Florida Friendly Fall Vegetable Varieties

Due to popular demand at my workshops and book signings, I will be carrying the following Florida Friendly vegetable seeds for the Fall '09 planting season. Let me know if there are any others you would like to purchase. Beginning in '09, all my seeds are organic. Additional variety recommendations can be found on the IFAS site: www.edis.ifas.ufl.edu .
My mission is to provide gardening information not products so these seed sales are will be offered for a limited time beginning in September on www.gourmetgardener.com .
For more information on container gardening, please consider purchasing my book: Container Gardening for Health: The 12 Most Important Fruits and Vegetables for your Organic Garden

Bush Beans-Blue Lake
Pole Beans-Kentucky Wonder
Broccoli Raab
Cabbage-Early Jersey Wakefield
Carrots-Nantes
Chinese-Taisai
Kale-Vates
Lettuce-Tom Thumb, New Red Fire, Red Oak, Outredgeous
Onions-White Lisbon
Shallots-Ambition
Spinach-America
Squash-Cocozelle
Strawberry Crowns-Albion
Tomatoes-Brandywine, Green Zebra
Watermelon-Sugar Baby

Watermelon Woes

My sister called from a Tampa suburb this week, crying over the loss of two watermelon plants. Ever under the watchful eyes of her community's HOA "police," she discreetly planted two watermelon seeds in her flower bed. "I know I shouldn't be crying about this," she told me, "but they were in blossom and I was really looking forward to having watermelons."

While it is true that our husbands tell us our day is not complete unless we've had a good cry, I don't believe my sister would generally cry over a watermelon plant that had a run-in with a lawn mower. I thought for a few days about what might be behind her grief.

I pictured my sister planting the seeds with her five year old daughter. A few days later, I imagined my little niece running in to tell her Mom the seeds had sprouted. For the next few weeks, they watched in amazement as, amidst the neatly maintained Boxwoods and Knock Out Roses, a watermelon planted snaked out into the grass, lifting it's leaves to the sun. When the large yellow blossoms appeared, I know my niece was tempted to pick them. But my sister must have explained the purpose of the blossoms and why they needed to stay attached to the plant. My sister waited with her daughter in anticipation of what was to come next: from a stem just a quarter inch in diameter, a 5+ pound watermelon. (Watching a watermelon plant grow is rather like watching a skinny pregnant person's belly grow in her 9th month. You just can't figure out how it could be possible.) Though my sister has seen watermelons growing on the vine before, I bet her sense of wonder from the sight has never changed. This time would be even better because her daughter would watch in amazement right beside her.

Sadly, her expectations were dashed by the lawn boy.

Gardeners never stop feeling that sense of accomplishment when the harvest a vegetable. The harvest is like a statement: I was enough. I was nurturing enough, consistent enough, vigilant enough.

Who wouldn't grieve the loss of their watermelon plant?


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eco-Mom

I like to think I'm a fairly forward thinking person. I try to stay informed about world events and live my life with a conscience. However, it is never CNN, NPR, or The New Yorker that motivates me to change. Invariably, my two sons are my moral compass.

I stopped using plastic bags when their disparaging looks at the grocery store became downright embarrassing. Kill a bug in my house and you'll be given the guilt treatment for 2 days. Poisonous snake in the pool? Don't kill it! Trap it and turn it loose in the neighbor's field. Under my children's ever vigilant eye, I've gradually become an "eco-Mom". Eco-Moms travel through time before -- making a purchase, throwing away a recyclable container, or swallowing a high carbon footprint glass of milk -- to determine if our actions will negatively impact our children's future. Sometimes we hold our breath a little longer than we should less the co2 burn a hole in their little lungs.

What is my children's latest challenge? Run a garden business without using disposable plastic containers. Of course, the kids are right. Have you ever been to a garden center where there wasn't a mountain of planters stacked behind a shed? Why do garden companies use so much plastic? Well-because the containers are inexpensive and light weight. They are not, however, very durable, so they frequently end up in the land fill. This should be unacceptable to those of us who are in the greenest of the green industries.

What are the alternatives? Now that I've promised my 15 year old son I'll stop using the disposable plastic, I'm on a mission to find something else that will be equally light weight and inexpensive. I'm not entirely writing off plastic. But any plastic container I use will have to be durable.

So far, I'm testing out eco-containers (made of straw) and earth boxes (yes, made of plastic). I will share the results of my trials at the Green Festival in Washington D.C. on October 8. I'll continue to test the containers over the next few years and will share the results on my website, . Any other recommendations for non-plastic containers would be greatly appreciated. Hurry! I need to start fall planting!

Fall & Holiday Gardens

North Florida has two main growing seasons: spring and fall. I prefer fall. By late September, we are usually coming out of the hurricane season with a replenished water table. Additionally, cooler temperatures discourage pests and weeds. Often, our winters are so mild we can extend the fall garden right through Christmas. I am not exaggerating when I say I often pick Arugula for our Christmas salad.
It's time to prepare now for a fall garden. Plan where you will grow your crops, taking into consideration their light, moisture, space, and temperature requirements. If you will need to bring the plants inside during cold snaps, make sure to plant in light weight containers and include soil components such as vermiculite and perlite.
Many seeds prefer warmer temperatures for germinating than for growing. You can start seeds in late August and have them ready to produce fruit by October.
Also, don't forget to think about your holiday menu when planning a fall garden. Grow fresh sage and tarragon for your turkey, baby carrots, and a myriad of lettuce greens for your salad. Start in August!