Last call

Growing seasons encircling the calendar offer certain advantages to Central Florida gardeners, but the details bring the bliss back to reality. Spring gardening in Florida is our most productive season. Take advantage of it now as this windfall of growth quickly winds down as hot, dry followed by hot, wet conditions encroach. Crops that grow so well in February’s cool weather cannot be bribed into productivity come unrelenting May days.

A crop that immediately comes to mind is red Russian kale. It is wonderfully delicious, incredibly nutritious and easy to grow in cooler conditions. And pretty, too! The seeds are simple to germinate, transplants endure almost any abuse and survival rates bordered on 90 percent even when temperatures danced around the mid-20s Fahrenheit. We have been harvesting individual leaves from the plants in my bed of red Russian kale since November with no sign of decline. Alas, I know that when the end of March approaches, brown leaf edges appear, wilting occurs and a cleanup crew of bugs are inevitable.

Members of the Allium family will suffer a similar fate. With maybe a bit more fortitude, scallions, onions, garlic and leeks will grow until early summer. In Florida, we seek out onions that are labeled as a ‘short day’ variety, meaning they grow well during the shorter days of winter. The stresses of hot, dry afternoons or hot, wet soil will bring an end to their productive growth. Garlic chives grown in a container in a moderated location will provide some sustenance through the summertime blues.

I grow my garden for positive reasons, not to stave off starvation. For all the qualities radishes provide, bulk productivity is merely another aspect. Poke a seed in the dirt and in one month, harvest a red radish for dinner. Along with oriental daikon or black Spanish radishes, autumn, winter and spring bumper crops are almost guaranteed. As the days grow longer, our expectations for radishes must diminish. I do not think I could grow a radish in June to save my life!

Dear readers: This newspaper column is a local, living document. Combined with garden club meetings, the Sundew Gardens Facebook page, your visits and e-mails, the Central Florida community takes these individual pieces and weaves them into our daily lives for a greater whole. A local nonprofit organization, Simple Living Institute, along with Sundew Gardens, will be hosting a fund raiser tour/field day of my garden on Feb. 19 at 2 PM for only $10. Please RSVP to the Sundew Gardens or Simple Living Institute Facebook pages events tab or Sundewgardens @gmail.com for more information.