Spring Plant List Assorted Veggies
ASSORTED VEGGIES
Fairy Tale Eggplant
Solanum Melongena
days to maturity: 65 days
plant spacing: 1 plant per square foot
sunlight requirements: 8-14 hours
look out for: scale, thrips, mites
harvest notes: harvest when fruit is about 4” long
Annual
Fairy Tale eggplants are hand sized fruit that are striped purple and white. These fruits and the plants they grow on couldn’t be cuter and more compact, with mature fruit measuring just about 4 inches long and growing in little clusters on fittingly small plants. Baby eggplants are having a bit of a hip culinary moment and are popular at restaurants baked or grilled whole and served cut side up like an adorable little eggplant canoe. Since eggplants take a bit of space to grow in the garden and also require a good amount of time we always recommend people grow these more culinary petite varieties because you cant get them easily at the grocery store, like you can the more traditional types.
Galine Eggplant
Solanum Melongena
days to maturity: 80 days
plant spacing: 2 square feet per plant
sunlight requirement: 8 - 14 hours
look out for: scale, mites, stinkbugs
harvest notes: fruits are harvested when they are 9 inches long and glossy
annual
The plants grow very tall (up to thirty-eight inches), and produce large (up to nine inches long), glossy, dark almost blackish-purple colored, oval to teardrop-shaped fruits. Galine is a standard shape and texture for eggplants but does particularly well in the South, which is the main reason why it was bred. Eggplants are great for summer growing but beware the presence of scale, mites and stinkbugs, as their populations increase over the summer months.
Ping Tung Eggplant
Solanum Melongena
days to maturity: 70 days
plant spacing: 2 Square Feet per plant
sunlight requirement: 8 - 14 Hours
look out for: Use cages or stakes to provide support for larger plants.
harvest notes: Fruits are harvested when they are 11-14 inches long and still shiny
annual
Easy-to-grow Asian eggplants are long and slender with tender magenta skin. Productive plants yield up to 20 fruits each and are vigorous and stress tolerant. Slim fruits average 1-2” wide; plants should be staked for straight fruit. Taiwanese variety is tolerant to heat and humidity while plant is resistant to bacterial wilt. We have noticed over the years that asian eggplant varieties tend to perform better in our climate than the traditional large Italian varieties, so to assure you get fruit this year, throw an asian eggplant in the mix!
Everglades Cherry Tomato
Solanum Lucopersicum
days to maturity: 57 days
plant spacing: 2 square feet per plant
sunlight requirement: 8 - 14 hours
look out for: Hornworms - if you you see branches without any leaves or half eaten fruits look carefully for green caterpillars.
harvest notes: Pick tomatoes when they are as ripe as possible. They should be fully colored and firm and picked regularly to avoid overloading plants.
annual
Indeterminate
Everglades cherry tomatoes are a cult favorite down here in South Florida, and for good reason. Legend has it that these were found "growing wild" throughout the everglades, and after their discovery the seeds were saved and distributed by local gardeners who were looking for a tomato that could stand the extreme heat and humidity of a South Florida summer. Nowadays they're a staple in summer and winter gardens throughout the area. Their tiny size makes them adorable for use in salads, as garnish, and as snacks, and their sweet tase make them irresistible. These wild cherry tomatoes make large highly branched plants that are best grown in a wild and non-trellised fashion. If allowed to grow like a groundcover, left to sprawl and crawl along the ground they can make enormous plants with hundreds of fruit clusters on one plant!
Allow a few clusters of Everglades cherry tomatoes to stay on the plant and they will happily reseed themselves year after year. If you'd like to save the seeds instead just choose a few very ripe fruits, squeeze the insides out into a jar with water, allow it to ferment for a few days (this simulated the digestive system of an animal and will break down the mucilaginous coating around the seed) and then dry on a towel.
Despite its tolerance of the tropical heat Everglades cherry tomatoes can be grown anywhere where all other tomato varieties are. A tip for harvesting the tiny sweet fruits: instead of picking fruit by fruit, cut the entire cluster off the vine when all the fruit is most of the way ripe. Alternatively, break the fruit off of the vine one by one with their little green hat on (the technical term is "peduncle") since the fruits skin tends to rip when its removed hastily.
