Why I Chose FLORIDA For My Future HOMESTEAD

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Do you dream of homesteading? Let us know where you'd like to own a homestead in the comments below! TIMESTAMPS for convenience: 0:00 Buying Land For Homesteading 1:23 Homesteading Priority #1 2:45 Homesteading Priority #2 3:04 Homesteading Priority #3 4:19 Homesteading Priority #4 5:34 Florida Concern #1 7:17 Florida Concern #2 8:40 Florida Concern #3 9:18 Florida Concern #4 10:14 Florida Concern #5 11:47 Making An Unbiased Decision 14:16 Adventures With Dale

[@trulylynn9941]

I want you here but, stop telling people! I am a Native and have been pushed out of my home in Ft. Myers because the cost of living there is way inflated! I am still here in Florida however it is closing in on me! When you garden here you need to know the bugs are really bad! The entire state is sand. I am not making this up my friends. Just saying

[@trulylynn9941]

The reason for the lack of bugs is from the white lines in the skies. It's full of many toxins my friend! Just saying speaking of insurance it just went up all over the state. My friend with a 3/2 medium sized house just got his policy. It was 10,000.00 a year. He owns his house out right and chose not to have it! Enjoy

[@donnabrooks1173]

I'm deathly afraid of the alligators. My sister live on Long Island, NY. She moved to Florida for about a year and loved it. She said her depression was better. The house she was renting was almost $3,000 a month so she had to move back to NY. She wants to move to Venice, FL on the gulf coast. I plan on moving there as well from Locust, NC as she is my only family member that I have left. Dale was ABSOLUTELY Daleadorable. He is handsome and a bIg ham.

[@tkvpham]

@@trulylynn9941I was in Cape Coral and then relocated to Naples but now up in Sarasota. Everything just increases in prices nowadays. 😞

[@trulylynn9941]

@@tkvpham Right!

[@minihorses]

I'm in North Central Florida (NW Marion county) on 5 acres and love it! Been here 10 years (I'm from Cincinnati). When you plant your citrus trees, make sure to plant a wild lime tree too because the butterfly caterpillars love the citrus trees - the butterflies will lay their eggs on the wild lime instead of the citrus trees and it is magical to see a giant swallowtail caterpillar turn into a butterfly! Also, you really won't see many mosquitos unless there's a low area flood zone. The mosquitoes will get crazy about a week after it floods, but once it dries up they will go away. The trees do really well here and if you plant some live oak trees near where your house will be the shade will drop the temperatures around 15 degrees.

[@BeesBonsai]

Lived in Florida my whole life and can’t wait to leave. Once you realize how hard it actually is to grow a lot of things you’ll understand. Between the massive heat and humidity we experience to the constant onslaught of pests and endless insects…it really is a challenge. I know everywhere deals with bugs and pests, but is really next level. Not trying to be discouraging, but just some things to consider. I wish you the best and will be following as always of course!

[@paulinechoate5974]

I'm with you! Lived in FL my whole, 70 yrs of Life and can't wait to get out GA is our next stop for our forever home. Development has absolutely ruined my home. We have 3.5 acres in the Tampabay area...it takes forever to get anywhere.. infrastructure stinks.. Over developed for what this area can sustain.

[@GHOSTSrunning]

I'm in NWF, but mama didn't raise a quitter, just got better 🙃

[@TheLawnCareNut]

truth

[@taylormeli]

@@TheLawnCareNutI see you Allen 😂, I’m a welding shop owner here in lake county Central Florida. Just bought 20 acres myself. Freedom factory is looking good brother

[@joniboulware1436]

It's hard to garden everywhere I have been except the pacific northwest. Easiest place to garden on earth.

[@Urbangardenersproject]

As someone who lives in Florida I’m really happy for you. Wherever you are in Florida the verity of fruit trees you can grow is immense. And you can have a beautiful vegetable garden in the off season all winter.

[@LorenzoCardona-b7y]

Best of luck.I live about 40 minutes noth of Orlando and as long as you amend your soil you'll do great.Not only can we grow lots of cool Weather crops thru the mild winters but we can also grow things like Moringa,Katuk,chaya,tropical fruits and the list goes on.Wish you the best!!!!

[@FatcatandFriends]

Ultimately this is your & Brittany’s decision- don’t let any haters infringe on your excitement! I’d love to see videos about the move!!

[@dap9697]

I live on an acre in Central FL but bought 7 acres of raw land NW of Ocala. I can't wait to watch you develop your homestead to give us ideas for our future!

[@TheMillennialGardener]

7 acres sounds awesome! I wanted more than what I have, but the more I think about it, the more I think I'll be happy it's only 3 acres when I'm older 😂

[@dap9697]

@TheMillennialGardener We only plan to use about 3 acres or so and keep the rest a forest. That will be a good size for us, too. I dive also. Have your wife look into Devil's Den and Blue Grotto near Williston. Jupiter is a great place to see sharks and big turtles. Best of luck to you!

[@CrystalVisions352]

Citra Fl here! ❤

[@ooohlaa13]

@@CrystalVisions352 right up the road from you in Island Grove, blueberry farm section. Right now I am freezing!!! My only serious complaint is I love barefoot (Having lived in HI for 15 years) but the fire ants are relentless and quick to bite. Dale has helped me a lot!

[@belleferme]

Hi @themillennialgardener where are you relocating? I'm in North Central Florida! Lake City.

[@christopherc.4349]

It's wonderful to have people like you move to Florida. As a 4th Generation Florida Native Welcome to Florida 🎉🎉

[@TruthBeToldUSofA]

I love your channel and am excited to see your Florida homestead. We moved to Florida from Michigan in 2001 and have never regretted it. I have had a lot of issues adjusting my growing season mindset to Florida after living so many years in Michigan. Your channel has helped immensely with that. I am in 8b -9a zones

[@daianebraginsky9254]

Moving out of South Florida with my family was one of the best decisions we have made. We now live in Raleigh, NC and love the changes in seasons and its just a better environment to raise a family. We grow lots of fruit and vegetables and recently bought a greenhouse to protect our cold sensitive trees. However we are urban gardeners. But I can understand your point on the zones and what can grow. Wishing you the best of luck.

