Florida is one of the few states where you can grow vegetables every single month of the year. But only if you plant the right things at the right time. The gardener who tries to follow a Midwestern planting schedule in Florida will have empty beds half the year and dead plants the other half.

The key insight: Florida’s prime growing season is October through May. Summer is survival mode. This calendar will keep you harvesting year-round by working with Florida’s climate instead of against it.

How to Use This Calendar

Florida stretches across three distinct gardening regions. Find yours:

  • North Florida: Jacksonville, Tallahassee, Panhandle (Zones 8b–9a). You get occasional freezes.
  • Central Florida: Orlando, Tampa, Gainesville (Zones 9a–9b). Light freezes are possible but rare.
  • South Florida: Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Naples (Zones 10a–10b). Frost is essentially nonexistent.

For each month, I’ve listed what to plant (seeds or transplants into the ground) and what to do (maintenance tasks). Adjust by a week or two based on your specific location and weather patterns.

January

Plant:

  • North: Broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, lettuce, spinach, kale, peas, radishes, carrots, beets (transplants or direct seed). Start tomato and pepper seeds indoors.
  • Central: All of the above, plus set out tomato and pepper transplants late in the month if overnight lows stay above 50°F.
  • South: tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, squash, cucumbers, beans, corn. This is peak warm-season planting for South Florida.

Do:

  • Cover tender plants if freeze warnings hit North or Central Florida. Row cover fabric works better than plastic.
  • Feed cool-season crops with a side-dressing of balanced fertilizer.
  • Order seeds for spring planting — popular Florida varieties sell out fast.

February

Plant:

  • North: Start warm-season seeds indoors (tomatoes, peppers, eggplant). Direct sow more lettuce, peas, and root crops. Set out onion transplants.
  • Central: Transplant tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant into the garden. Direct sow beans, squash, cucumbers. Continue cool-season succession planting.
  • South: Continue warm-season planting. Add sweet potatoes, watermelon, and cantaloupe.

Do:

  • Prepare beds for spring warm-season crops. Add compost and check soil pH.
  • Apply preventive copper fungicide to tomato transplants at planting.
  • Set up drip irrigation before the dry season hits.

March

Plant:

  • North: Transplant tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant after last frost (typically mid-March). Direct sow beans, squash, cucumbers, corn, and southern peas.
  • Central: Continue warm-season planting. Add sweet potatoes, watermelon, okra.
  • South: Last chance for tomatoes and peppers. Plant okra, southern peas, and sweet potatoes.

Do:

  • Mulch everything. Florida’s dry spring and increasing heat make mulch essential.
  • Begin weekly fungicide applications on tomatoes.
  • Scout for aphids on new transplants — they love tender growth.

April

Plant:

  • North: Sweet potatoes (slips), okra, southern peas, lima beans, watermelon, cantaloupe. Last chance for tomatoes.
  • Central: Okra, southern peas, sweet potatoes. Warm-season crops only.
  • South: Sweet potatoes, okra, calabaza squash, Seminole pumpkin — heat-tolerant crops only.

Do:

  • Harvest cool-season crops before they bolt. Lettuce, broccoli, and spinach are done for the year.
  • Increase watering frequency as temperatures rise and rain becomes less reliable.
  • Side-dress tomatoes and peppers with fertilizer every 2–3 weeks.

May

Plant:

  • North: Southern peas, okra, sweet potatoes. Last plantings of squash and beans.
  • Central: Okra, southern peas, Seminole pumpkin, Everglades tomatoes. Tropical selections only.
  • South: Very limited planting. Okra, sweet potatoes, and heat-tolerant herbs (basil, rosemary).

Do:

  • Harvest remaining spring tomatoes. They’ll stop setting fruit soon as nights warm up.
  • Begin planning your fall garden — it’s not too early.
  • Apply nematicide or solarize beds that will be fallow during summer.

June

Plant:

  • All regions: This is the toughest month to plant. Options include okra, southern peas, Seminole pumpkin, Everglades tomatoes, and cherry peppers. Everything else will struggle in the heat, humidity, and daily thunderstorms.

