So you moved to Florida with plans to start your dream garden and tropical food forest. Or maybe you’re a Florida native who always to try gardening, and now you’re ready to get started.
But your first hurdle awaits at Home Depot! That spinner rack of seed packets? It looks just about the same in stores all across the country. So how do you know which ones are the best, easiest vegetables to grow in South Florida?
Here’s what I’ve learned from experience (and lots of trial and error): It’s more of a mystery than it needs to be. By starting with the right mix of heat-hardy seeds, embracing a new approach to gardening seasonality, and choosing the right systems and processes for the growing zones of 9 – 11, you’ll be amazed by what’s possible. Get prepped for success with these easy-to-grow greens and vegetables — and bonus, you can grow several of them all year!
Top 10 Vegetables to Grow in South Florida
Here’s the best advice I can give any new gardener in the area: Start enjoying the bounty of tropical and subtropical-hardy leafy greens and veggies!
While some of these varieties aren’t shocking to those who’ve shopped in a U.S. grocery store, others aren’t so familiar. Many of these varieties are native to South Asia; some have long been adapted and grown around the deep south of the U.S. Take the time to try a few new things. You’ll be surprised by just how many delicious, unique, and heat-tolerant vegetables will thrive in your garden.
Here’s my top 10 easiest vegetables to grow in South Florida.
Pak Choi
If you asked me a couple years ago, I would never have guessed that pak choi would be my personal favorite top pick, but here we are. This green loves Florida.
Grow & harvest notes: It will grow fast (the first seeds to sprout), healthy (few/limited pest challenges), and abundant (talk about a full garden bouquet). This is one of the easiest plants you’ll grow, and it’ll grow just about all year (with partial shade in summer). Transplanting seedling starts is ideal, but you can toss them right in the soil, too.
It’s ready to harvest in 5-7 weeks from seed, depending on your preference for baby greens or full maturity bouquets. To harvest, cut the entire head just above the soil. Even better, try cutting about an inch or two above the soil to protect the inner growing stalks and allow for 1-3 more harvests.
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Ethiopian Kale
My favorite new discovery of the year. Another robust green mostly unbothered by pests, Ethiopian kale will grow about as large as the space you have for it. The taste is milder and less chewy than the standard varieties in the average U.S. grocery store (like winterbor or red russian), it’s closer to the more tender lacinato (dino) kale variety, which also grows well in South Florida.
Grow & harvest notes: Matures quickly (4-6 weeks from seed). Will thrive in containers or raised beds. Plan for tall growth. Cut and come again harvest will give you Ethiopian kale for months. Highly heat tolerant, and can be grown throughout the year (but may need shade relief in summer). Start indoors or direct from seed.
Buy on Territorial Seed Company | Buy on True Leaf Market
Florida Broadleaf Mustard Greens
Mustard greens are a great way to kick up your salad mix. Also largely ignored by pests, you’ll find these heat loving greens a wonderful and reliable producer.
Grow & harvest notes: If you want milder flavor, enjoy them early on after planting (4-8 weeks from seed) and when harvested early in the morning. While they’ll continue producing well after 6-8 weeks in the ground, the spice factor increases in a big way after that general timeframe. Plant and grow from November through March for mildest flavor.
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Red Sails Lettuce
Salad lovers, rejoice! Your lettuce love grows on in Florida. Red sails is a beautiful variety that tolerates Florida conditions well, as confirmed by my garden and the invaluable research from the University of Florida (UF).
Grow & harvest notes: Keep in mind that our best lettuce growing season is from fall to spring (September to March). Be sure to just barely plant these under soil — they don’t need to be buried deeply. Full sun is good during the coldest months (December and January), but consider some shade relief before or after than those timeframes. Cut and come again harvesting (snipping just the outside leaves as needed) will give you weeks of regrowth. Especially in the cool months, they don’t slow down easily!
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Okra
Okra thrives in our hot summers — and all year. This hardy plant produces a beautiful, 2-3 inch flower before fruiting into an okra pod, which only adds to the beauty of growing the plant yourself.
Grow & harvest notes: Be prepared for a tall grower (6 feet or higher), so give them plenty of space vertically, or size them down by growing in containers. Pick when they’re small (about the size of your pinky finger) to avoid a woody texture and think about wearing gloves. Keep picking, and they’ll keep producing.
