Category: Producing Your Own Food

Day of the Mushroom

Debbie Roney Smith on

Today is the Day of the Mushroom! It’s a day to celebrate all things fungi. Mushrooms prefer dark or shady areas; that’s why they are often found on forest floors. The best time to hunt for mushrooms is a few days after a good rain. To celebrate these fun guys, here’s a list of local edible mushrooms to keep an eye out for while out in the woods today!

PLEASE REMEMBER: when foraging any food, do not eat it if you’re not 100% sure what it is – better safe than sorry. Additionally, here is a quick guideline for identifying mushrooms:

  • Season: the time of year you can find them.
  • Cap: top part of the stalk. Look for width, shape, and color.
  • Underside of Cap: look for pores, spines/teeth, gill-like ridges, and tubes.
  • Stem (stipe): on which the cap sits. Look for strips, striations, rings, and protrusions.

MUSHROOMS:

Chanterelles (Cantharellus cibarius)
King Bolete (Boletus Edulis)
Common Puffball (Lycoperdon Perlatum)

Jackson County Seed Library

Debbie Roney Smith on

The Jackson County Public Library is hosting its Seed Library Kickoff tomorrow! Head over to the library from 10:30am to 1:30pm to benefit from this season’s seeds. Adults with a current library card can get up to FOUR seed packs. The Library would like to thank the Master Gardener Program and the UF|IFAS Extension Office for their support. Learn more by visiting the event Facebook page. 

Winter Veggies

Debbie Roney Smith on

Despite the cold nights, it’s not a bad time to plant certain herbs and vegetables. Some herbs thrive in the cold weather; consider planting parsley, dill, garlic, and cilantro. The list of cold-hardy vegetables is shorter but there are still some great choices: English pea, cabbage, radish, beet, and broccoli.

Now is also a good time to start planning your spring garden, especially if you would prefer to start from seed. Beginning now gives you the time to choose your plants, secure seeds, and start them indoors. Most vegetables are more successful if they are transplanted rather than sown directly in the garden. Some good warm-season crops to start inside are tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants. 

August Gardening

Debbie Roney Smith on

August might seem like it’s too hot for planting but that’s not the case in the Florida Panhandle! Now is a good time to transplant a number of fall crops and start a variety of seeds. Transplant beets, broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collards, eggplant, kale, peppers, tomatoes, and tropical spinaches. As for seeds, now is a good time to start lima beans, pole beans, carrots, cucumbers, onions, squashes, and turnips.

May (Veggie) Gardening Tips

Debbie Roney Smith on

Here in the Florida Panhandle, May weather can be hard to pinpoint when attempting to work in the garden. Here are some tips for making the most of your veggie garden in May:

  • Periodically harvest from your spring garden to keep it going for as long as possible.
  • Plant tomatoes, okra, green beans, cucumbers, squash, eggplant, peppers, and melons. 
  • If you want lettuce, choose a heat-tolerant variety. This is the last chance to harvest lettuce for spring/summer.
  • Water your crops regularly and adequately according to their needs; skip days with adequate rain.
  • Plant okra, melons, squash, and green beans.

April Planting in the Florida Panhandle

Debbie Roney Smith on

Now is the perfect time to begin planting your garden for the summer haul! April is a good time to transplant gingers, roselle, and tomatoes. If you have any starters ready to put in the ground, now’s the time! April is also a good time to transplant long squash, luffa, papaya, Seminole pumpkin, and sweet potatoes; however, these baby plants are still a little sensitive to the weather, so be sure to watch these transplants carefully after planting them. There is also a number of seeds that can be planted in April including beans (bush, lima, pole), cantaloupes, corn, cucumbers, okra, peanuts, peas, squashes, and watermelons. 

If you’d like to begin preparing for May planting, consider starting tropical spinaches, pigeon pea, amaranth, calabaza, Seminole pumpkin, or sweet potatoes inside the home or in a greenhouse. This way they have time to root properly before it is time to transplant them in May. For more detailed information about gardening in the Florida Panhandle, visit THIS LINK to access the UF | IFAS Extension North Florida Vegetable Gardening Guide.