Northeast Florida has a mild autumn, which often just feels like an extended, less brutal summer. But at least that gives gardeners extra time for planting before winter.
Here are 10 gardening tips, courtesy of Costa Farms and Miller’s Tree Care, for the season.
1. If you're gardening in the fall, buy cool-season crops. These include lettuce, spinach, broccoli, kale, collards, kohlrabi, radishes, fava beans, peas and more.
2. Before planting a garden or choosing what to garden, think placement and where the plant would thrive best. Larger trees need to be placed further from your home. A vegetable garden needs at least six hours of sunlight and a nearby water source.
3. Cool-season crops are best planted between October and November, but don't wait too long. If so, the plants can often find it difficult to germinate if it gets cold enough. Planting too early may cause them to bolt, or grow too quickly, due to the heat.
4. Minimize weeding chores in the future by plucking weeds from the garden while they're small and have weaker roots..
5. Remember to check and adjust irrigation schedules according to the season. A drop in temperature means plants don't need as much water.
6. November’s cooler temperatures are ideal for planting camellias, azaleas, and citrus trees.
7. Continue watering everything until the ground freezes. Yes, everything. Hydration will help plants through the winter.
8. Clean gardening tools before storing them for winter. Start by removing soil or debris that may be hanging around. Sharpen shovels, trowels, and pruners to make them easier to use in the spring. Use sandpaper to smooth down any wooden handles that mare starting to splinter.
9. Autumn is also the season to spruce up flower beds. By planting annuals and bulbs that do better in cooler temperatures, the flowers will blossom through the new year.
10. If there’s only one gardening area throughout the year, pull all the plants after the final summer harvest, roots and all. Removing the entire plant helps reduce disease and fungal issues. Rotating the area of your garden plots can also help reduce these issues.
For more gardening tips, visit www.costafarms.com and www.millerstreecare.com.
