Florida Gardening Encyclopedia

Grow What Florida Grows Best

Crop profiles built for Florida gardeners — planting calendars by zone, companion planting, pest management, Florida-recommended varieties and practical growing guides.

8 Vegetables3 Herbs2 Fruits2 Tropical
All Florida garden crops — vegetables, herbs, fruits and tropicals with zone-specific growing guides.
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Basil

Ocimum basilicum

Herbs📅 30–60 (first harvest, then ongoing) days

The essential kitchen herb that loves Florida warmth and rewards frequent harvesting.

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Collard Greens

Brassica oleracea var. viridis

Vegetables📅 60–80 (first harvest), then ongoing days

A heat-tolerant Southern green that produces through Florida's mild winters and beyond.

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Cucumber

Cucumis sativus

Vegetables📅 50–70 days

A fast-growing vine crop that delivers refreshing harvests in Florida's warm seasons.

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Eggplant

Solanum melongena

Vegetables📅 70–85 days

A heat-loving tropical native that produces beautiful, versatile fruit in Florida gardens.

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Lemongrass

Cymbopogon citratus

Herbs📅 75–100 (first stalk harvest), then ongoing days

A tropical grass that grows like a weed in Florida and brings Southeast Asian flavor to the garden.

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Mango

Mangifera indica

Tropical📅 100–150 from flowering (3–6 years from planting to first fruit) days

The king of tropical fruits — South Florida is the only place in the continental U.S. where mangoes thrive.

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Okra

Abelmoschus esculentus

Vegetables📅 50–65 days

A heat-loving Southern staple that thrives when everything else wilts in Florida summers.

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Papaya

Carica papaya

Tropical📅 270–360 from seed to first ripe fruit (9–12 months) days

A fast-growing tropical fruit tree that bears within months — perfect for impatient Florida gardeners.

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Rosemary

Salvia rosmarinus

Herbs📅 80–90 (first significant harvest), then ongoing for years days

A drought-tolerant Mediterranean herb that doubles as a beautiful landscape plant in Florida.

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Southern Pea

Vigna unguiculata

Vegetables📅 60–90 (fresh), 90–110 (dry) days

Heat-loving cowpeas that fix nitrogen, feed the soil, and feed the gardener.

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Strawberry

Fragaria × ananassa

Fruits📅 60–90 from transplanting (harvest December–March) days

Florida grows strawberries in winter — a unique advantage for home gardeners and commercial farms alike.

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Sweet Pepper

Capsicum annuum

Vegetables📅 60–90 (green), 80–100 (full color) days

Colorful bell and specialty peppers that thrive in Florida's warm seasons.

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Sweet Potato

Ipomoea batatas

Vegetables📅 90–120 days

A no-fuss root crop that produces abundantly in Florida's sandy soils.

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Tomato

Solanum lycopersicum

Vegetables📅 70–90 days

Florida's most popular garden vegetable — grow it right with zone-specific timing.

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Watermelon

Citrullus lanatus

Fruits📅 80–100 days

The ultimate Florida summer fruit — nothing says sunshine like a garden-grown watermelon.

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