Vegetable Gardening In Northeast Florida

EDITOR'S NOTE: Environmental Horticulture Agent IV, Rebecca Jordi, addresses questions about landscaping and gardening in northeast Florida. She is the Extension Director in Nassau County, Florida and also a University of Florida faculty member.

QUESTION: What kind of vegetables can I grow in August? DJ

JORDI: There are plenty of vegetables. Consider beans (lima, pole, bush), broccoli, cauliflower, sweet corn, cucumbers, onions, Southern peas, peppers, summer or winter squash, tomatoes, turnips or watermelon. I think with that long list, you could find something you would like to plant.

Let's look at specific examples of cultivars to select such as tomatoes:

Large Fruit: Celebrity, Heat Wave II, Better Boy, Beefmaster, BHN444-Southern Star*, Amelia*, BHN 640*

Small Fruit: Sweet 100, Juliet, Red Grape, Sun Gold, Sugar Snack, Sweet Baby Girl Heirloom: Green Zebra, Cherokee Purple, Eva Purple Ball, Brandywine, Mortgage Lifter, Delicious *Resistant to TSWV (Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus).

Free Vegetable Gardening Class & Guide

Remember to come to our vegetable gardening class on Wednesday, August 5, 2015 at the Yulee Extension satellite office. Call for directions at 904-530-6353 (the class is free to the general public). This class will provide a copy of the most recent vegetable garden guide specifically adapted for Northeast Florida. For more complete information, specifically the best cultivars for our area, look over the publication from the University of Florida.

QUESTION: Please identify this palm for me. LS

Australian Fern (Photo: Botanical Garden, Hawaii)

JORDI: Thank you so much for sending me a photo, which helped me narrow the field. I believe your palm is actually an Australian fern tree, Sphaeropteris cooperi. It was introduced to the United States from Australia.

The Australian tree fern is a tropical, single-trunked, giant fern. It has long, bi-pinnately compound, lacy leaves with a fine texture. The 1 to 1.5 foot long leaves form a handsome canopy and impart a tropical effect. The fern produces one trunk with a woolly appearance, and the trunk may grow to a diameter of 1 foot. This plant reproduces by spores found on the undersides of mature leaves – typical of many ferns. These spores cause problems for Hawaii's native flora as it reproduces quickly and overtakes the native plants. The fern tree, also called Coopers Cyathea, is considered invasive in Hawaii. It grows in cold hardiness zones 10a – 11, which is South Florida for us.

This means the tree fern really should be located in a patio or screened area here in Northeast Florida. Consider keeping it protected if we get temperatures below freezing. It grows at a slow rate and reaches heights upward to 18 feet with a potential 15 foot spread. Australian fern tree prefers shady sites and will show browning on the fronds if it receives direct sunlight, especially intense afternoon sun. It prefers sandy, moist, well-drained soils. This plant is not salt tolerant, therefore it should not be planted along the coastline. For more complete information please look over the University of Florida publication.

QUESTION: I just moved here and there is a cluster of large bamboo plants in my yard. Can you identify them for me? JG

JORDI: I am glad you brought me a photo of this plant. The grasses and grass-like plants are very difficult to identify but this one is fairly easy since you showed me a seed head and it was about 12 feet tall. I believe is it Giant reed, Arundo donax, which is a very large plant often found growing as a dense stand in water, topped by very large, feathery, plume-like inflorescences or seed heads. Giant reed is a source of reeds for musical instruments and industrial cellulose.

Giant reed is a non-native large grass and is classified as a noxious weed in 46 states, according to the USDA. The rhizomes are hard and thick; the stems are cane-like, tall, erect or leaning reaching heights up to 20 ft. tall. The cane-like stems are what made you think it was bamboo. Controlling this plant is going to be difficult because of the rhizomes. Applying a concentration of glyphosate (Round-up) on cut stems will be necessary to control it. It will most likely take more than one application to work. Removing the seed heads will also be beneficial. When removing the seed heads, be sure to bag them immediately and throw them away.

Rebecca L. Jordi
Nassau County Extension Director
UF/IFAS Environmental Horticulture
543350 U.S. Highway #1
Callahan, FL 32011
904-530-6350
http://nassau.ifas.ufl.edu

The Nassau County Extension provides practical education you can trust, to help people, businesses and communities solve problems, develop skills and build a better future.