaps". Those will be our go to after green beans fizzle out.

[@margiemurray2147]

Thank you for all your hard work and putting this video together for us. Growing in zone 9B can be a big challenge. This video has definitely given me some ideas to work with for the summer but will you be doing any videos of this nature for growing in the winter time for those in more of a tropical environments? happy gardening the Nanas from Central Florida growing in buckets

[@allenkovach4364]

What zone is all your advice for? I want to get seeds but im in 9a.

[@TheUrbanHarvest]

All the seeds in my shop have guidance based on region of Florida, you would be central. I'm border of 9b/10a but everything I have in there will apply for you (just on a slightly different planting schedule).

[@francestutt5308]

Amazing and very helpful. You give me hope! Can't wait to document what I grow!

[@lindapedersen-hylka7170]

Great video. So helpful & informative. Thanks for sharing.

[@CaraHillVoiceoverArtist]

Fantastic information! Thank you so much! ❤

[@TheUrbanHarvest]

You are so welcome!

[@suzanne7225]

Great information. Thank you

[@juliapulles697]

This was spectacular! Thank you!

[@tinal7573]

Wow wish I would have found your channel earlier! Great information. Thanks :)

[@dustytoes100]

I love your information. My current problem is where to buy these types of organic plants?

[@gaffster787]

Great info. I learned many of these lessons the hard way.

[@TheUrbanHarvest]

Glad it was helpful!

[@tollytucker2348]

Fantastic information!! I am so thankful I found your channel!

[@TheUrbanHarvest]

Glad it was helpful!

[@marilynearl6887]

Love all these tips.I too love cucumbers and will try the variety you mentioned in the video

[@TheUrbanHarvest]

Wonderful!

[@4zooflorida]

Thanks for the list, some I have grown, others I am excited to try. Are the peppers actually “seasoning peppers”, or are there other names? I am trying to locate some. Thank you!

[@TheUrbanHarvest]

Aji dulce, suave numex, habanida lots of variations. As long as it’s bred from a “hot” pepper they usually do pretty well here.

[@June-p8j]

Please advise which zone in Florida your garden is located

[@rosemariewhitakerreynolds2432]

hello, my name is Rosemarie and I have been watching your Chanel and so nice to get all kinds of information in growng veggies and trees. I live in Jacksonville FL and I would like to plant a jujube tree. Do you sell Jujube plant? or recommend a nursery to buy it. thank you so much and look forward to hear from you.

[@TheUrbanHarvest]

Just started leafing out so will likely list in next couple weeks. But we are local pick up in St Pete only.

[@srshufelt]

Excellent information.

[@TheUrbanHarvest]

Glad it was helpful!

[@lindafogarty3924]

I am growing green beans (bush) in my garden and pots and they are do wonderfully! I have been picking beans everyday for almost 3 weeks. I also got 3 zucc plants growing and they just started producing for me. The zucc is very tricky indeed. I have to use copper spray very frequently. I am definitely going to try all of your suggestions however. Thanks for this! By the way, I also am growing grape tomatoes and so far they are doing good but are requiring a lot of care. We haven’t had much humidity yet which is why I think my garden is still doing well. Even have cucs for the first time that are growing. I think it’s the copper fungicide that is helping the most. I also have a lot of homemade compost in my beds if that makes a difference. I have tried cucs in pots and they did awful. Just like the last time I tried. I think I will only try growing them in my garden and not that many of them. I definitely want to try the one you mentioned. The cuc variety I have is space master. They are very small ones. I have another variety and it’s market something or other.

[@BARTLETT02601]

Thank you very much for sharing your experience.

[@TheUrbanHarvest]

My pleasure!

[@basasushi2749]

garlic can be grown here. you need soft neck variety and you need to pre chill them in your fridge for 6-8 weeks and plant in dec

[@TheUrbanHarvest]

Ive done it but the heads are small. Not an easy one and subpar yeilds.

[@PegsGarden]

Excellent video Elise, I have everything growing you mentioned except for the last two you mentioned, always enjoy watching you from my small backyard garden here in Pasco County 🌱🌱🌱

[@TheUrbanHarvest]

Wonderful! Something new to try! Good to hear from you : )

[@jmarrero1124]

Hi. Thnk u for this video. Can you make more of these videos. Thnk u again

[@BosseInTheGarden]

I enjoy growing Chinese spinach (amaranth greens). I will need to post a video the next time I have them growing.

[@badboybootz8]

Thank you. 😊

[@bhess1212]

Great video! I just started some Everglade tomatoes. I'm really looking forward to see how they do.

[@TheUrbanHarvest]

Hope you enjoy

[@paulgardner6388]

Excellent video and very educational as it can be hard to find people that focus on the unique climate we have in SW Florida. I think some of these crops we will have to wait until fall to plant, but I believe the pepper, radish, and everglades tomatoes can be grown now. Are there others plants on this list that can handle the crazy hot summer months?