[@cj77733]

I lived in Florida for over 47 yrs. Sounds like you really did your homework. Florida is nice. Congratulations I think you made a great choice. I will be watching your progress and wish you well for your endeavors..

[@TheMillennialGardener]

I did. Florida was a reluctant choice, because it's become so populated and cliche (to me, anyway). But, it's really the only place that met our requirements, so we made a non-emotional decision. But, we did do a lot of searching for an area that we thought we'd enjoy. We didn't want to be near any big cities, but we did want access to a few cute towns.

[@belleferme]

​@@TheMillennialGardenerwhere are you relocating to in Florida?

[@kellyrogers9296]

Volusia County is where we’re looking now!

[@Fulcrum4747]

Also something to consider if you grow any citrus the inspector people can come on your property ANYDAY ANYTIME to inspect.

[@tvideo1189]

My grandparents moved here in the early 60's. I spent literally every summer, all summer long, here enjoying the fishing and beach in New Smyrna Beach. Fast forward to my time in the Navy. We (my family, wife and three kids) were stationed here in the area around Jacksonville NAS twice. LOVED it both times. After a 26 year career, I retired from the Navy and we settled here for good. Started a business, had a great time, retired again!, and STILL love it here.

[@KarenTraydon]

Welcome to our state! It’s wonderful growing and gardening here in Florida! ❤

[@TheMillennialGardener]

I'm looking forward to it one day.

[@trulylynn9941]

Just want to know if you are a native here?

[@Carolynfoodforest355]

I live and homestead in North Florida, just north of Gainesville. I love it here. Been here almost 30 years. Welcome

[@RobinwoodFarmLLC]

I’m Cuban and I find the North Georgia mountains to be the perfect place for a homestead so this is where we settled. I have a hot sunroom so this is where I grow all my tropicals. Glad you found a place you love. It makes all the difference.

[@tommyhappel8479]

Love your optimism. #1 on the list of concerns should’ve been soil. If I were you, I would be building the soil now. You will be very successful growing a lot of the things you mentioned but growing what normal gardeners grow is incredibly difficult. It’s not impossible but it is hard. I look forward to watching you succeed

[@Max-gt1hw]

I have to agree with you, I have 1.5 acres in Naples it took me 3 years of wood chips and compost to fix the soil

[@TheMillennialGardener]

It isn't feasible now, because I won't be there to maintain the area. Also, I have no idea where the future home site will be. I cannot actually lay out the yard and garden until I know where a house, garage/shed and driveway will go. The yard will be built out in phases. The initial garden will be raised beds, so that takes garden soil out of the equation. My initial plantings will be things that enjoy the native soil, such as avocados and a couple mangoes. RKN-sensitive items can be built on compost berms. I intend to have a lot of berms on the land. I am in no rush. I plan on dragging this build out over the rest of my life, so I'm going to have fun with it.

[@priz1997]

Avocado's do not really grow here in 9b, or mangoes....

[@TheMillennialGardener]

@@priz1997 that's not true. There are thousands of them all over 9b. You probably have never noticed them. In California, most of the avocado farms are in Zone 9b, because that is where there is available land since the Zone 10 areas are coastal and land costs are outrageous or unavailable.

[@BigBayouMama]

Coastal Louisiana here. We have sandy-silty soil. To help build soil we raise rabbits; we built trays underneath their cages with 1/4” wire to collect manure. A lot of your fruits will love the soil as is. For annuals, a combo of mulch and rabbit manure feed the soil in short-order. Congrats on your new adventure. Wishing you and your wife the best!

[@ctemple99]

Love Dale expressing his inner wolf! Also appreciated your well thought out plan for your future using logic and good common sense. I hope it's everything you dream of!

[@tazpah8837]

Now let us hope it isn't a permanent habit.

[@renimartin1359]

Everything you mentioned is absolutely correct. I have lived in both NC and FL and a lot of the negatives pointed out were definitely worse in NC or comparable. I live in zone 9a in Florida and managaing tropical fruits is a lot easier. Hurricanes and low temperature are infrequent as one would think and can be mitigated pretty easily if you have a garage or large structure that can temporarily house plants in pots. Tress that are planted in the ground have other solutions that require a little more work but not too bad. I use a pop up green house and a small space heater to heat my trees at night when its close to freexing temperatures and once the tree trunk is big enough to survive those temperatures it will be smooth sailing. I am looking forward to seeing some of your solutions to these problems and pushing the climate zone boundaries as far as we can in our region. Congratulations and good luck.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Thanks! Folks don’t realize how many conditions in NC are worse than areas of FL. Where I bought in FL will have less challenges overall.

[@btchhopperou812]

Hey buddy, we moved about 6 months ago to a tiny town a bit west and slightly North of Gatorville. We LOVE it! We came about 4 hrs. up the state due to seeing the entirety of South Florida go to hell in a bucket over the past 25 yrs. I'm sure you'll love it around here too! Thanks for the update

[@willwebber6496]

Your decision makes sense knowing that you want to grow tropical plants. I've grown accustom to the shutdown period of living in 7a-7b. In fact, by the end of fall, I'm grateful for the forced break! But to each their own.

[@davidgray1515]

Go to PR if you want to grow tropical plants.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Florida still has a break. It's just in the summer. What's great about Florida is you do the bulk of your gardening October through May when the weather is very stable, calm and low humidity 80% of the time. Then, you slow down June through September. I think it's more conducive to a healthy lifestyle, at least for me because I have Seasonal Affective Disorder. Having the shutdown in winter has been so hard with the Vitamin D depletion. Having the shutdown in summer and getting all that Vitamin D in winter when I need it will be healthier for me, and I really think healthier for most. It's just weird having to flip the seasons if you grew up in the Northeast like I did.

