If you’re of a certain age, you might remember that Staples commercial that features a blissful parent coasting through store aisles collecting back-to-school supplies for their offspring to the festive holiday hit “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year.” Well, this is it, Florida gardeners — it’s July! While it’s not quite “Back to Gardening” time yet, it’s certainly time to start collecting supplies and getting ready to plant in July.
After three months of blistering heat and unreliable rains, it’s time to get ready for the fall garden. And I’m not just talking about stocking up on your favorite seeds or hoarding bags of compost.
It’s Time to Get Seeding!
I have to admit, I’m ridiculously excited. I personally had a very, very bad cropping year, and I think I’ve managed to rally my enthusiasm for another growing season.
Finally.
For a while, I was ready to mow it all down and call a sod installer.
While 2020 to 2021 was amazing for me, 2021 to 2022 seemed to be fraught with bad weather, poor germination, and drought. Let’s start with the early winter and deep temperature drops, followed by freezes as late as mid-March.
Then it was the spring drought followed by freak flooding rainstorms. Then there were the shield bugs the size of poodles that eventually took over even my most resilient and summer-hardy crops.
The Florida Fall Garden Starts with Planting in July
But now it’s July. That means we can start sowing seeds under cover or indoors for planting out in the fall.
From North Florida to South Florida, it’s time to get out those cell trays, coir pots, and soil blockers to start sowing our favorite tomatoes, peppers, and other traditional gardening favorites.
Sowing under cover in Florida isn’t an issue of protecting delicate seedlings from the cold. Here, it’s a matter of preventing them from getting washed out by daily thunderstorms.
Starting seeds out of the elements can help keep them from burning up when the heat index is in the triple digits and even your hot peppers are getting scalded.
Whether you start them on a patio, lanai, or indoors, make sure they get plenty of light once the seeds germinate. They’ll also need some airflow, which not only reduces the chance of dampening off, but also stimulates the growth of strong, sturdy stems.
What Else is Growing On in Florida in July
Along with starting your Fall crops by seed, there are also a few heat-loving veggies you can direct sow. Summer is great for planting Okra and Southern Peas. If you’re not a big fan of black-eyed peas or cowpeas, you can also sow them as cover crops to improve your soil for fall planting out.
If you’ve already sown or purchased starts of tropical vegetables or Mediterranean herbs, you can add them to your garden. You’ll find exotic veggies like Okinawa spinach or Longevity spinach at many Florida nurseries. We sell Okinawa spinach starts too.
Make sure your Mediterranean herbs have plenty of drainage, as they can get root rot from our persistent (and seemingly unending) rainfall.
And don’t forget to plant flowers! Many annual flowers you can add to the garden will attract pollinators and beneficial insects that help nurture and protect your crops. Some will grow and bloom in just 60 to 75 days. Quick-growing annual flowers add beauty and diversity to your garden, and many provide critical root exudates for your soil.
Here’s what you can start sowing in Florida in July.
South Florida (Zones 10 to 11)
If you’re in South Florida, and some parts of coastal Central Florida, the weather is still pretty hot. However, it changes fast, so it’s a good idea to be ready with healthy vegetable plants starts so you’re ready to plant out in September.
Start under cover (plant out in 6 to 8 weeks)
- Broccoli
- Collards
- Eggplants
- Peppers, sweet and hot
- Tomatoes
Direct sow in the garden
- Malabar Spinach
- Okra
- Pumpkins
- Roselle
- Southern Peas
Veggie starts to plant out now
- Boniato slips
- Chaya
- Longevity spinach
- Mint
- Okinawa spinach
- Oregano
- Sweet potato slips
Flowers to plant in July
- Celosia
- Coleus
- Gladiolas
- Pentas
- Scarlet Sage
- Torenia
Central Florida (Zone 9)
July in Central Florida is still the height of summer, so make sure you keep your delicate seedlings protected from rainstorms and sunscald. However, it’s also a good time to start seeds for those fall vegetables that can benefit from time to mature before planting out.
Start under cover (plant out in 6 to 8 weeks)
- Brocolli
- Collards
- Eggplant
- Peppers, sweet and hot
- Tomatoes
Direct sow in the garden
- Malabar spinach
- Okra
- Pumpkins
- Roselle
Veggie starts to plant out now
- Boniato slips
- Chaya
- Katuk
- Longevity spinach
- Okinawa spinach
- Rosemary
- Sweet potato slips
Flowers to plant in July
- Celosia
- Coleus
- Coreopsis
- Gladiolas
- Gomphrena
- Kalanchoe
- Pentas
- Scarlet Sage
- Torenia
North Florida (Zone 8)
While the gardening schedule in North Florida is more similar to the one for the rest of the country, July is not the time to change allegiances. However, if you live in the northern part of the Sunshine State, that time is soon. So, you’re safe to start more of your Fall veggies in July.
Start under cover (plant out in 6 to 8 weeks)
- Broccoli
- Chinese cabbage
- Chives
- Cucumbers
- Peppers
- Tomatoes
- Winter squash
Direct sow in the garden
- Cucumbers
- Pumpkins
- Roselle
- Southern peas
Veggie starts to plant out now
- Chaya
- Katuk
- Longevity spinach
- Okinawa spinach
- Sweet potato slips
Flowers to plant in July
- Bee balm
- Bulbine
- Celosia
- Coleus
- Gaillardia
- Gladiolas
- Gomphrena
- Impatiens
- Kalanchoe
- Pentas
- Scarlet Sage
- Society garlic
- Vinca
- Zinnias
Pace Yourself When Gardening in Florida in July
Don’t try to start everything at once. Remember, it’s still very hot out there, even if the stormy season seems to have cooled it off a bit. There’s still a risk of heat exhaustion and skin damage from UV rays.
The wonderful thing about gardening in Florida is our mild autumn and the length of our growing season. Start with vegetables that take the longest time to mature, such as tomatoes and peppers. In Central and South Florida, you can usually plant these out as late as October and overwinter them by covering them on cold nights.
I’m never happy to see the days get shorter, but I’m always excited for the Fall gardening season. To make the most of it, you can get many of your vegetables and flowers started in July.
Happy gardening.
We have done container gardening for the past 3 years but this past spring garden was one problem after another. What can we do now to prepare for our fall garden? We had very few bees and butterflies for pollution. The soil was new , but has slugs in it now. Cutworms was a really bad problem! Any help is much appreciated. Thank you .
Hi Patricia,
Container gardening is a great way to deal with the poor soil in Florida. I started out here with containers and still use them a lot for food production.
It seems that this last year was tough for others as well. That winter was harsh, and it never even feels like we got a spring. It went from freezing to blistering in two weeks!
If you are still planning your fall garden for containers, decide what you’re going to plant this year and check when you should start them under cover. Your soil may need a little refreshing. You can reuse the same soil, just dig in some slow release organic fertilizer (I recommend Espoma or Dr. Earth). If the soil feels heavy, you can add some perlite or vermiculite to lighten it up so the roots get some aeration.
I have no secret for cutworms — they’re awful. However, I can tell you the Sluggo does REALLY well on slugs and snails. I’m a believer!
I hope this is some help.