Fall / Winter Garden Guide
Since we have both a spring and a fall growing season here, I find that I need to have separate spring and fall garden beds.
What I mean is that some of my spring crops are still in the garden when I am ready to plant for late summer and fall. The same goes for fall and winter crops, especially the ones I save for seed since they stay in the garden much longer than crops that are harvested normally.
To accommodate that, I keep separate beds for the seasons and rotate crops. If you have the room and want to get the most out of our growing seasons, it is a good idea.
For those of us in Zone 9a and 9b, this is what we should be doing and when. For Northern and Southern Florida, adjust dates accordingly.
Plant-out dates vary by crop, so they are listed with each type below.
July and August Garden Prep
Start cleaning out old crops and debris.
If you are starting anything from seed and do not have your seeds yet, get them now. Not starting on time, or not having your seeds on time, can throw off your whole schedule.
About 1 to 2 months before planting out, you can work in organic matter that is not fully broken down yet, such as:
- compost
- manure
- leaves
- leaf mold
By 2 to 3 weeks before planting, or closer to your planting date, that material needs to be completely composted.
Draw Up Your Garden Plan
Decide where each crop is going to go.
Taller plants should go on the north side so they do not block the sun from lower crops. Use the Companion Planting Chart to help with placement, the Florida Planting Guide for spacing, and the Drawing Up Your Plan page for layout ideas.
Companion planting can be very helpful for pest control and for balancing what one crop takes from the soil with what another can give back.
Start Your Seeds
Here are the dates for some of the most popular crops. For anything not listed here, see the Florida Planting Guide.
July to August
Tomatoes and peppers — plant out mid-August through September
Mid-July
- Broccoli — plant out beginning in September
- Cabbage — plant out mid-August through January
- Swiss chard — plant out mid-August through January
- Kale — plant out mid-August through January
- Beans (bush and pole) — plant out mid-August through January
August
- Lettuce — start indoors if temperatures are above 80 degrees; can be continually planted through March
- Peas — start mid-August
- Cucumbers — plant out beginning of September
- Winter squash — plant out beginning of September
- Cauliflower — plant out mid to late September
Everything in this group except cauliflower can be direct seeded in September or transplanted.
September
- Radishes
- Carrots
- Beets
These can all be direct seeded in place through March.