Replanting a garden every year gets old fast. I started looking for crops that would stick around and produce without constant replanting.
A lot of gardening advice assumes cooler climates with different soil and rainfall patterns. That guidance works great in some places, but Florida's intense heat, humidity, heavy summer rains, and occasional cold snaps create a different growing environment.
I figured this out through plenty of trial and error. I've spent money on plants that didn't work out in my conditions. Blueberries struggled with my soil pH. Asparagus rotted during summer rains. After years of testing different crops, I started focusing on what actually thrived in my west-central Florida yard.
This book shares what's worked in my backyard food forest, where I've been growing perennial and long-lasting crops for years.
You'll find information about: • Fruit trees that have handled my sandy soil and summer flooding, plus why rootstock matters in Florida • Heat-loving crops with Caribbean origins that keep growing when temperatures spike • How I use mounded planting to improve drainage in heavy rainfall areas • Why cassava has been incredibly low-maintenance in my garden, even when I've been too busy to tend it regularly • Mulching approaches that work better in hot, humid conditions • Perennial vegetables that produce without needing daily attention
Not every plant will work in every yard. Gardening involves ongoing learning and adjustment.
My aim is to share real experiences so you can make informed choices and hopefully sidestep some of the same issues I ran into. Instead of starting over each spring, this approach builds a garden that develops over time and suits Florida's actual growing conditions.
