Last year was the first year I planted cowpeas. I didn’t know that they were such a magnet for the aphids. Sure enough when I looked up, they were covered. So much so that I left them. And lo and behold the ladybugs came and feasted on the bugs. This year I know what to expect Thanks for the tip.
Nice I planted zipper cream cowpeas last summer as a cover crop and didn't have a pest or weed problems. Marigold downside is spider mites. Another solution is broadleaf mustard over winter and mulched into the soil as soil fumigation
I agree with you Elise, I have a lot of black eye peas growing around my garden in the bare spots plus a ton of luffa plants which give a lot of shade around my garden and lots of marigolds, I just throw a lot of marigolds seeds everywhere in the summer,thanks for sharing 🌱🌱💕
You have become my favorite gardening RU-vidr! I live on the east coast of central Florida and although I have planted for years but you have taught me so much. I just subscribed to your newsletter. Thank you!
Having grown up in southern Appalachia when I hear sorghum, I automatically think of sorghum syrup. 😋 (problem is my entire yard full of sorghum plants probably wouldn't produce a gallon of sorghum syrup! 🤣)
lol yes. there are definitely crops that can provide us with things (veg, syrup, grain, etc) but the quantity needed to make it worthwhile on a home scale can be difficult to achieve.
It is a blessing to have your videos to learn how to grow here in Florida. They have so much information and it is explained so simple. Thanks for all your hard work.
Thank you so much for this video! I started my first time gardening this April and I’m happy that I found your channel among others in Florida so that I didn’t plant crops that wouldn’t be successful this year. I’ve got a couple tomatoes sprouting and my okra plant is about to go crazy. My Egyptian spinach and Marienga trees are getting along well and I have a few peppers and herbs that I’m seeing if they will last the summer. I really value this video because it’s setting me up to get prepared after my fall and winter gardens this year and I will likely follow this practice for my summer beds next year. Thank you for all my seeds by the way I’ve made two separate orders from you and I have quite a stock to be ready for planting or direct sowing later this year. I’m so excited!
I have been trying to grow a garden for over 20 years here in central florida with very little luck. I have sugar sand so I have tried raised beds and still not much luck, but I keep trying.
I think season and the amount of sun are key. I've got what to plant when cheat sheets broken down by area that can be helpful. And this video on sun: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-frIhTVsJAXE.html
I gave up after three years of trying to garden down here but now with our economy about to collapse, I guess it's time to try again. I will be using your videos as a tool this time so hopefully I'll do much better. I need to find a good source for chickens as well so if you have any ideas on that and which breeds do well in the Florida summer heat, that info would be greatly appreciated.
I’m a Floridian and have been struggling to keep plants alive in the recent years…never had such poor results in my life😢. Even cowpeas are dying back. I think the soil is poisoned…
I’m a 3rd generation Florida girl and my grandpa and my dad were excellent gardeners but I seem to not have that talent!! But I’m giving it another go so don’t feel alone!! This channel will hopefully make gardeners of all of us!!
I am/ was in the process of clearing a garden bed of weeds ( and purslane..probably a mistake!). Digging trenches and filling with kitchen scraps, seaweed, aloe leaves in order to produce some rich soil for the fall. However After watching this video Im going out to plant some marigolds in that area! The only seeds on hand. I have sweet potato growing in container beds. Tried in garden but they were ' nipped in their youth! But will try again! TY Elise! What you say makes sense! I also have trouble with iguanas! Sometimes it feels like a losing battle!
Ceylon Red Cowpeas grow like crazy in our area. On the other side of Tampa Bay. Seffner/Dover area. I have been a seed saver for a number of years and I have loads of this saved. So this year not saving other than what I myself will be using next year. Amending areas in our back yard has taken nearly 7 years to get to some areas we just let go wild. Now amending with cow-peas and other cover crops. It's not even a big back yard. Just darn busy with work. Love your videos.
I specifically looked up your channel to find some ideas for seeds to buy. I just got lucky that you happened to release a video today 🙂 Also, I'm curious since you talk about survival plants sometimes... are you a prepper? If so, I just started a Facebook group for our state.
