Happy New Year!

I Wish everyone a happy and prosperous new year! Winter has officially arrived in south Florida as daytime temperatures frequently dip into the low 70's! Seriously though, it is winter and it causes us to shift gears a little even in Florida. First of all, the days are maddeningly short. There is virtually no time for gardening after work. Secondly, it is the dry season, so we have to remember to water once in a while. In the summer it rains pretty much every afternoon so we can frequently go weeks without watering anything. This time of year sometimes it doesn't rain for days or even a couple of weeks. That, combined with lower humidity and higher wind means that we will have to water from time to time.
The good news for Florida gardeners is that winter time is the time to grow vegetables. You can start them in November, but if you haven't started yet it isn't too late. If you plant now you can still bring in a crop before the wet, warm weather returns with the bugs and fungi that it brings. The rainy season won't start until May or June. We don't have many April showers here like most of the country. In fact, April is our driest month.