Despite the recent rain, we’ve been in a drought for months. It's not just us, as weather extremes are happening around the globe.
North Florida gardeners have had to contend with high temperatures, hard freezes, and even occasional snow flurries and ice.
Creating a climate-resilient garden space is the topic of today’s Speaking Of. We're featuring a segment from WFSU's sister podcast, Coast To Canopy.
"Number one is right plant, right place," says Mark Tancig, the Commercial/ Residential Horticulture Extension Agent for the UF/IFAS Leon County Extension. IFAS stands for the Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, based at the University of Florida.
"We're always encouraging people to really consider their site...and what are plants that are just naturally going to do well there," Tancig says.
"In Leon County, we're a little different. A lot of Florida is sand, it's beach sand," Tancig says. "In north Florida, we have these clays that give us a little bit of a different soil texture and soil water-holding capacity. So, when it comes to plant selection, native plants are usually going to be a lot more resilient and tolerant of the variation in the climate."
It's planting time, and Tancig says the best way to establish a new plant in less than optimal conditions is to have high quality soil and enough water. That could mean using compost and watering frequently at low amounts for the first week or two.
"Then as they become more established, their root systems are growing out, you can back off on how often and start giving them more water," Tancig says. "Smaller plants establish better."
"For most of your vegetable crops - we're talking about tomatoes, peppers, okra - it's about an inch of water a week, and then you add half an inch for every ten degrees over 60."
Tancig offers much more information about various types of plants and how to give them the best chance of survival in your garden.
Click LISTEN above to hear the conversation from Speaking Of. Click here to see videos, pictures, and hear more from the Coast to Canopy podcast.