[@kareneadie7287]

Welcome to Florida! I’m zone 8b. I too scuba, garden, and ride horses. For me, diving in the springs isn’t my favorite but I make do. I do love the salt water though. Pass my email to your wife if she wants a new dive partner. 😁 @@TheMillennialGardener

[@Lochness19]

@@TheMillennialGardener I feel like I'm already getting SAD here in late September... It's tough heading into October knowing temps won't consistently return to the 70s until June. Even May has an average high of only 65F here. I'm in Canada so I can't move much further south than I already am. Florida summers are intense, but not really any different from NC from what I can tell. I'd be down to live in FL, just need to have a sturdy house for the hurricanes, and a safe distance from storm surges. Or alternatively, Hawaii? Mountain View on Big Island seems like paradise. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountain_View,_Hawaii#Climate

[@VerifiedToday]

Living in NW Florida. Moved away from the coastal area about 45 minutes from the beach. On 1/3 acre and have enough gardens to keep me more than enough busy. Have to spend a lot of effort amending my raised beds. Enjoy your new homestead. Looking forward to your journey.

[@dawnwhiting6004]

Welcome! Florida is amazing. My sister lives in Wilmington and I live in Vero Beach. The people in Florida are so cool. Everybody's laid-back and nature-oriented. I think you'll fit right in and be very successful. I've been following you for years so please keep up your channel when you get here

[@nismo1142]

I just wanted to say that i never leave comments on videos. I am born and raised in Florida, grew up in Orlando, and now i live an hour north of Orlando. We absolutely love it here. We have an acre of land. Everything we try to grow grows well. The summers are brutal, if you are not used to it. Not having a real winter is nice, too.

[@brucelockhart8936]

Congratulations and Welcome to Florida and good luck to you and your wife on all your endeavors. May your crops be bountiful and your scuba excursions exciting. I’m in central FL about an hour north of Orlando in Lady Lake.

[@RedPillPoet]

Welcome Neighbor! Gardening in central Florida is upsidedown from the rest of the country. Summer is our mostly no-grow season with a half dozen species exceptions. It takes some learning, but the growing here is so much fun! Also love growing the tropicals! We have different stuff we can grow, different cultivars of common crops to handle the heat, and we can really put out some crops most of the year through. Have fun brother!

[@MrJuansWorld]

Fellow Wilmington natives here. My wife and I are taking a shot every time you say “harricane” and we are getting fuuuuuuuuuugged up. Congrats on the property!

[@KJPartyof6]

I've finally been able to get used to keeping a garden in FL. Quite the growth curve from growing up in NJ! David the Good's channel is crucial to my success. I garden his way--anarchy gardening he calls it! Your summer gardening hours will be 6:30-9:30am then back out at 7p-8:30p ---not 4pm 🥵 can't wait to watch your journey.

[@adriennesmith4983]

Good advice on the gardening hours! It’s hot at midnight, so 4 pm is still the height of the day. The sun is brutal until dusk.

[@carriedrury1153]

I've lived in central Florida on the west coast all my life (many decades), and everything you've said is spot on and it will make a great homestead location for you. You will absolutely appreciate the year-round sunshine. Welcome to Florida and best wishes to you and your family!

[@mariap.894]

Congrats! But, what's going to happen to your citrus trees? You can't grow much down here and McKenzie farms doesn't deliver here😢either??

[@Daniel-hr5qj]

Welcome to my home state. Wish we had more people like you moving here!! I was born and raised in Destin Florida (1970). TOOOO many people here now!! But I still love this place. It is home.

[@solargod3671]

Destin you think is bad go to Tampa and Orlando now 5xs worse.

[@Daniel-hr5qj]

@@solargod3671 I am well aware of that fact. I lived in Tampa for 5 years in the early 1990's and 2000. Now when I visit....wow... it has really changed.

[@HomesteadinginSuburbiaFL]

I just moved back to North Central Florida from Washington State 3 months ago. While you will be south of us, we are experiencing night after night of frost warnings and temps into the upper 20's (except 2 nights ago, it was 23 degrees). The days have been glorious and I have already started my new compost. I wish you well and look forward seeing your garden mature over time.

[@gymyers1]

I'm in North Central Florida also, the Big Bend area (Dixie County)...Welcome! I cant wait to see your videos from Florida.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Thanks! It'll be awhile. I won't be moving for at least 5 years, but it'll happen eventually. The last 5 years definitely flew by.

[@ourbrownfarmhouse]

There aren't many of us in Florida who share content for gardening, homesteading, etc. Great points. We will be your neighbors in Central Florida, Welcome.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

I hope to change that. A lot of people in Florida are transplants, so they don't know what can actually be grown there since the seasons operate differently.

[@savdutch1388]

Congratulations, welcome to central Florida, I’m a homesteader in Ocala. So happy to be surrounded by other small farmers, Make sure you check them out. They have a wealth of information on growing exotic fruits. Blessings

[@deltatango5765]

I moved from the east coast to Arizona, near Phoenix, because I hated the winter weather. I had no idea how hot it got here, and how long the summers are. It gets to 120 degrees in the summer, and last summer we had about 3 straight months over 110 degrees. Summer lasts from about May to October. I love the heat, but working in 100+ degrees can be downright dangerous, if you can motivate yourself to do so. Plus, you have to have an automatic watering system here. There's just no way to keep up with watering manually. I lost several seasons of vegetables because of it. Air conditioning in summer will break your budget. During the hottest part of the season my electric bill was almost $400 a month, and we just got a notice of another rate increase coming next month! Of course it is the desert, so my yard is half clay, and I mean REAL clay! I mixed with water and ran through a screen, and now I can actually mold it, and half sand, which seems to be deadly poison to all non-native plants. Plus the soil here can cause something called, "Valley Fever", which is a fungal infection you can get from the dust. I now have 3 raised garden beds, because I had no success digging down 10 inches and filling in with good soil, but have yet to grow what I would call a moderately successful garden. I don't think this is typical of this area, because I have seen some absolutely amazing gardens here! I just haven't figured it out yet. I'm sure you would have done much better with your garden that I did, but this will give you an idea of what you missed out on. I am actually thinking about moving again. I'm considering West Virginia for the low cost of living. From what I've seen, I could sell my house and pay cash for a decent one there, and eliminate my mortgage. I still need to research further though. Also, I would hate to go back to those long, cold winters.