@@lisabafundo4355 Makes sense. I was thinking perhaps it helped to keep the soil from getting so hot. Shortly after I posted my silly question I came across a video where my question was answered lol.
Very cool! I hope to get to your level one day. We're still very early in our maturity of gardening snd chickens in our backyard. Thank you for the inspiration!
Very helpful video ! So thankful for the content 🙏🏻 I have all my plants growing well , I'm just wondering when do I start seeds for "fall" and what are the best crops for fall? My goal (and prob most others goals ) is to grow yr round . I'm just lost sometimes on when to plant what. I love all your videos for summer planting and found a chart on your website so for now I'll follow that !
I'm switching from soil solarization this summer and planting cover crops instead. Good video! Although I've read from a good source that Marigolds only produce the nematode killing exudates while alive. Of course there is some value once the plant becomes decaying organic matter.
I have a question. You talk about not letting the plants go to seed, however I would hope that cow peas would be an exception because it's nice to harvest those seeds to plant the next year? I have some to plant this year from the seeds you gave us last year. And thank you for all your knowledge and sharing it with us!
Yes you can certainly save some seed to replant. You just want the majority of the plants efforts to go into the ground if your goal is nitrogen fertilizer : )
This was so informative, thank you so much!! I think I'll start small with just marigolds for now, but I have a lot of pokeberry plants popping up that are driving me nuts.
So, I knew I should have a cover crop going but I didn't really and truly understand why so I never bothered and my soil has done EXCACTLY what you described it would 🙈 It's dry, crumbly,it's like styrofoam it's so bad and all that life I put in there from my compost pile is definitely gone where there was no cover. However where I was lazy and left kale and everglades tomato is still rich and moist. This is amazing to me because when I plant I'm always thinking about how it's depleting the soil but obviously it needs plants to sustain life. And I never would've thought about the rain washing away nutrients! I have some blue lake beans, if I add some compost will they make a good cover crop or should I get the cow peas?
i'm in sarasota 9b - i have nemitode issues - i mulch with grass clippings for the summer - i don't want anything growing in my beds for the root knot memitodes to eat
I have iguanas issues. I covered my 16x16 garden with an insect cover. So whatever I grow has to be covered bc the iguana will eat it up. What do you recommend , the same?
Hi Elise, I have a healthy fast growing luffa plant with beautiful large green leaves...and nothing else! No flowers! Been in the ground for enough time to produce flowers. I have had luffa growing successfully in the same spot before. Plenty of sun, correct PH. Zone 9a/b. Any tips? Thank you! Also any advice on deterring night creatures (Rats/ racoons.???.I dont know who they are) from eating produce? Tomatoes etc.. Thank you!!!
For the pest problem... if you have any pets with fur, sometimes putting their shedding around your plants can help deter them. Or try putting some chicken wire around them as a physical barrier
Greetings from the far off land of Orlando, and thanks for the video Elise! I'm growing yard long beans for the first time and didn't know that they were attracted to the nitrogen, makes sense. I was wondering if you do weed tea like David the Good talks about for sustainable fertilizer, and if so, if marigolds help with controlling nematodes in that way. Also what do you do for citrus leaf miners? They really seem to he enjoying my new eureka and pink variegated lemons this year.
You can try Bacillus thuringiensis kurstaki for the leaf miners. Bt kurstaki is a soil bacterium that is specific for caterpillars and has been reported to be significantly effective at killing leaf miners. It is harder to kill leaf miners than exposed caterpillars because the leaf miners are somewhat protected by the leaf cuticle. There are several products containing Bt kurstaki. I have used Dipel with great success and I like knowing that beneficial insects won’t be harmed. Also, certain parasitic wasps target leaf miners. Then again, if the leaf miners aren’t really affecting production, one may just allow the leaf miners to eat.
Im a fla gal as well.. live in the rural part of central fla but what can I do about my spaghetti squash..Ive pulled them outta direct heat but they are still blooming flowers..Any advice?