Do:

  • Start solarizing fallow beds. Lay clear plastic over moist soil and let the summer sun cook nematodes and weed seeds for 4–6 weeks.
  • Control weeds aggressively — they’ll take over fast in summer rain.
  • Maintain okra and sweet potato plantings with regular fertilizer.

July

Plant:

  • All regions: Very limited. Continue with okra, southern peas, and tropical crops. Late July in North Florida: start seeds indoors for fall tomatoes and peppers.

Do:

  • Order fall seeds and supplies. Fall is your second major planting season.
  • Continue solarizing beds.
  • Prune and maintain perennial herbs to keep them productive.

August

Plant:

  • North: Set out fall tomato and pepper transplants by mid-August. Direct sow beans, squash, and cucumbers.
  • Central: Start tomato and pepper seeds indoors early August. Direct sow southern peas and beans.
  • South: Still too hot for most crops. Continue summer maintenance.

Do:

  • Prepare fall garden beds. Remove plastic from solarized beds, add compost, and shape raised rows.
  • Apply slow-release fertilizer to new fall plantings.
  • Watch for armyworms — they’re a late summer menace.

September

Plant:

  • North: Continue fall warm-season planting. Start cool-season seeds indoors (broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower). Direct sow lettuce and radishes late in the month.
  • Central: Transplant fall tomatoes and peppers. Direct sow beans, squash, cucumbers, and corn.
  • South: Begin fall planting in earnest. Tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash, cucumbers.

Do:

  • Monitor hurricane forecasts and protect garden structures.
  • Begin transitioning from warm-season to cool-season mindset.
  • Water consistently — September can be very dry between storms.

October

Plant:

  • North: Full cool-season planting begins. Broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, lettuce, spinach, kale, peas, carrots, beets, turnips, collards, radishes.
  • Central: Same as North, plus continue warm-season crops (tomatoes, peppers, beans).
  • South: Peak planting month. Tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, beans, cucumbers, squash. Plant everything.

Do:

  • This is your busiest month. Get beds prepared, seeds in the ground, and transplants established.
  • Reduce watering as rain diminishes and temperatures drop.
  • Apply mulch to retain the soil moisture that’s left.

November

Plant:

  • North: Continue cool-season planting. Last chance for broccoli and cauliflower transplants. Direct sow more lettuce, spinach, and root crops.
  • Central: Same as North. Set out strawberry plants.
  • South: Continue all plantings from October. Add herbs, root crops, and leafy greens.

Do:

  • Harvest fall tomatoes and peppers before any chance of frost (North Florida).
  • Have frost protection materials ready (North and Central).
  • Plant a cover crop (crimson clover, hairy vetch) in any empty beds.

December

Plant:

  • North: Cool-season crops only. Lettuce, spinach, kale, and root crops under row cover if needed.
  • Central: Same as North, plus late tomato varieties in protected spots.
  • South: Continue warm and cool-season planting. December through February is the prime growing window.

Do:

  • Protect sensitive plants from frost (North and Central Florida). Water plants before a freeze — wet soil holds heat.
  • Harvest cool-season crops at their peak.
  • Review the year. What worked? What failed? Adjust your plan for next year.

The Year-Round Mindset

The biggest mental shift for Florida gardeners is letting go of the idea that gardening happens from April to September. In Florida, your most productive months are October through May. Summer is when you maintain what you can, solarize your soil, and plan for fall.

Keep a simple planting journal — even just notes on your phone. After two years of tracking what you planted, when, and how it performed, you’ll have a personalized Florida gardening calendar that beats any generic guide.

The goal isn’t to grow everything all the time. It’s to always have something growing. With Florida’s climate, that’s not just possible — it’s easy once you know the rhythm.

Keep reading:

📚 Want the complete guide? Florida Vegetable Gardening covers everything you need — planting calendars, variety picks, soil strategies, and more — all tailored to your region. Browse the Harvest Home Guides series →