Okra will readily grow year round, but try to find a sunny place for it in the winter.
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Everglades Tomatoes
Not all tomatoes love Florida as much as we do, but there are several varieties that will happily take the heat. The fruit of the Everglades tomato is just a bit smaller than a cherry tomato, and that’s the size that does best over the tropical summer. This will easily spread, growing lush and strong even as the summer sun, pests, and diseaes threaten other plants. It even thrives in the Keys! ( UF)
Grow & harvest notes: Plant them in a spot with plenty of sun, and then forget them — just about. Smaller tomatoes like Everglades cherry fare better in Florida summer than larger varieties, but try get them in the ground before the end of March or so to give them plenty of time to establish before the high heat and humidity sets in. They’re incredibly resilient and will often reseed themselves, popping up long after you’ve forgotten about them.
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Mexican Sour Gherkin
Mexican Sour Gherkin are also called cucamelons – and you’ll find out why when you crack open one of these tiny mini-watermelons with the fleshy, green insides of a cucumber.
Grow & harvest notes: Growing these little mouse melons isn’t too much of a challenge. Plant them in a sunny spot, and they’ll soon be climbing up trellises or fences or whatever they get their tendrils on. Use a calcium-rich amendment, like crushd eggshells, for best results. Make sure to keep the soil consistently moist and in a few months, you should start having plenty to pick. In South Florida, consider partial shade if you plan to grow in the summer months.
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Peppers
So many peppers are happy to grow in Florida, and you’ll find plenty of options for varieties that will produce well all year. I’ve tried cubanelles, an heirloom called sweet melrose, and shishitos, and they’ve all done well.
Grow & harvest notes: It’s true that peppers can take some time and attention to fertilizing. Start with a high nitrogen fertilizer for vegetative and root growth, then switch to a high potassium and phosphorus mix to nurture blooming and fruiting.
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Cuban Oregano
Cuban oregano’s plump leaves almost look succulent. This hardy herb is richly fragrant and offers so many uses, from culinary to medicinal — and it thrives in South Florida’s tropical climate.
Grow & harvest notes: This is one of the hardiest culinary herbs you could grow in this region. With rapid growth and high drought tolerance, this is not a demanding herb. Put it in sun or partial shade and water it when you think of it, and it will be happy, readily producing its beautifully aromatic leaves. It prefers and well-draining soil. (UF)
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Thai Basil
Thai basil, with its beautiful dark green and purple leaves and distinct tang, can do more than kick up your Thai dishes. It’s made for the tropics and will add just as much lovely basil flavor to your sliced tomatoes and summer salads as any Italian variety.
Grow & harvest notes: While you can’t quite set it and forget it as with Cuban Oregano, it’s fairly easy to grow. Keep it in sun with moist soil, and harvest as you would any basil (cut above the third or so central node). The more you snip, the more it grows back. Thai basil will grow just about year round, but it will be glad for shade in the summer.
Buy on True Leaf Market | Buy on Territorial Seed Company
Cilantro
Cilantro is the herb of many opinions! While I love it and definitely don’t think it tastes like soap, some do (for those in that camp, try its culinary close-cousin, culantro). It thrives so much better in Florida than any Northern garden I ever tried to plant it in.
Grow & harvest notes: Cilantro can be fairly sensitive to heat, and that’s why it’s best to plant it in South Florida’s winter, spring, or fall seasons. It may thrive throughout the summer in a shadier spot, however. Keep the soil evenly moist. Harvesting is simple: just snip the leaves as needed.
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Other Great Veggies, Greens, and Herbs to Try in Your Florida Garden
But wait – there’s more! Many of these varieties are adapted to the specific regional conditions here in Florida, providing generally improved disease resistance — and they offer a taste of the global tropics and subtropics.
Here are some other fantastic greens and easy vegetables to grow in the South Florida garden.
- Black-seeded simpson lettuce
- Arugula
- Lacinato (Dino) kale
- New Zealand spinach
- Egyptian spinach (molokhia)
- Many asian greens, like mizuna, tat soi, and more
- Amaranth
- Purslane
- Culantro
- Tropic VFN tomatoes
- Eggplant
- Florida cranberry (roselle)
- Seminole pumpkin
- Winter squash
- Sweet potato
Where to Buy Florida-Friendly Seeds Locally
Get excited — you’re almost in the dirt! You can find a wonderful selection of locally-grown seed varieties that will do well in South Florida – you just have to know the best places to go.