[@shakerman55]

Kentucky. Thank me later

[@patricescott]

We are on 21 acres in Central FL as well. Very excited to see how you grow and navigate down here. This summer was pretty hot and much of what I created just reverted back with the heat and rain, so I had to do all the work again this fall to clean out. We had a fair amount of damage from Milton that we are still cleaning up (16 large, old growth trees were lost 🥺) But the winter here is absolutely unbeatable and I love it!! Thanks for all you share here, and welcome to the sunshine state!! 😃

[@lydiafilzen]

I live just south of Jacksonville, used to be 9A now 9B. I gather your land is somewhere around Palatka/Bunnell/Deland or the vicinity. Lots of cabbage and potato farms there. You will get hard freezes, but they don't normally last long. Hurricanes fizzle out inland and aren't nearly as horrible as on the coasts. Try tubing down the Ichetucknee River for a beautiful summer refresher.

[@katherinecroll]

I definitely get it, we bought a 2.5 acre place just outside of Gainesville to garden and homestead 4 years ago and it has been wonderful! We started filling our place with lots of fruit trees and other edibles 3 years ago and have been doing great! Unfortunately, due to a medical diagnosis, we need to move closer to family for the regular help that will be needed (and sell our home and food forest). I will miss it so much as it has been our favorite place to live! I have enjoyed your channel very much and have taken your excellent advice on several occasions! Thanks so much!

[@KK-FL]

I live at the very top of 9b in Jacksonville. I watch your channel partly because your weather and everything else is so similar to ours. You are going to do just fine here.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

I looked around Amelia Island HARD. Such a beautiful area, but acreage was just too much. That area is something.

[@KK-FL]

@@TheMillennialGardener yes it's pretty, close to the ocean and therefore expensive! I hope your wife gets to dive in Devil's Den. It always looks so neat to me but I am terrified of being underwater that long!

[@lotus....]

We lived on 4 acres in Jax. It was a 9a when we moved there many yrs ago. Now its a 9b. I grew citrus, bananas etc when I lived there. I knew it was changing to a 9b because the bananas werent freezing back and we had fruit in Nov/Dec. We bought a much larger property in the Panhandle a few yrs ago and now its back to zone 9a again lol. Its so much nicer up here all around. I figure in 5 or 6 yrs it will be a 9b up here too lol. I still can grow anything I want with a little tweaking plus all the things the S FL people cant grow. I have lived in everything from zn 4a to 11a in the US so zone pushing is what I do lol. I have always grown tropicals no matter where I lived.

[@KK-FL]

@@lotus.... this gives me hope that I'm going to get bananas one day!

[@lotus....]

@@KK-FL Try Dwarf Namwah, Orinoco, Raja Puri, Veinte Cohol etc. Plant them so the edge of a big oak Live Oak or Magnolia (or some tree that keeps its leaves in winter kinda shields them from frost. Make sure the sun still hits them on one side even if its from a slant. This gives them a better chance not to die to the ground totally during winter. Dont let the roots stay wet in winter. Water them, let them dry out good before watering again. This prevents rot from the cold. I hope you get some nanners fruiting soon ♡ Also do not trim any dead leaves off those bananas..Let them be over the winter. They help protect them..the top might get burnt too but leave those leaves also. In spring after last frost then you can trim them up a bit :)

[@JoseHernandez-uo7br]

My friend welcome to Florida I've been here for more 50 years and I will not change this lifestyle for any other no matter how good it is thank you for stopping and coming to Florida you are welcome❤😂

[@cameroonkendrick6312]

We need more small farms and homesteads here, I appreciate this. You can grow anything tropical now, even cocoa, mangoes, and vanilla if you grow them under larger trees to avoid mild frost. You can grow citrus here as well, but it needs to be kept under a larger tree because citrus cylids only attack larger plants. My point is, grow a jungle/food forest, it’s a great way to garden in our climate and it simulates how these plants grow in the wild. Vegetables you start in the fall and harvest in spring, unless they are tropical like sweet potatoes.

[@ikitchenqueen]

Been gardening here in East Orlando 30 years and THIS is where I finally ended up was to a Food Forrest, so much easier with most of the FF type of plants that take care of themselves!

[@CH-hm8ud]

I am in Central Florida, I love garden, but I am not sure when to start my sweet potatoes, maybe I do something wrong!! LOL. 😂

[@MarkumMarkum-q6l]

Love your channel and have grown so many purple sweet potatoes thanks to you. We have 40 acres down here in Florida and the sweet potatoes and Malabar spinach love the heat, humidity, monsoons and the intense sun here. Everything else does not. I have learned thru error that shade clothes are a must or plant almost everything under a shade tree within 5 feet of the sun that gets filtered light. Most people don’t realize that 90 degrees in North Carolina is not the same as 90 degrees in Florida. The UV during the summer is around 13 or 14 and just a scorches pretty much everything. When plants say they like full sun l, that is sun everywhere except Florida. It must have a shade cloth. Just trying to help you save a couple of frustrating growing seasons. Fishing is great here. Mangos and peaches and persimmons and papayas do excellent here. A lot of wild natural native foraging can be done as well. Spanish nettle grows abundant, and the palmetto berries are super beneficial for our health. I’ve yet to be able to grow garlic or beets but will probably have to build and enclosure where I can control the climate. It takes some serious skill to grow here on these conditions. There is zero nutrients in sand. lol! Good luck my friend and wish you the best here in Florida!

[@cathymalapit2988]

Sounds like you guys will enjoy the Philippines. Tropical fruit and scuba diving. Looking forward to hear more challenges that you will surpass and help others to do the same.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

I don't want to live in a tropical climate. I prefer the subtropics much more, because I want a cool season. Growing up in a temperate zone most of my life, the idea of having a tropical climate where it's always warm feels weird and uncomfortable to me. I love the idea of a Florida winter with a couple months of jacket weather. I hate the cold, but I love a few months of "cool." It's like a reset button.

[@secretjourney4815]

Also, you will be near the awesome Hollis and Nancy Homestead Check them out, they moved to northern central Florida a few years back from Va.

[@janets6474]

It doesnt matter what viewers think. It only matters what is best for you and your family. There are no good or bad states to live in anymore. I live in Western NC which should have been fairly safe to live in goe a variety of reasons. We all know how that has worked out. 😒

[@TheMillennialGardener]

That's basically what I'm trying to explain. You need to develop a process. Don't pick somewhere based on emotion. Literally, make a checklist or a spreadsheet. Make it boring, methodical and unemotional.

