Tom Carey: Know when to till it under

The extreme weather potential that we risk on a daily basis during our Florida summers must be taken into account relative to every gardening activity we plan. Hearken back to 4th of July week a few years ago; we accumulated 20 inches of precipitation in addition to enough lightning to power a city for a month. Beyond just a collapsed greenhouse roof, flooded growing beds, and a zapped pine tree directly adjacent to the garden, any ongoing growing of crops was curtailed for several soggy weeks. Luckily, I keep these risks in perspective, and plan my affairs accordingly. (Keep in mind that while your garden may be producing a bumper crop of tadpoles and mosquito larvae, neighbors a mere mile away could be experiencing near drought conditions with just enough rain to maintain near 100-percent humidity.)

In theory, we can grow crops year-round here in Central Florida. While gardeners in temperate climates have their off-season defined by a blanket of snow, we need to double our efforts at garden maintenance or risk being overwhelmed by weed growth in a matter of inattentive days. By defining summer as a downtime, we travel a long way along the road of taking it easy during a time when our culture pictures no greater effort than lifting an iced tea by the pool. Still, the okra needs picking thrice a week, the weeds are taking over the remnants of the parsley, and the kale and collard greens are randomly getting hit by caterpillars like in a game of whack-a-mole. Take a look at how much you are harvesting from your sweat expended. The concept of tilling it all in and starting fresh in September is a goal to which we all should aspire.

Tomatoes are from a warm, dry climate; there is nothing we can spray in our wet conditions to salvage the morass of withered leaves (nobody said food gardening is necessarily pretty). Notice when the flowers at the top of the vines are no longer setting fruit. Plan a final harvest, yank the plants, clean up the trellis, cover the growing space with layers of newspaper and mulch, and congratulate yourself on a productive experience.

I have seen kale and collard greens plants standing in ankle deep puddles with their leaves drooping in a death knell. First thoughts dwell on breaking out the irrigation equipment, but additional moisture would only be adding insult to injury. Truth be told, their roots had died in the flood and the only remaining hope lies in the seedlings we started in the greenhouse for autumn planting.

Tom Carey is the owner of Sundew Gardens, a you-pick gardening business in Oviedo. Visit the Sundew Gardens Facebook page and email him at [email protected]