Browse dozens of high-quality, heirloom seeds from local and regional seed sellers such as:
And if you’re willing to make a trip, try a visit to these highly knowledgeable farms for transplants, seeds, organic gardening products, and more.
- Tree Amigos Growers (Davie, Florida)
- Little River Cooperative (Miami, Florida)
A Few Tips on Starting Healthy Plants from Seeds
Strong seedlings are the foundation of a thriving garden. These are my top tips for seed starting to ensure your little green friends get off to a great start.
- Use high-quality seeds. Weak seeds equal weak plants.
- Start indoors with a grow light. This provides essential light for healthy growth, especially during our shorter winter days.
- Keep seedlings moist, but not soggy.
- Consider using a heat mat. This can help regulate soil temperature for optimal germination.
- Invest in good quality potting soil. Opt for a light and fluffy mix that promotes healthy root development in your plants.
Dealing with New Seasons and Climate: What to Know When Growing in Zones 9a – 11b
Welcome to the land of (almost) perpetual growing. But it’s true: Florida has plenty of quirks and climate challenges.
Consider how zones 9a-11b differ from the northern gardening calendars that some new Floridians might be used to.
- More heat and sunlight: You know it! But the gift of sun can also prove too much for some shade-loving plants that prefer milder temps. Try to make the most of the morning sunlight, when the heat is gentlest.
- Winter is a gardener’s best friend: Our coolest months (November-January) are actually prime time for those grocery store staple veggies you might crave. Think of it as Florida’s summer growing season.
- Summer doesn’t mean it’s over: The heat and humidity of summer can actually be perfect for certain varieties. Focus on heat-tolerant and humidity-loving plants like okra, sweet potatoes, and certain peppers. And many of the plants named above will do well year-round.
- More pests and diseases: Lots of heat and humidity doesn’t mean you should stop growing — but the odds of encountering unwanted guests like fungal diseases and pesky insects can increase with the late spring and summer temperatures. Don’t let this deter you! Focus on preventative measures like organic pest control methods, managing moisture, growing healthy plants, and choosing disease-resistant varieties.
Choosing Your Garden’s Home: Raised Beds, Containers, and More
From raised beds to containers, the way you choose to grow your Florida garden depends on your space, preferences, and the types of plants you want to cultivate. These are just a few popular options to think about.
Raised Beds
Pros: Excellent drainage, ideal for amending soil, keeps critters at bay (somewhat), perfect for container gardening newbies.
Cons: Requires initial investment in materials and construction, may take up more space.
Container Gardens
Pros: Portable and versatile, perfect for balconies or small patios, allows for easy control of sun exposure and soil quality.
Cons: Dry out faster in Florida heat, limited space for root growth with smaller containers.
Vertical Planters
Pros: Space-saving solution for small areas, adds a unique aesthetic touch, ideal for growing herbs, leafy greens, and much more. Read more about two great vertical garden systems that I use for my main growing space: the Greenstalk Planter and Garden Tower 2.
Cons: May not be ideal for all types of plants.
Traditional Garden Rows
Pros: Cost effective and simple to set up, offering large planting space good drainage.
Cons: Requires more yard space, and will likely require soil improvement and more weeding or weed management. The rows can be also hard to access.
More Resources for South Florida Gardening
You don’t have to begin growing vegetables alone! Check out these valuable resources to help you navigate the world of Florida gardening.
- University of Florida IFAS Extension: This comprehensive website offers a wealth of information, including:
- Growing zones chart: Identify your specific growing zone in Florida and choose plans best suited for your zone.
- Florida seed guide and planting calendar: Find the best time to plant specific vegetables and fruits.
- Video series on Florida-friendly planting: Learn essential techniques for success.
- Flip My Florida Yard: Landscaping and gardening? This website is a great resource for planning a landscape overhaul that’s more in harmony with Florida’s native habitats.
Get Started on Your South Florida Garden!
Anticipation! You’re about to grow your first sunshine state harvest and begin a new vegetable gardening adventure. I can’t wait for your bounty.
Just remember, gardening is about the journey. Start small and manageable. Try some new things. Enjoy good, green fun in the sun. And savor those very first veggie tastes, knowing you grew it — yourself!
Florida Woman Grows 
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