[@mayLibertyprevail1a]

​@@TheMillennialGardener Totally agree. I did the exact same thing several years ago when I had some life changes & needed to choose where to live next. It brought me to central NC, and I am very happy here! Ignore the Negative Nellies, and enjoy your new homestead!

[@myurbangarden7695]

My goal is New Mexico. Cheap land, mild winters and it is very encouraging to OFF GRID living and incentives for water savings.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

I have been to NM. You have to be careful, because many areas are quite impoverished, so if healthcare is a concern for you, you may not have access. It is something to seriously consider. It is a beautiful state, but I recommend taking a tour of it first in person.

[@myurbangarden7695]

​@@TheMillennialGardener AGREED 💯

[@Stretchnrest]

Welcome to Florida. Loved living there and loved gardening there. Have fun . Big ups.

[@philomenajohnson2995]

Where in Florida are you?

[@waynejohnston79]

Welcome to Florida. You are going to love the winter growing season here!

[@diannanoe9017]

I love going to Florida in the wintertime because the fresh produce is so good!

[@ForGoodnesSake]

It's funny how you specifically said "Corpus Christi" that's where I live. It's hot, humid, we've been in a drought for 5 yrs. I'm glad you found a place that checks all the boxes. Congratulations on your new homestead 🎉

[@beewrangler81]

Brother. You have your reasons and that’s all that matters. Good luck. Have fun. Us moving to southwest Missouri from Central Valley of California is a big adjustment. lol.

[@LIFTHUNTREALESTATE]

Sounds like you aren’t far from my farm, which is just north of Perry. I’m an FL native, your reasoning is very sound.

[@SpaceCoastHarvest]

Welcome to Florida! Gardening is great here :-) North Florida has some really beautiful property

[@FLMegan]

Im in Duval but keeping my eye on Starke and surrounding. I couldn't imagine being anywhere besides Florida however getting into property as of now is craaazzzy.

[@SpaceCoastHarvest]

@ I’m in the suburbs in Melbourne and am dying to find some acreage in a year or two !

[@FLMegan]

@@SpaceCoastHarvest I feel ya! Let's hope things level out for us so we can get on some land!

[@Firstfalconfree]

Bay County and surrounding counties still have hurricane damage from cat 5 Michael, but it is a beautiful area. We love homesteading here (though I’d love a second homestead in NC when house prices settle a bit!).

[@edrosales7821]

Welcome ! We are on 5 .5 acres in north Fl near Gainesville….happy to have you as a future homesteader! You have been a huge help with my beginning gardening antics…still learning😊

[@ShmooyShmoo]

I got a 10.9 acre homestead in south central Florida. Labelle. Been growing tropical fruit trees for 5 years. Had one major frost which took out 25 year old fruit trees on our property along with everything I planted the first year.

[@user-hz7kv6js6l]

I live in Sarasota Florida zone 11a. I love gardening in the fall and winter. Come May the bugs and heat take over so I garden after sunset and just keep up with my herbs and tropical fruit trees. Then come August I start my seeds for my fall garden. I love Florida I've been here for 30+ years.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

That's effectively my plan. Have tropical fruit trees for summer and do the vegetable gardening the other 9 months. I hope to build a legitimate high tunnel, so that will fix the whole tomato/cucumber/squash problem in Florida. Those plants like to stay 100% dry.

[@Bob-w2b8j]

We are in zone 10a, only place in Florida that is 11a is Miami and homestead

[@lotus....]

I was gonna say, Sarasota is a zone 10a, 10b if you are on some tiny island/key in that area out in the ocean lol. I believe parts of Miami are an 11a now and The Keys 11a/b since the new zone update.

[@user-hz7kv6js6l]

@lotus.... yes, you're right. I'm now in 10a with the new zoning map

[@Bob-w2b8j]

@@user-hz7kv6js6l to be fair we are more like zone 11 the vast majority of the time. I think we hit freezing once every 5 years or something like that

[@tgbst88]

I bought acreage in SW FL 1.5 years ago and my food forest is ongoing. Near Naples 10b..

[@KimberlyMooreDudley]

I'm a long time Realtor and Florida is my biggest boomerang state. People leave NC to move to Florida only to circle back a few years later. I completely understand moving for the zone though. You obviously love gardening!

[@cameronmerrill_]

thats hilarious

[@TheMillennialGardener]

That’s because they didn’t fully think it through. You can’t make emotional decisions on where to live. You need to literally spreadsheet your goals and do a lot of research.

[@BlissfulBombshells]

Where in Florida do You Serve as a Realtor?

[@cruz1742]

Mosquitos eat alive in NC gators eat alive in Florida

[@bpfsu]

@@BlissfulBombshellsI believe they are a Realtor in NC, not Florida. People from up north move to Florida and can’t stand some of the things he mentioned and end up in North Carolina. We call them half-backs here in Florida (I’m a Florida Native). The move to Florida and then move halfway back.

[@busterplad389]

I live in central FL zone 9b. Welcome to our beautiful state! We grow alot of veggies /fruit. These are some things about gardening here that I'd like to share..first most of Fl is good old sand. I have raised beds and my biggest challenge is keeping the soil alive. Cover crops work well, iron clay beans will grow well in the summer and the grass in the fall winter. Organic organic organic into the soil. The soil drys out fast so keep that in mind. Get a soil test if you want soil brought in. You'll want to pay particular attention to the salt level in the soil. I'd also suggest growing some neem trees to ,make your own oil. Another thing is gardening here is so different from those north of us. Univ of FL is our land grant college and their site had great info for planting dates etc. Thrres a very good book called gardening in central FL. It has such great old school gardening info. The author is James m Stephens. Happy gardening Ps when I'm referring to soil I don't mean sand.

[@terrinegron]

Using logic instead of emotions...love it.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Weird, right? 😂

[@APrettyGoodChannel]

There's often logical reasons behind people's emotional sounding response to a place. e.g. I've heard tons of news about Florida doing shady stuff from all the way in Australia, and wouldn't be keen to live somewhere that had that kind of response to the pandemic. There was 1 covid death in my state of 5 million people before vaccines arrived, and life was pretty much more normal than anywhere else in the world, due to decent leadership which listened to the experts and took appropriate actions. I can't imagine going somewhere that does the opposite of that about real problems unless I absolutely had to, for my own protection. edit: Still, for the needs he laid out, it makes some sense.