[@TheUrbanHarvest]

I have a what to plant when cheatsheet on my site broken down by zone to help guide you. You can plant garlic chives too. The fordhook is on the cusp. It can handle heat if given afternoon shade but it may be easier to wait to get it established easier.

[@paulgardner6388]

@@TheUrbanHarvest Thank you

[@rayfox453]

Where can I find seasoning peppers? Etsy didn’t have any seeds I could find.

[@paulinswfl8218]

Great video. Did you ever grow New Zealand spinach? I direct sowed a bunch of seeds to have a raised bed of just that plant a couple of weeks ago. Still waiting for them to come up but I understand they are slow to germinate. The benefit is a long harvest of maybe multiple seasons. My okra is killing it this year!

[@vanru2176]

I am in SW Florida and I have tried numerous times with NZ Spinach. It just doesn't grow for me, reaches a few inches then dies.

[@Freedom2025-x2b]

Do you have native swamp milkweed seeds or plants I can buy?

[@shanelowe3902]

Thank you! Very helpful for the TX mid/upper coast as well.

[@TheUrbanHarvest]

Love that feedback on location. People are always asking for extended areas that my recs will work in but I hesitate unless I hear that someone has had success. Do you grow any of these varieties where you live?

[@shanelowe3902]

@The Urban Harvest - Homegrown Education I am currently growing the python beans and hoping that they do well. All five that I planted have sprouted and I'm excited. I've had good success with cherry and grape tomatoes but never slicers. At first I thought that the issue was gardener error, and to be sure some of it is, but this is a harsh climate and I'm slowly learning how to select wisely based on personal experience and resources such as this. I can't believe it took me so long to find this page! I'm getting ready to place an order from you. It's nice to know that I will be getting seeds that can do well in this climate.

[@TheUrbanHarvest]

@@shanelowe3902 Glad we connected and happy gardening!

[@chrisnixon9752]

Great information thank you for the excellent presentation!

[@TheUrbanHarvest]

Glad it was helpful!

[@imafan26]

Growing in a subtropical climate, is very different from growing in a temperate climate. Temperate crops do not like heat or humidity so they do grow and taste better grown over the fall and winter. Summer is the most challenging months to grow anything. It is better to just harvest from June-August or spend the time on solarizing or improving the soil. Things that do grow through the summer are things like upo ( long green squash), sweet potato, shiso, roselle or false roselle, hot peppers, bull horn sweet peppers, chaya, kale grows year round with summer shade, but will be bitter in summer, NZ spinach or tropical spinach like Okinawan or Malabar spinach, green onions, ginger, turmeric, luffa is Chinese okra, but it is very prolific one plant is more than enough, citrus, chayote, wing beans, yard long beans, heat tolerant tomatoes and heat tolerant cucumbers.

[@dessenceofgardeningcooking9781]

Thanks for the info.

[@tammiefuller2]

What area of FL are you located in? I'm in N. Center Florida, just 10 miles from the GA line.

[@oreopaksun2512]

Love this video! Lots of useful information, but I actually recognized all of the plants you recommended, so I feel like I have progressed since I first found your channel. Now to be able to consistently grow them....that is my next goal. Would you mention some specific varieties of the seasoning peppers that will do well here in Florida. And, personally, garlic chives have been impossible to grow from seed; however the live plant I got from you IS growing like a weed in spite of regular trims, and has turned into a large clump that will need dividing soon. Thanks!

[@TheUrbanHarvest]

Yes you have!!! Aji dulce, suave numex, cap 455, etc. Anything that looks like a hot pepper basically. They will be smaller than a true bell.

[@cecileb.2207]

Loved it! Thank you! 💚🌼

[@TheUrbanHarvest]

So glad!

[@tlit3284]

Thank you so much for information ❤

[@TheUrbanHarvest]

My pleasure 😊

[@SarahWhitmire]

Loved this video! 🙏🏻

[@TheUrbanHarvest]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@Decoder2040]

Thank you. Love the seed shop!

[@TheUrbanHarvest]

You bet. Glad you like it!

[@rjo49]

Are you familiar with the company Kitazawa? They are in Japan and specialize in seeds of Asian varieties of vegetables. Where typical American seed companies might offer one or two long beans, for example, they currently list ten! They offer 13 unique varieties of gourds and luffas grown as vegetables in Asia. Ten entirely different types of bunching onions, several of which will produce here all year long and which will form permanent patches which in my experience require only periodic weeding and appreciate a bit of nitrogen-containing fertilizer from time to time.

[@Floccini]

Is there a link to that vendor, kitazawa?