Tidy Treats Cherry Tomato
Solanum Lycopersicum
days to maturity: 60 days
plant spacing: 1 per square foot
sunlight requirements: 8-14 hours hours
look out for: all the pests love tomatoes, they require a good amount of management
harvest notes: harvest fruit after allowing it to vine ripen
annual
This is our number one most favorite cherry tomato for home gardens, recently surpassing the classic Sungold, which is now our humble number two! Because traditional heirloom indeterminate (vining) tomatoes can become real monsters (especially if they aren’t properly and regularly pruned) they aren’t great for growing in small spaces or in containers, so breeders have been doing a lot of work to find more suitable smaller company tomato plants. Tidy Treats is technically an indeterminate but its a compact one so it grows like a determinate but it produces its fruit slowly and continually (like an indeterminate does) which we prefer over making all of the fruit all at once and then being done. According to the breeders this plant can be trellised using a traditional tomato cage, which is pretty special because if you’ve ever tried to use one of those dinky wire cages to trellis an heirloom indeterminate you know they basically swallow it hole and spit it out mangled! So give this one a try if you’re a beginner without a lot of space looking to produce some tasty red cherry tomatoes for yourself.
Sweet Potato
Ipomoea Batatas
Sweet potatoes are great summer crops for your raised bed or your food forest since they love love love the heat, humidity and rain. It’s native to the New World, although the site of origin and the manner in which it originated are still unknown. Plants were distributed as far as New Guinea and New Zealand before the time of Columbus, the sweet potato was an important crop related to colonization and now it’s range has extended around the world, to both temperate and tropical zones.
This crop thrives in nutrient poor well draining soil, which we have plenty of here in South Florida. A great way to encourage the plant to produce more tubers for you is to regularly prune the vines and bonus: the leaves are edible! The greens are only edible when cooked (not raw) and contain Omega 3 fatty acids, protein, fiber, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, Vitamins A, C, K, and important B vitamins like B1, B2, B3, and B9. The sweet potato itself is a highly nutritious, calorie- filled root crop that packs less of a glycemic hit than grains, cassava or potatoes, and stores excellently.
Commercial growers cure their sweet potatoes in special rooms at 85 degrees Farenheit and 80% to 90% relative humidity for 5 to 10 days. Curing causes the conversion of starch to sugar and helps to heal cuts that could lead to rots. The roots are then stored for 6-8 weeks at 55 to 60 degrees to further increase the sugar content. Duplicating this process would be very difficult for home gardeners, but you can at least partially cure the roots by leaving them in a garage or sunroom for a week or so (keeping them outdoors would be too humid in the fall). Spreading the roots out on a screen in a single layer is best.
Sweet potato weevils are the main issue with growing this crop in south florida, as they eat small holes in your potatoes without you knowing. Whitefly on the underside of leaves are also an issue so make sure to check your plant throughout its growing season.
Sweet potato is a vining plant that will sprawl throughout your garden creating a beautiful dense ground cover, which is one reason why we love growing it in the summer instead of the fall, since it can be quite competitive in a small space where you are trying to grow other annuals. If you don’t have plans for your veggie bed in the summer consider planting a few sweet potatoes and using them as a cover crop, to protect your soil from erosion and weeds. Once you buy one sweet potato plant from us you can use it to make yourself a whole farms worth of new plants if you want to, as the growing tips of the vines can be cut to 6 inch lengths, popped into a jar of water and in 6 days you'll have a fully rooted new plant.