[@mayLibertyprevail1a]

@@APrettyGoodChannel America is pretty freedom oriented. And Florida actually fared pretty well during the pandemic, especially considering the high population of elderly.

[@professionalgrasstoucher8167]

I think it’s one thing to make a spreadsheet with objective criteria and use that to help inform decision making. But I also do think you can’t deny that there are less “logical” reasons for people to make certain decisions about their own life. At the end of the day, deciding what is important to you is not logical or objective; you have to choose your priorities and ignoring your emotions can be a great way to not actually move towards your own goals. You could construct logical arguments for and against moving to any place, but you ultimately have to go with your gut; there is no single deterministic correct answer. I would never suggest making decisions based purely on emotion, but I also think a hyperrational framework that purports to not have emotion in it is often misguided and often unaware of or trying to ignore the emotions that are clear to other people. Also, I know I’ve encountered things that I thought were perfect on paper (ie match a variety of different criteria and after considering tradeoffs) but which once I’ve experienced or bought them don’t always live up to the expectation. I know I and many others have emotionally been invested in things working out because they should on paper, but having them actually work out IRL is an entirely different story. And then you rationalize sticking with something that is obviously not working because “it should work”. I know we want to feel in control and like we understand everything, but oftentimes there are just things you can’t account for or know until you are in that situation and it can be hard to get over our own egos to admit we were wrong. This for example is why many gardeners (of all skill, but especially beginners) will continue to invest time and money on things which in hindsight were not working out. Still, coming from an engineering background myself, I can sympathize with the idea of making objective metrics and creating a solid plan to guide system design and implementation, something many people don’t do. But it is a balancing act, because I also know you can sometimes get too wrapped up in the conceptualization of a perfect plan that you don’t just try things to see what works. Trial and error can suck, but that’s where you actually find things out. Ultimately, it’s never certain if a move will be a good thing or not, which is what can make it both exciting and scary, but figuring out some basic specifications for different areas will help inform decision making and identifying places which are more likely to meet our needs. Spreadsheet are a good thing. But I would simply add that you should at least be aware of your emotions, especially in evaluating if something is working for you or not. We are masters at rationalizing our way to the answers we want to be true (whether or not they are) and if you can’t be honest about that blind spot, a very basic human thing, you can easily find yourself further from where you actually wanted to go. Sometimes the right answer is to persist, but sometimes the best thing you can do is reset. With that, to anyone planning or in the process of a move, I wish the best to you all!

[@TheMillennialGardener]

@ this video is about picking a state for homesteading. That has to be based on defined criteria and objective goals, not emotion. Once you decide the state, you have anywhere in the entire state to choose from. For that, you can be as emotional as you want. Pick whatever town in that state that you love for whatever emotional reason. Florida is more than a narrow coastline.

[@nancybruinooge7121]

You’ll love it here. We moved in 1998 just north of Tampa and this was the1st year we had a hurricane come close. You will adjust to the heat by the 2nd year.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

It's not much worse than what I'm dealing with now. It's marginally worse, but the winters will be so much easier that the collective year will be a break.

[@BrokeFarmer]

Good reason, definitely growing mangoes would be awesome

[@MsAure]

Welcome to Central Florida.I simply love it here! I look forward for you to open tour the property maybe or give gardening classes etcetc. There are springs cold and hot here amazing! Im North Central and true,we got clipped but barely some strong winds I didnt hear or feel it indoors with my double windows.Humidity is quickly gone.We are sub tropical.Yay..welcome guys!

[@joemancurreri6635]

Over the last 20 years, I wake up each morning looking forward to another great day.. Before living in Florida we lived in Westchester County NY.. Beautiful area, horrible weather and people. My family loves NE Florida. we kayak, boat, fish, garden 12 months a year.. walked the puppy on the beach this morning. Picked fresh Oranges and figs for breakfast. This is paradise..

[@MsAure]

@@joemancurreri6635 I lived in White Plains!Now, Love Fl!!

[@Freedom2025-x2b]

Welcome to North Central Florida. I have lived in San Francisco and Atlanta. My home and garden are in Central Florida 9b. Love. It!

[@TheMillennialGardener]

9b is such a good zone. You can grow mangoes and peaches. You can't say that in many other places.

[@jillpellegrin4137]

We live in 9b northeast Florida and are 45 minutes from the beach on the east and 3.5 hours away from the beach on the gulf coast. We have been very fortunate in that we have never had a bad experience with hurricanes in 44 years. (I hope I am not jinxing us!) There are definitely places in Florida where you can homestead without too much fear of the storms.

[@Michellegrows]

I moved to central Florida 23 years ago from Massachusetts. I love the winter garden here. I'm so happy for you guys! You'll love it here! One small caveat, look into citrus greening. It might be different more north. But i can't grow it because of the asain citrus psyllid.

[@raymondkyruana118]

I'm from MA too! I am considering SoCal or Florida. Already used to the taxes but it will still hurt in Cali. Florida seems amazing but don't you miss the mountains (small though they are in New England) and what about the humidity? Is it really as bad as they say it is?

[@Michellegrows]

@raymondkyruana118 I do miss the mountains. That's why we try to take vacations at the very least once a year. As far as the humidity goes, mid summer, you can't get around it. But come October even late September that breaks and it's beautiful. Blue skies just about everyday of the year too. I'll take a humid summer over shoveling snow any day. ❤️

[@raymondkyruana118]

@@Michellegrows I suppose you must pick your poison. Either indoors for 3 months due to heat/humidty or indoors for 3 months from the bitter cold The difference being at least you can go out in the mornings and afternoons on hot days The cold never lets up haha

[@Bob-w2b8j]

​@@raymondkyruana118I moved from CT. I miss the fall colors, change of seasons, hiking. It's a big adjustment. Humidity plus heat in the summer is brutal, but if it's an average summer you can take your walk or bike ride in the morning before 9. Better to get out in the morning than the evening, which is when the bugs are out in force. There are pros and cons to living in any state or country in the world, you just have to weigh them out and see what works for you

[@onourownhomestead]

We live in St johns county very rurally and absolutely love homesteading in Florida!!

