Beginning a Garden in Zone 10A

Some of our beautiful seedlings – San Marzano Tomatoes, Roma tomatoes, Rainbow carrots, green bush beans, jalapenos, and yellow straight neck squash

Spring has sprung – although it feels a lot more like Summer here in Southwest Florida- and it’s time to get my Spring crop planted and in the ground. We are in zone 10A, and that means most of the planting rules that apply to others throughout the country don’t quite apply to our zone. We have more freedom to plant whatever we like, pretty much whenever we like, without worrying about last frost dates and such.

We got the flower bed bordering the back lanai all cleaned out last week, and sowed wildflower seeds throughout. They’ve officially sprouted, and my guess is within a couple weeks, we will have beautiful multi-colored flowers such as Black-Eyed Susans, Alyssum, and others. It’s slow going, but it’s going!

I’ve gotten all of my seedlings started, and they’ve all come up beautifully. I opted for a cute little mini greenhouse that sits in front of the living room window where there’s plenty of sun throughout the day, and has really flourished. I haven’t used the plastic greenhouse covering, more so just the shelving unit itself to give the plants a place to sit. I think I’m going to have quite a few seedlings to gift to friends in church being that I went a bit overboard!

So far, I’ve got the following seedlings ready to go into their new garden home:

Tomatoes – I have San Marzano, which make a fantastic sauce, and Roma varieties
Peppers – Bell Peppers and Jalapenos
Strawberries
Onions – Sweet Georgia
Rainbow carrots
Green Beans – Bush Beans
Yellow Summer Squash
Calabrese Broccoli

Sweet Georgia onions ready to go into their new home

I am so excited to get these babies planted and begin new seedlings to continue our harvest. I also want to try potatoes this year and see how they fare.

Next up for seed sewing is:

Okra
Golden sweet corn
Beefsteak tomatoes
Blueberry bushes
Raspberry Bushes
Spinach

I think that’s a good start! Richi is building me a new cedar bed this weekend, and I am hoping to have a few surprises coming up with some other new garden beds – so stay tuned!

What are you growing this year? I’d love to hear about it in the comments!