Red (burgundy) & Green (clemson spineless) Okra
abelmoschus esculentus
Days to Maturity: 50 days
Plant Spacing: 1 - 3 plants per square foot
Sunlight Requirement: 8 - 14 Hours
Look Out For: mites, aphids
Harvest Notes: Pick okra very regularly when thumb sized
Annual
Okra is an indispensable ingredient in many soups, gumbos, and stew recipes. The immature pods contribute unique flavor and consistency to ethnic dishes like Cajun gumbo. Okra is a tender annual that grows best in hot weather and can even thrive in our hot, humid and rainy summers. The pods should be picked when tender and immature, about 2-3 inches long, usually about 4-6 days after flowering. Keep pods removed to encourage flowering. Plants can reach 3-4 feet high and do not need trellising. A member of the hibiscus family, Okra has similar pest issues (a favorite plant of the mealy bug) and a beautiful edible flower. Burgundy Okra is a beautiful variety with dark red fruit and stems. Clemson Spineless is a standard & traditional green okra variety.
Cowhorn Okra
abelmoschus esculentus
Days to Maturity: 50 days
Plant Spacing: 1 - 3 plants per square foot
Sunlight Requirement: 8 - 14 Hours
Look Out For: mites, aphids
Harvest Notes: Pick okra very regularly when thumb sized
Annual
Candelabra, aka Cowhorn Okra is a really unique heirloom whose bull horn shaped pods are actually more tender than smaller more traditional varieties, a new favorite of ours after enthusiastically growing it this past summer.
Hill Country Okra
abelmoschus esculentus
Days to Maturity: 50 days
Plant Spacing: 1-2 plants per square foot
Sunlight Requirement: 8 - 14 Hours
Look Out For: mealy bugs and russet mites
Harvest Notes: Pick okra very regularly when thumb sized
Annual
Hill Country Red Okra is said to have originated in the eastern portion of the mostly limestone Edwards Plateau in west-central Tex- as—also known as Texas Hill Country and its prized for its flavor. When we grew it in the Miami summer heat it lost some of its red coloring (reds and purples tend to decrease in intensity in the heat) but we think in slightly cooler temps or less sun it'll blush red.
Jackson Supreme Cucumber
Cucumis Sativus
days to maturity: 50 days
plant spacing: 1 per square foot, trellised
sunlight requirements: 8-14 hours
look out for: powdery mildew & worms
harvest notes: harvest daily for tender fruit under 6” long
These blocky productive pickling cukes have white spines and broad disease resistance that keeps plants healthy over a long hot and humid season. Harvest small fruits at 3-5” long, and harvest often to keep the plant producing longer. High resistance to cucumber mosaic virus, downy mildew, and scab; intermediate resistance to anthracnose, angular leaf spot, and powdery mildew. This variety is a favorite of farmer Chris at French Farms because of its broad disease package, high yield, tender taste, and tolerance to our climate. Our favorite and most reliable cucumber option for growing at home. Using a circular wire trellis (like the cheap tomato kind from Home Depot) is perfect for trellising your cucumber plant.
Marketmore 76 Cucumber
Cucumis Sativus
days to maturity: 60 days
plant spacing: 1 per square foot, trellised
sunlight requirements: 8-14 hours
look out for: powdery mildew & worms
harvest notes: harvest daily for tender fruit under 8” long
Marketmore 76 remains the most widely-planted organic slicer in the US! Dark green fruits stay green and mild-tasting even under heat stress, while multiple disease resistances keep plants vigorous and highly productive across a long picking season. Showed good resistance to Anthracnose in seed trials. Thats the disease that causes your cucumbers leaves to brown and turn webbed in splotches. This kind of disease resistance is important here in South Florida because our climate is perfect for mildews, fungus’ and bacterias to thrive. Pests also act as vectors for plant diseases so its best to keep your plants healthy, pest free and well trellised for long term success. Marketmore 76 is a “slicer” cucumber which means it has thin skin and more water content than a pickler.
Suyo Long Cucumber
Cucumis Sativus
days to maturity: 60 days
plant spacing: 1 per square foot, trellised
sunlight requirements: 8-14 hours
look out for: powdery mildew & worms
harvest notes: harvest daily for tender fruit under 12” long
annual
Suyo Long is an Asian burpless cucumber that can grow to 15” long with a sweet flavor and crisp texture. Use for fresh eating, pickling or cooking. The fruits are spiny when young, and become smoother at peak maturity. Fruits tend to curl on one end; so trellis vines for straight fruit. Widely adapted and heat tolerant. If powdery mildew is caught early it can be battled with a diluted milk spray, which changes the pH of the leafs surface making it inhospitable to the powdery mildew.