[@lizz7805]

I live in Austin, where year-round gardening is doable. However, there are two major challenges: the summer heat, which lasts for more than half the year, and the consistently low precipitation.

[@baneverything5580]

My garden looks best in winter in central Louisiana but I like the spring, summer fall fruits & berries. There`s no way to win against the bugs and I refuse to poison everything and just try to work around them. The upside is I have a whole lot of lizards, toads, frogs, bees, birds and harmless snakes but I had to plant extra fruits and berries for the birds. Several things can be grown inside to avoid the bug/climate problems. I have tomatoes, basil, strawberries and two types of ground cherries growing inside for winter and winter greens, carrots, beets, rutabagas and turnips growing outside.

[@kg89808]

Don't forget freezes too in Austin

[@kbjalen27]

Austin, Texas does not freeze. We may get 2 or 3 a year and it's a light freeze, and you are talking about maybe 32.

[@lizz7805]

@@kbjalen27 that's right, even light freeze is rare. my cherry tomatoes, eggplants and watermelons are doing fine, yes i still have two watermelons growing in Dec!

[@robinhill4497]

This is exciting, and I’m happy for y’all! I’m a TEXAS girl, but I’m not mad about the FL choice. Hurricanes are an issue here in TEXAS too…heat & humidity in Texas 9b zone is no joke… and let’s not even start talking about the TEXAS bugs🥴. Congrats🎉 best wishes for you& I’m team: The Millennial Gardener!

[@krystelhardesty9960]

Florida homesteader here I have lived here (central FL Tampa area) my whole life I'm in my 40's. First depending what part of the state you live in you will have to watch your property tax and home owner insurance they can be crazy. Second depends on where you live the heat and humidity is a lot longer then you think for me it starts in early May and goes until Halloween if we are lucky, and you will get weeks of very high heat in March and April we get 100+ days in April but low humidity. Gardening here sucks for a good chunk of the year DO NOT garden in summer here unless its sweet potatoes every thing will die its not the heat it's the rain and humidity it will cause a lot of mold and disease so don't even try, oh and citrus for most of the state is a no go too due to citrus greening. The University of Florida (UF) has a good planting guide for Florida based on what part you are going to live in. If you want to get in to livestock buy animals that were born and breed in the state we have some serious parasites and there is no break from them and FL breeders breed there livestock to survive here. This is what I deal with a lot as we are a 4-H/FFA family and my kids show livestock. Along those lines when you bring animals to FL from other states they will sometimes (not always) develop skin issues like flaking and fur loss it just the humidity causing an over growth of yeast on the skin it will get better just keep them dry. I have seen this mostly in horses and dogs most other animals are pretty ok with it. Florida is challenging but you will eventually learn how to work with it.

[@ikitchenqueen]

All my citrus have now have greening, but NOW Florida has laurel wilt an avocado problem that's taking over too, I have an amazing huge 8 yr old avocado that has never failed us...literally started dying branch by branch and all greenery gone in a few short weeks, I'm devestated😢

[@mlh352]

My friend, it rains almost every day in the summertime, my family has been in central florida since the 1800s. Also, if your house isn't new, you won't get homeowners insurance. My house in Clermont was built in 75, and I can not get insurance. Side note clermont is the highest point above sea level in all of florida.

[@rogermccaslin5963]

You need a better agent. My house was built in 1959, in North Palm Beach, about a half a mile from the beach, and I have insurance. It's expensive but that's the price of living where I live. If I was about 2 miles further west, the rate would drop dramatically (according to my agent).

[@MultiAnne36]

I am in Citrus county and this year was not as bad but we are very dry here. Rain is different in this area of Florida. Its very spotty. It could rain down the road but my neighborhood is dry. All the grass is yellow here if it isnt watered. I am from Michigan and have found Florida to be very dry. I wish it rained more often. If we dont have a very high probability of rain we usually dont get it.

[@daviddunagan4185]

That's the best Dale video ever. Good one Dale. 😅

[@levilee528]

Looking forward to seeing the videos of you developing your homestead and growing it the same area as I do. I'm in zone 9a close to Jacksonville and Gainesville

[@hazelbellefarm476]

Hey there! Us too, keystone heights!

[@OleensEmbroidery]

We North Cakalackins are going to miss your seasonal videos. But I agree with you about the bugs being just as bad here. Especially if you live in a swamp as I essentially do. Good luck in your new adventure.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

It's gonna be awhile. I can't see myself budging for at least 5 years.

[@OleensEmbroidery]

@@TheMillennialGardener OK, cool. You are my favorite local KZbin gardener. Hopefully I can suck up enough information in the next 5 years to start my own NC gardening KZbin channel haha.

[@JBPowell-y9m]

Only thing I can say as a Floridian is first and foremost, Welcome!! Second, I would just say make sure you bought in an area that is at a minimum zoned AG and in a county with laxed building codes so you can do your own solar for example as well as putting up a small barn like structure without having to pull a permit etc

[@urbanbackyardcontainergardenin]

Welcome Floridian😊. Sounds like you are going to be south of me. I’m in North Florida. We have family homestead property just east of Tallahassee.

[@ColleenHughes-p1u]

I was leaning towards north of Jacksonville FL, but my husband had his heart set on the NC crystal coast. Either way we are way warmer then the NY freezing temps & snow. From watching your videos I know that I can actually grow those warmer fruits & veggies that I dreamed of, with modifications; (cover & incandescent lights) that I would never be able to grow on Long Island. I’m glad you found your perfect place. Looking forward to seeing your progress and journey.

[@cenellagrantham9337]

I live in North West Florida and I love it I hope you love Florida too😊

[@LaRa-youknowit]

Floridian gardener here, can wait to see your future videos on our pests and fungus’ control. Good luck.

[@barbkenas5663]

You definitely did your homework, sounds like a good fit! Now the big question, did Dale have any input? 🤣🤣🤣🐕🐾💞

[@kievgarden]

It's easier to add warmth in hothouse to grow tropicals than find necessary chill to grow apples, pears, cherries, blueberries, raspberries...

