Fresh Flavors: Growing Herbs in our Florida Fall Garden
Hi Gardening and Wellness Friends 👋🏼
We are in my favorite gardening season: FALL. I love this time of year in the garden-warm during the day with the slightest dip in temperature in the mornings and evenings. Mornings in the garden are magical to me. It’s cooler than those dog days of summer, and causes me to dawdle just a little longer to enjoy before the heat returns in the afternoon. This season is full of fun crops to grow, but I am drawn to the herbs we can grow now. The majority of summer we can grow a limited number of herbs, but in fall we can grow almost all of the herbs.
Herbs love the cooler weather. Heat causes them to bolt or go to seed and turn them bitter. This change in temperature in fall encourages them to grow without going to seed. We want to ensure we plant them in a location that receives at least 6 hours of sunlight. Depending on our growing space we can plant them in a garden bed or in pots. My biggest recommendation is if planting mint, designate a pot just for mint. Mint will spread and spawl, taking over an entire garden bed. Learn from my mistake and plan ahead when planting mint.
Regardless of planting in a bed or pots, we want to ensure we add good compost, provide consistent water, feed regularly, prune often to encourage growth and provide proper lighting. Give these essentials and we’ll have an abundance of herbs to use fresh or dry for preservation for months to come. My favorite herbs that do better in the cooler weather are cilantro, dill and parsley.
Herbs can be grown for ourselves, but can also benefit our gardens. We can use the herbs to repel pests, or to attract beneficial insects and pollinators. Here’s how I like to use herbs to work for me in the garden: rosemary repels aphids, parsley attracts bees and ladybugs, basil repels mosquitos and tomato hornworms, thyme repels aphids and mosquitos, oregano repels aphids and cabbage moths, sage repels flea beetles and carrot flies, and chives repel aphids, carrot flies, and cabbage worms. Plant a variety of these herbs in each garden bed to deter or attract. Let them work for us while they create tasty flavors for our kitchens.
Herbs can really pack a punch in our recipes or in our gardens. I hope this encourages you to plant a new herb you’ve never grown. What herbs will you grow in your Florida garden this year?
Until next time…..
🌿To our health and the health of our gardens🌿
Tina