The Basics of Growing Your Own Food

Article By:
Audrey Durr
Florida Yards & Neighborhoods Program Coordinator

Rising fuel prices have made it more expensive to fill our gas tanks as well as our pantries and fridges. The ongoing salmonella outbreak and 2006’s E. coli outbreak have called some of our food’s safety into question. Home fruit and vegetable gardening can offer a solution to both of these problems.

Based upon available time and space, edible landscaping can be as basic as a few containerized tomato plants or as involved as growing enough produce for your entire household.

To get started, select a site in your yard that receives at least six hours of direct sunlight and has easy access to a water source. A pH of 5.8 to 6.3 is ideal for growing vegetables, but a pH between 5.5 and 7.0 does not require any adjustment (the Extension Office can test your soil’s pH for $3.00).

Compost should also be worked into the soil at a rate of two to three inches into the top six inches of soil. Compost holds moisture in the root zone and contributes to healthy root growth. Compost also reduces the impact of nematodes (microscopic worms with a ravenous appetite for vegetable and other plant roots).

Vegetable gardens will require watering two to three times per week; using compost and mulch helps to reduce the amount of water needed. Hand watering and microirrigation are the most efficient means of irrigation and are therefore not subject to watering restrictions.
Vegetables are divided into two categories: "warm season" (planted from January through March) and "cool season" (planted from August through April). Cool season vegetables include beets, broccoli, carrots, celery, lettuce, onions, potatoes, spinach and strawberries. For a full list of vegetables, refer to the University of Florida article "Florida Vegetable Gardening Guide" available at www.solutionsforyourlife.org or through the Citrus County Extension office at 352-527-5700.

In Citrus County, we can also grow a wide variety of fruit-bearing trees and shrubs, including subtropicals, like citrus, as well as more "northern" plants, like blueberries, peaches, apples and pears (contact the Extension Office for a list of which varieties of these plants are suited to this area).

To learn more about growing your own vegetables, fruits and herbs, call 352-527-5700 to pre-register for the "How Does Your Veggie Garden Grow?" class on August 13th from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Extension Office.

Once you've harvested your fruits and vegetables, take advantage of the services offered through the Citrus County Canning Center in Lecanto. The Canning Center is a self-help facility equipped for the preparation, preservation, and heat processing of fruits, vegetables, pickles, relishes, sauces, syrups, jams and jellies.

The canning center is supervised during all hours of operation by a knowledgeable, experienced kitchen manager who will help and educate you each step of the way with the latest, safest processing techniques. Use of the canning center and its equipment is free; you just bring your own canning jars, produce, and recipe ingredients. Hours of operation vary; call 352-746-4324 or 352-527-5700 to receive current operational times or more information.

For more information on Florida-friendly landscaping, visit the University of Florida’s website www.solutionsforyourlife.org or contact the Florida Yards & Neighborhoods (FYN) program staff at your local Extension Office. FYN Program Coordinator Audrey Durr can be reached at 352-527-5708 or audrey.durr@bocc.citrus.fl.us. FYN Program Educator Debbe Hooper can be reached at 352-527-5707 or debbe.hooper@bocc.citrus.fl.us.

The Florida Yards & Neighborhoods Program of the Citrus County Extension Service is a public education and outreach program of the University of Florida, funded jointly by the Citrus County Board of County Commissioners and the Coastal Rivers and Withlacoochee River Basin Boards of the Southwest Florida Water Management District.

All programs and related activities sponsored for, or assisted by, the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences are open to all persons with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions, or affiliations.

For persons with disabilities requiring special accommodations, please contact our office at least five working days prior to the program so that proper consideration may be given to the request. For hearing impaired, please contact the Florida Relay Center at 1-800-955-8770 (voice) or 1-800 –955-8771 (TDD).

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