[@katiem9644]

Welcome to Florida! I bought a piece of property in Florida in 1998, and have never ever regretted that decision. Its great gardening down here. Im in 9a, and theres no time during the year that I cant grow something. Love it here. When you build I recommend concrete block. Ive gone thru 5 or 6 hurricanes...a couple really serious ones...and havent had the first damage, other than downed trees. My reason to move down here (from NJ) was hating winters. Any day I cant get outside and do some gardening is a day wasted, and NJ killed me. As far as insurance goes, my homeowners went up this year....$15 a month. I can deal with that.

[@DanlowMusic]

Still probably cheaper than New Jersey taxes. As a Washingtonian I understand the problems with blue states.

[@Bob-w2b8j]

I'm in a coastal area, Sarasota county. My insurance went up after Ian but not the crazy amounts that you'd think. I'm not in a flood zone and therefore don't need flood insurance. If you have a newer home or newer roof and are not in a flood zone, home insurance is still very much affordable. We pay well under $2000 per year

[@pattiscarola3594]

Welcome neighbor- from Volusia County

[@Toby-Cooper]

I would much rather live in Florida than here in Washington! I wish you all the best🙏❤️😊

[@TheMillennialGardener]

People say that about where I live when March rolls around, but then June comes and they flip 😂

[@jamesthorpe2359]

So excited for your perspective on Florida Gardening!

[@matheya]

Winters are not an issue - the heat is ! I know people in Florida , they can't grow even grass. In their words...

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Here, winters are an issue and heat is an issue. I dream of living somewhere where I only have to deal with one bad season 😂

[@darceyschultz2370]

You can grow anything in Florida I've lived in Florida for over 58 years. I have always had a garden and water water that lawn for good grass and feed it. 😂

[@joemancurreri6635]

Really.. I have no idea where they live. Florida grows most of your vegetables for the East coast..Here in Nassau Co. Florida we can grow most anything 12 months a year. My banana's are being picked this weekend.. Figs 9 months a year. Oranges, lemons, Satsuma's, Loquats, Kumquats, Limes, Avocado's, etc ! our soil is a sandy loam, best for growing.. the people you know just don't want to leave the AC and get out into the environment.

[@matheya]

@@joemancurreri6635 They live in Jacksonville - 25 years. They say they can't grow tomatoes or peppers. Everything must be in raised beds, the humidity is horrible and the heat and they say that California is the basket for all USA. They are retired and have time. I wouldn't say they're lazzy or have any reason to lie to me. :))) I mean, I was just surprised to hear Florida. Any land investment is a good one.

[@shanedeezy]

Excited to continue learning from your channel as you move near my hometown. Even in Brandon, beware of rainy season and inconsistent watering issues. Fall/winter gardening in Fl is where it’s at 🤙🏼

[@TheRealWattLife]

Unfortunately Florida and Georgia are closed and aren't taking any new people at the moment!

[@TheMillennialGardener]

I keep saying that about North Carolina. Nobody listens.

[@cameronmerrill_]

go dawgs

[@pedrothewhiteguy9054]

Same with Texas 😆 Oklahoma is beautiful and cheaper and has tons of room 😁

[@erikmuser7915]

Welcome, glad to have U. Now close the border! I'm 10a on the East Coast so if U continue to make vids I won't have to adjust your advice to my area. This is awesome!

[@dawnraulerson1]

I'm zone 9a in FL super excited to have you come here to our beautiful state. Looking forward to your Florida videos

[@Chocamatoes]

Interesting process. Well, welcome to the neighborhood!

[@BlissfulBombshells]

Plus we have Governor DeSantis who actually Takes Care of ALL of Us. He has his own STATE run Hurricane Preparedness & Relief programs that he saves up 💲💰💲for 🤓✨💡✨He is on the ball when it comes to Helping out & EDUCATING OUR Communities💪🏻😊🇺🇸‼️ Welcome Neighbor🌱🌸🍓🌿💜🖤✨

[@joemancurreri6635]

DeSantis is the best.. ! we love him..

[@jamesesenwein5152]

Welcome to Florida, we love it here. You made the decision for what benefits you and your family, I wouldn't have made a video to justify it.

[@frankmaruca3703]

Because you wanted a floating garden???

[@JohnT.4321]

Rising sea levels, hurricanes, deadly snakes in the water and an occasional alligator passing by. I am content to stay in the North even though the gods did a collective dump along the shores of Lake Erie.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

I’ll file this under “sarcasm.”

[@Patrickhenry17seventysix]

Welcome to florida

[@lashandrawest6333]

😂😂😂literally. I absolutely love Florida & anywhere u live theres gonna be an issue. Welcome to Florida!! Best place to live especially for us Gardners. ❤​@TheMillennialGardener

[@paulp57]

I’d go to Florida only for the fruit.

[@pamelagardner4191]

Wow, kudos for the planning and courage to follow your dreams!!!

[@davidbeauregard3747]

I have been in South Florida since the early 70s. I have a large garden with mangos,lychee,coco,coffee,grapes,black sapotae,macadamia, and fig&honeybees to pollinate!

[@tuxedocatpicasso8917]

I love your analysis! Good luck with your new homestead ❤

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Thank you! It'll be years before I make it down, but it's nice knowing it's there.

[@nenax24x]

Welcome to florida! I'm looking forward to learning from you!

[@TheMillennialGardener]

It’ll probably be 5 years before I make it down, but I plan to have periodic updates when we take trips down to make tiny improvements.

[@nenax24x]

@TheMillennialGardener oh wow 5 years. Well I would love to hear your tios on planting in our soil 👍

[@crisabalos7163]

I love Florida, its one of my favorite states to visit. I've been looking to move there too. I wish you the best on your homestead.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Thank you! I always try to tell people, there is more to Florida than the beach. Go inland and you can avoid a lot of the problems with Florida, and the beach is still a reasonable drive if you must go.

[@hazelbellefarm476]

Welcome to Florida! ❤

[@sonofjacob5131]

I can’t wait cause I live close by and that Sandy soil will be a challenge I’m so freaking ready

[@koransky1]

Welcome to Central Florida!! Can't wait to see what you grow here. I moved here from another zone 10 place (Arizona), and there was still a learning curve for me with gardening.

[@SonofSun100]

Welcome to my state. I was actually born here. One & 1/4 acre homestead SW of Orlando. Best of luck with the build out and move! Most folks are on the coasts or Orlando so the other areas still very rural.