Pensacola News Journal

For: Saturday, Sept. 27, 2003

By: Daniel E. Mullins

Extension Horticulture Agent

Santa Rosa County

Timing is Important When Growing Winter Vegetables

A properly established winter garden can be very productive and enjoyable, but as the golden oldy 60s song says, “You Gotta Have Timing.”

Most of the cold hardy vegetables are established in the fall, rather than early spring.

Growing strawberries along the Gulf Coast for example, is much different than growing them further north. Plants are established between mid-October and mid-November. They grow well during our relatively mild winters, forming large plants. Flowering begins in late February and berries are harvested from March until late May.

Recommended strawberry varieties are Florida 90, Chandler, Dover, Florida Belle, Oso Grande, Sweet Charlie and Selva. These are short day varieties which must be used in the deep south. Strawberries are grown as an annual in our area. Don’t attempt to save plants from year to year or grow them under the matted row system that is used in other areas. Buy new plants and start over each fall.

The production of bulbing onions also requires close attention to timing. Using short day varieties such as Texas Grano, Granex, Excel, White Granex and Tropicana Red, onion plants are established from September through December. The spring planting of onions should be avoided, as this ensures failure. Spring planted bulbing onions produce something that resembles a giant green onion instead of a bulb.

The availability of onion plants for fall planting is sometimes limited. Serious onion growers can grow their own plants from seed by planting in September. Seedlings are lifted when they grow to a six inch height and transplanted in rows one to 2 feet wide at a four to six inch spacing.

Seeds of several of the cool season vegetable species can be sown directly in the garden during fall. These include: beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, Chinese cabbage, collards, kale, kohlrabi, leek, mustard, parsley, radish, spinach and turnips.

Some garden center and nurseries offer started plants of some cool season vegetables. These can be transplanted to the garden for a faster start than would have been possible by seeding. Look for broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collards, lettuce, onions and strawberry plants.

Question of the Week: How often should hydrangeas be fertilized, and is this the time of year to apply acid to make them blue or alkali to make them pink?

Answer: Most established landscape shrubs, including hydrangea, grow well with two or three fertilizer applications per year. One is applied in March and a second application in September. A third application can be made during mid-summer if needed.

The Hydrangea macrophylla or French Hydrangea is a popular local landscape plant. It has a peculiar habit of producing blue flowers under acid soil conditions, and pink flowers under more alkaline soil conditions. Since most of our Gulf Coast soils are acid by nature, most of those seen in the area are blue.

The color of the flowers is determined by the availability of aluminum to the root system. Under a low pH, or acid soil condition, aluminum is more available and the result is blue flower color. When the soil is sweeter or more alkaline, aluminum becomes less available and the resulting flower color is pink.

Most Hydrangeas can be encouraged to produce blue flowers by using organic mulches and fertilizing with an acid forming product. Aluminum sulfate is sometimes used for this purpose, but great care should be taken when using it, as roots can be burned by excessive amounts. Pink flower color can be encouraged by applying lime to the soil around plants. The amount applied should be based upon a soil test. It is easy to overdo lime applications.