This is a curated collection of seeds I have found to grow well in Florida over the years. It is designed to take the overwhelm and thought process out of figuring out which varieties to select that will actually grow well here. Some of the seed is saved from myself and other small local growers for harder to source varieties that you cant find online. The majority of the seed varieties will come from larger seed supply companies like Working Food or Southern Exposure Seed Exchange to keep up with demand.
Whether you have a home or an apartment, a container or garden tower - you can grow your own food! You don't have to worry about what is in season, all...
Whether you have a small city lot or acreage, a couple raised beds or a food forest - you can grow your own food! You don't have to worry about what is...
Also known as molokhia. Grown for its edible leafy green leaves although the stem is what we know as jute. Wonderful crop for the summer vegetable garden. Will take the...
80 days, indeterminate — Also known as the "Wild Florida Everglades," 'Everglades' tomatoes produce small, currant-type fruit that can be best described as delivering huge flavor in a tiny package....
(Chinese Vining Okra, Vegetable Sponge, Dishcloth Gourd) The young gourds are edible and are eaten like okra, especially throughout parts of the South. If left to mature the fruits look...
(C. moschata) 120 days. The wild squash of the Everglades is a pumpkin with deep historic roots and rich sweet flavor. A beloved pumpkin of the deep South especially celebrated...
A pole black bean, incredibly productive for dry beans. Tender perennial. Great for food forests or permaculture application. Saved from local heirloom seed, not available on large commercial seed sites....
Packet of 20 seeds. (Hibiscus sabdariffa) Beautiful 3-5 ft. plants with red stems and leaf veins. The bright red calyxes can be used to make “zingy” tea, sauce, syrup, or...
Superior nutrition. A fast-growing tree, keep trimmed to 6 ft for easier harvesting. Eat leaves fresh or dried. 10 seeds saved from my trees. Good to start from seed in...
This blend of 5 crops (cowpea, sorghum, millet, sunhemp, and marigold) will keep your soil protected over the hot summer months with no effort on your part. Once established they...
Packet of seeds is about 36-60 seeds, depending on the variety. [Venezuelan heirloom. Seed source from Donna Hudson in TN.] Has the same shape, size, color, and aroma as Habanero,...
Brassica carinata 40 days. We fell for this unusual leafy green immediately after the first bite. The hearty leaves have a very complex flavor with overtones of spice and garlic....
61 days. (pm) Sweet-flavored, “burpless” cucumber from China, hot weather tolerant, and widely adapted. Exceptionally hardy, productive, and fine-flavored even under adverse conditions. One of the best varieties in Twin...
A cross between two of the most delicious and hardy greens -- tatsoi and komatsuna -- the lightly savoyed leaves have a velvety texture and lightly umami flavor that make...
75 days. (green > red) [Introduced by SESE 1999.] The best nematode-resistant bell for home gardeners. Foliage, fruits, and yields are very similar to California Wonder. This variety is a...
Incredibly productive long bean that does best with trellis. Pods have unique and beautiful tiger stripes. Firm and flavorful and able to take the heat of spring when other beans...
(Melothria scabra) 73 days. Thin but tenacious vines bear many 5⁄8 in. x 7⁄8 in. fruits with skin like tiny watermelons. Immature, they taste like cucumbers; when fully mature, they...
60 days. 3⁄8-5⁄8 in. fruits with a delicious flavor reminiscent of pineapple. Bite-sized fruits are so tasty they may never make it into the kitchen, especially if you have children....
(Brassica oleracea) Lacinato is dark green heirloom kale from Tuscany. Sometimes called "dinosaur kale," Italians call it cavolo lacinato, or curly kale. It is sweet and delicious and so hardy...
55 days [European heirloom, 1869.] Smooth dark green leaves with slender stalks, milder than other chards. Produces tasty greens all summer and late into the fall. An excellent no-fuss warm...
Same taste of the traditional radish root but the seed pods are the edible and harvested portion. Harvest the crispy, crunchy, spicy pods when about 5 inches long and use...
70-80 days. [Heirloom from Puerto Rico] 4 ft. tall plants produce excellent yields of lavender-pink, teardrop-shaped fruits with white shoulders. The skin is tender without a trace of bitterness, and...
80 days. (Indeterminate) [Italian heirloom, famous for its use in Neapolitan pizza and other Italian dishes.] Long Roma-type tomatoes, 3-4 oz fruits with pointed ends. Thick, dry, low acid flesh...
[1963. AAS winner.] A reliable variety for garden, market, and greenhouse use. Dark green leaves and compact heads. Holds well under heat and stress, good bolt resistance. 55 days. approximately...
(Tagetes erecta) Classic marigold. Big, 3-4 in. flowers in shades of yellow, gold, and orange, on 3-4 ft. plants. When Ira was growing up in Florida, this was her grandmother's...
(B. Rapa Marinos) Rosettes of thick, dark green, oval-shaped leaves with mild mustard flavor. The most cold-hardy (22°F) commonly available mustard. Very attractive, good for all seasons, and long-lasting. Excellent...
Unusual and delicious gourd relative that is referred to and used as a bean in its native China. Its fruit tastes much like green beans, except even more delicious and...
77 days. [1959] Icebox sized, 6-8 in. melons with a hard rind which turns green-black when ripe. Handles drought well. 6-10 lb fruits with red flesh and small seeds. Consistently...
53 days. [Burmese heirloom, seedstock courtesy Hap Heilman. Now a favorite in some local restaurants.] Bears when plants are 18 in. tall and continues to bear until frost. Huge leaves,...