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January
in the Florida Garden |
Get Out
There and Grow!
J anuary
is a great month to begin planning
and planting your spring vegetable
and flower gardens. The weather is
dry and daytime temperatures rarely
go above 85°F. The nights get cool,
but rarely below freezing - although
many years ago, January 19, 1977 to
be exact, a trace of snow fell in
Miami and cities north. Occasionally
Siberian Freight Trains of cold Polar
air will push their way out of Canada
and down to Florida, sometimes getting
only as far as Central Florida, other
times barreling their way down to
the Keys.
Because
this month tends to be so dry, supplemental
applications of water are required
by your lawn and plants. January is
also an important month for gardeners
in South Florida to fertilize tropical
fruit trees, lawns, and shrubs.
Citrus
trees especially, should be evaluated
this month. Insect pests, plant diseases,
and nutritional deficiencies may become
apparent now. Citrus is attacked by
aphids, whitefly, caterpillars, grasshoppers,
and scale insects. It also becomes
home to sooty mold, fungus, foot rot,
gummosis, "greasy spot"
and a host of other diseases resulting
from poor nutrition. Now would be
an excellent time to schedule (on
your new calendar of course)
regular feedings of 6-6-6 fertilizer
around the drip line of your trees.
The rule of applying fertilizer to
fruit trees is one pound of for
each year of the tree's age.
Watermelon
anyone? Now is a good time to start
watermelon if you are in Central or
South Florida (North Floridians should
wait until March).
| Best bets for
starting a traditional garden this month are:
Vegetables
: Beans, Beets, Broccoli, Brussels
Sprouts, Cabbage, Carrots, Cauliflower,
Celery, Chinese Cabbage, Collards,
Cucumbers, Endive, Escarole, Kale,
Kohlrabi, Leek, Lettuce, Mustard,
Onion Sets, Parsley, Peas, Peppers,
Pumpkins, Rhubarb, Romaine, Rutabagas,
Spinach, Squash, Strawberries, Sweet
Corn, Swiss Chard, Tomatoes, Turnips
Watermelons, and almost any other
vegetable or fruit you desire.
Herbs:
Anise, Basil, Borage, Chives, Chervil,
Coriander, Fennel, Garlic, Lavender,
Marjoram, Mint, Parsley, Rosemary,
Sage, Sesame, Sweet Marjoram, Thyme
and most other herbs.
Flowers:
Amaryllis, Asters, Baby's Breath,
Bachelor's Buttons, Balsam, Calendulas,
Callas, Candytufts, Carnations, Cosmos,
Cockscombs, Daisies, Dianthus, Forget-Me-Nots,
Gaillardias, Gladiolas, Globe Amaranth,
Hollyhocks, Lace Flowers, Lilies,
Lobelias, Lupines, Marigolds, Narcissus,
Nasturtiums, Pansies, Poppies, Salvias,
Scabiosa, Snapdragons, Statice, Stock,
Strawflowers, Sweetpeas, Sweet William,
Verbenas, and other cool season flowers
and bulbs.
Sources:
Florida Home Grown;
Florida Gardening Month by Month
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