I’ve got some good news and some bad news regarding my Seeds of Change garden right now.
The good news is that I’ve replanted my seedlings into the garden as they were getting too big for the egg carton cups.Â
The bad news is that the dry, hot weather of late spring has arrived and with it 95F temperatures with corresponding low humidity. Seedlings are best planted in mid-March in Florida so that by the time the low humidity, hot hot hot temperatures of late spring arrive, they are established enough to withstand the scorch.
Not ideal conditions for seedling vegetables and flowers to say the least!
It will be interesting to see if I can nurture them through the next few weeks until the relief of the summertime weather pattern arrives with the high humidity, lower temperatures (high 80’s to low 90’s) and cooling afternoon thunderstorms. Yes, high humidity can be a relief if it means lower temperatures and a daily rainstorm!
For now though, the situation is HOT and VERY DRY with watering once or twice a day absolutely necessary for these seedlings to even have a prayer at survival.
On the bright side, my herbs and lettuces are growing beautifully in my indoor garden window!
How are your gardens growing? If you live further north than Florida, you still have some time to start a garden, so check out my Resources page for where to buy quality, organic seeds.
Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist
I’ve had a garden here in Lakeland, FL for a couple of years now and here’s a few things I have learned. In this area, you want your spring seedlings to be in by late February. Also, if it says FULL SUN – it’s doesn’t mean Florida full sun. Most plants need a break from the heat here. If your garden is near concrete, it’s even hotter. The concrete will reflect the light and heat making it harder to grow things. Over the summer, just plant cover crops. It’s basically our “off-season.” You can do well with black-eyed peas and Sunflowers at that time. Then get ready for the bigger growing season by planting again in September. Good luck with your little guy!!
Thanks Michelle … ALL my seedlings have died so far from the scorching FL heat/sun except for 3 corn seedlings which are defying the odds.
The challenges this year we’re all facing with our gardens! I have the opposite problem as you, though. The constant cold, rainy weather has prevented many seeds of mine from sprouting or rotted them out of the ground.
Good luck with your garden. I’m jealous. I live in a small flat with no room for planting a garden.
I think only the corn has a chance to survive. It reached 98F at my house today. It was absolutely oven-like. The tomato seedlings are already wiped out from the heat.
I’ve planted some seedlings in my northwestern Ohio garden and we’ve had so much rain and wind here that I’m afraid they’ll drown or be crushed. Thankfully, many of them are still in large containers (especially the herbs).
I have a 20 x 20 area in my Austin, TX backyard that has my organic garden. So far, so good but water is always an issue in Central Texas. Lots of delicious tomatoes, some squash, peppers, dozens of onions. All of my lettuces (from Seeds of Change) and chard are either pulled or bolting. I’ve just started getting green beans and am counting the days until the okra is ready!
Like Florida, we have two growing seasons so by mid-July, it’s all over. At that point, I am getting the fall garden planned. It’s a lot of work, but tonight we ate some squash and onions from the garden, sauteed in homemade ghee (thanks for the video) and it was wonderful.