What to plant in Florida this month
“There is always something to plant in Florida — the trick is knowing what, when.”
One of the joys of gardening in Florida is that there is genuinely something to plant in every month of the year. The catch is that our calendar is unlike most of the country's, so knowing what goes in the ground when is the difference between a thriving garden and a frustrating one.
Rather than a rigid month-by-month list, here is a practical seasonal framework for what to plant across the Palm Beach County year, so you can always make the most of the moment you are in.
Understand our three seasons
For planting purposes, it helps to think of our year in three stretches: the cool, dry season (roughly October to February), the warming spring shoulder (March to May), and the hot, wet summer (June to September). Each favors different crops.
Most traditional vegetables belong to the cool season, summer suits a smaller set of heat-lovers, and spring is a transition window. Matching your planting to these stretches is the whole game.
Fall and winter — the main event
From October through February, our prime growing season, plant the bulk of your vegetables: tomatoes, peppers, beans, lettuce and other greens, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, beets, and more. The cooler, drier air keeps pests and disease down and plants productive.
This is also the best window for cool-season herbs like cilantro, parsley, and dill, and for many flowers. If you only garden in one season here, make it this one.
Spring — the shoulder season
March through May is a transition. You can still get a quick crop of warm-season vegetables like beans, squash, and cucumbers in early, and it is a good time to plant heat-tolerant herbs like basil and to establish fruit trees and tropicals before the rains.
As temperatures climb, cool-season crops wind down. The aim in spring is to harvest the last of winter's garden and plant the things that can take the coming heat.
Fall is for greens and tomatoes; summer is for okra and sweet potato; spring bridges the two.
Summer — heat-lovers only
June through September is brutal for most vegetables, but a dedicated few thrive: okra, southern peas, sweet potato, Malabar spinach, Seminole pumpkin, and hot peppers all handle the heat and humidity. These are your summer producers.
Summer is also prime time for establishing tropical fruit trees with the rainy season's help. For most vegetable crops, though, it is a season to grow the tough specialists and plan the fall garden.
Year-round herbs and tropicals
Some plants ignore the calendar. Hardy herbs like rosemary, and tropical edibles like Everglades tomato, longevity spinach, and cranberry hibiscus, produce much of the year. Many ornamental tropicals can go in almost anytime too.
Building your garden partly around these year-round performers gives you a harvest even between the big seasonal pushes. They are the steady backdrop to the seasonal crops.
Plan ahead a season
The best gardeners here are always thinking one season ahead — starting fall tomato seeds in late summer, prepping beds before the cool season, lining up summer crops in spring. A little forward planning keeps the garden continuously productive.
Keeping a simple planting calendar for your own yard, refined each year, quickly makes the timing second nature. Florida's rhythm rewards anticipation.
Ask us what's in season
Because our calendar shifts with the weather, the surest way to know what to plant right now is to ask. We stock the right seeds, starts, and plants for the current season and adjust as conditions change.
Stop by and we will tell you exactly what is going in the ground this month. Come see what is in season at the nursery.
Frequently asked questions
What can I plant right now in South Florida?
It depends on the season: plant most vegetables October through February, heat-lovers like okra and sweet potato in summer, and use spring to transition. Ask us for the current month's best picks.
Can you really garden year-round in Florida?
Yes — there's something to plant every month. Traditional vegetables go in during the cool season, heat-tolerant crops in summer, and many herbs and tropicals produce much of the year.
When is the main vegetable planting season in Florida?
Fall through winter, roughly October to February, is the prime season for most vegetables, when cooler, drier weather keeps pests and disease down and plants productive.
Grow something delicious.
We stock vegetable starts, herbs, and fruit trees suited to Florida — come pick out what to plant this season.