A Note from Sara

Last weekend I did something I don't do often enough: I visited someone else's farm. A small operation outside Arcadia, maybe ten acres, growing peppers and tomatoes alongside a modest aquaponic setup with tilapia and watercress. The couple who runs it — both former teachers — gave me a tour that lasted two hours because I kept asking questions. Their watercress was stunning. Their record-keeping system was better than mine. I drove home feeling that specific mix of humility and inspiration that only comes from seeing someone else doing good work.

Florida has so many small farms doing remarkable things, and most of them fly completely under the radar. This month I want to pull back the curtain on where to find them — the farms, the markets, the U-pick operations, the roadside stands that don't have websites but have the best tomatoes you'll ever taste. I'm also sharing some science on brassica microgreens that I find genuinely exciting, and a practical guide to building raised beds in Florida's challenging sandy soil.

What We're Reading

Florida Agriculture Directory Guide

I spent weeks putting this directory together, and I'm still adding to it. It covers farmers markets by region, U-pick farms, CSA programs, farm-to-table restaurants, and small-scale specialty growers across the state. My goal wasn't to create a comprehensive database — Fresh From Florida already does that reasonably well — but to highlight the places I've personally visited or that have been recommended to me by people whose taste I trust. If you care about knowing where your food comes from, this is your starting point.

Explore the Florida agriculture directory →

Brassica Microgreens and Glucosinolates

Here's something that still amazes me after years of reading the research: brassica microgreens — broccoli, cabbage, kale, mustard — contain significantly higher concentrations of glucosinolates than their mature counterparts. Glucosinolates are sulfur-containing compounds that break down into isothiocyanates, which have been studied extensively for their potential role in cellular protection. The concentrations in broccoli microgreens can be 10 to 100 times higher than in mature broccoli heads. That's not marketing — that's peer-reviewed data. This article walks through what we know, what we don't, and why I think brassica microgreens are the most interesting thing happening in nutrition research right now.

Read about brassica science →

Raised Beds for Florida's Sandy Soil

Florida soil is basically beach sand with ambition. It drains too fast, holds almost no nutrients, and laughs at your attempts to grow root vegetables directly in the ground. Raised beds solve most of these problems, but building them right for Florida conditions requires some specific knowledge. You need to think about drainage differently here than you would in clay-soil states. You need to account for our intense sun and the way it heats up dark soil mixes. And you absolutely need to plan for summer downpours that can wash away a poorly built bed overnight.

Read the raised bed guide →

Seasonal Tip: Shade Cloth Season

May is when shade cloth becomes essential for outdoor growing in Florida. A 30-40% shade cloth over your raised beds or outdoor growing area will reduce heat stress, slow evaporation, and extend the productive life of heat-sensitive crops by weeks. For microgreens specifically, shade cloth over any outdoor trays is non-negotiable once daily highs consistently hit the upper 80s. I use a 40% aluminet shade cloth over our outdoor seed-starting area, and the temperature difference underneath is typically 8 to 12 degrees. That's the difference between thriving plants and wilted ones.

Florida Spotlight: Agritourism and U-Pick Farms

Florida's agritourism industry has been growing steadily, and May is a great time to explore it before summer heat makes outdoor activities less appealing. Blueberry U-pick operations are in full swing across Central Florida right now. Plant City — the winter strawberry capital — transitions to other crops this time of year. And several farms around the state offer tours, workshops, and educational programs for families. Visiting a working farm changes how people think about food. I've seen it happen hundreds of times. When you stand in a field and pick something and eat it right there, something shifts in how you understand the food system.

Quick FAQ

Q: What's the best soil mix for raised beds in Florida?

A: I use a mix of roughly 40% quality compost, 30% coconut coir, 20% perlite, and 10% aged pine bark fines. This gives you water retention (from the coir and compost) without waterlogging, plus good drainage and aeration (from the perlite and bark). Avoid mixes heavy in peat moss — peat becomes hydrophobic when it dries out, which happens fast in Florida heat, and then it repels water instead of absorbing it. Top-dress with compost every three to four months to replenish nutrients and maintain soil structure.

Until Next Month

Go visit a farm this month. I mean it. Find one near you, call ahead, and ask if you can come see what they're growing. Most small farmers are happy to talk about their work if you show genuine interest. You'll learn something, you'll support local agriculture, and you might come home with the best tomato you've had all year.

Keep growing,
Sara Johnson
President, Wholly Water Farms