Loofah
Luffa Aegyptiaca
days to maturity:
plant spacing: 1 plant staked on a fence or large trellis
sunlight requirements: 8-14 hours
look out for: very aggressive vine - make sure to have plenty of space for it to grow
harvest notes: 150-200 days till harvestable
perennial
“Wait, you mean loofahs aren't creatures from the sea?!” Nope! They are dried out gourds from the loofah vine. Luffas belong to the Cucurbitaceae or gourd family, along with their somewhat distant cousins squashes, watermelons, cucumbers, melons, and the hard-shelled gourds. As the loofah gourds mature, their endocarp transforms into a fibrous network that’s mostly made of cellulose. This network forms the soft and absorbent exfoliator we’re all familiar with. We like to let the loofahs mature and then turn completely brown while still on the vine, then we harvest them, shake the seeds out (save them for giving to friends and replanting), peel the outer layer off and there you have it… a loofah sponge!
While North American Gardners tend to grow this plant for its showy and useful gourds, in many other parts of the world the flower buds, flowers, and very young fruit (which taste pretty much like summer squash) are eaten. To eat the young fruit harvest it when its the size of a grocery store zucchini and cook it just the same.
Loofah vines are fast growing and get huge, so make sure you have a big piece of fence or arbor to plant on. They are susceptible to all the things that like this family of plants, like vine boring worms and powdery mildew, so you’ll want to plant them in full sun and keep an eye on the growing tips for worm damage. This plant is a real unique treat in the garden if you have the space, and kids love to grow it because you can see the fruits get bigger every day until you harvest.
Though they’re most commonly used in the shower, luffa sponges are great for scrubbing pots and plates in the kitchen, and they make great gifts for friends. Use a serrated knife to cut slices off of your loofah and use the slice like a sponge. You can also submerge your slice in homemade soap and make super cute biodegradable gifts for friends.
While loofahs origin is unknown (some say African some say Asia) loofah plants are very common throughout Africa, and our herbalist The Garden Jules found multiple medicinal uses for it from different regions. In South Africa and Rwanda the leaf is decocted or simmered for 20-40 minutes in water, to treat stomach pain. The leaves have also been used as a poultice topically on the skin to reduce inflammation and stimulate healing on wounds, cuts or abrasions. In Nigeria, the young fruit pulp is ground into a poultice and applied topically to skin as an emollient to rehydrate and replenish dry, cracked skin and skin lesions. In Guinea the fruit pulp poultice is applied to tumors topically to reduce inflammation. In Uganda, the decoction of the leaves is used to induce labour and assist with postpartum issues which is backed by the discovery of oxytocin levels in this plant. For this reason, use caution, if pregnant, and do not consume this plant.
Seminole Pumpkin Squash
Curcurbis Moschata
Days to Maturity: 95 days
Plant Spacing: 1 per square foot, vining
Sunlight Requirements: 6 - 14 hours
Look Out For: worms in growing tips
Harvest Notes: harvest pumpkins when plant is mostly dead and the fruit has turned pale orange
Annual
Seminole Pumpkins are a South Florida favorite because many other winter squash varieties here have a hard time with all of the humidity of our tropical climate. Seminole pumpkins have a very interesting past, as they were cultivated here by many Indigenous communities before the arrival of the Spanish. Read all about their cultural & historical significance in this article. Seminole Pumpkins can be eaten green or left to mature on the vine into an orangey beige color. They can store unrefrigerated for a year and just like with other storage pumpkins their sweet flavor is concentrated with time curing. Seminole Pumpkins are large vining plants so either plant them as a sprawling ground cover in your food forest or consider allowing them to grow up a bare tree in your yard, with their fruits dangling like ornaments. Seminole Pumpkins are a Slow Food Arc of Taste variety.