Harvesting:

By early May, most of the cool season crops have been harvested. The peas have been suffering in the heat and succumbing to powdery mildew, so we harvest and pull up the plants. The lettuce has threatened to bolt, so it too has been harvested. The onion tops have fallen over, so we lift them up, lay them in the sun to dry for several days, and then cure them for two weeks in a cool, dark, dry place (indoors!). We check to see if the tops of our potato plants have begun to die back. If so, this means tubers are maturing and we can harvest them in another 2-3 weeks. Mature tubers store much longer than those harvested earlier because their skins are tougher. They’re usually ready by late May if they were planted in mid-February (or after 80-115 days).

Fruiting:

The rest of May and June are peak spring crop production weeks especially for tomato, pepper and eggplant. We check irrigation to ensure it’s functioning and providing adequate water. As crops get bigger and the weather gets hotter, we sometimes increase the watering time on specific beds or lines. We fertilize at the beginning of each month to ensure the plants have everything they need to produce. Because most large-fruited tomatoes stop producing when nighttime temperatures get too high, and humidity and insects begin to take their toll, we focus on early varieties that produce ripe fruit 50-60 days after transplanting.

‘Glacier’ was our first harvested this year, with a ripe tomato on April 29. Jalapeno peppers are not far behind. Bell peppers take a bit longer, especially if we want to wait until they are red. The first eggplants this year are an Asian variety called Orient Express. Gardeners who planted summer squash early are harvesting by the beginning of May.

This is one important way of avoiding insect problems; getting as much production as possible before pest populations can find them. If you are not getting fruit yet, watch to see if bees are pollinating your flowers. If not, you can hand pollinate by pulling off a male flower and using it like a paint brush to transfer pollen from its anther to the female flower’s stigma. If you are late planting or just can’t wait, you can also harvest female flowers (along with the embryonic squash behind them), dip them in batter and deep fry them for a tasty vegetable side dish or appetizer.

Scouting:

Bush and pole beans are flowering by May and should soon be producing pods. With our warm and dry April weather, we’ve seen lots of spider mites this year, especially on the beans. If infestations are not too high, we spray them off with a blast of water, or remove individual leaves. If populations continue to grow, we may also treat with an insecticidal soap or oil labeled for mites. But mites are not our only challenge! As those tasty plants grow, all the other insects looking for a meal begin to show up too. We spend time in the garden turning over leaves and looking for damage or insects themselves.

So far, we are also seeing aphids, armyworms and leaf-footed bugs. In mid April, for example, one of our muscadine vines was heavily infested with We knew muscadines should be able to withstand a little aphids. This seemed unusual. Aphid pressure, so we decided to wait and see if the aphids would attract enough beneficial insects to control the population. They were there by the first of May. Sometimes, simply watching and waiting can be helpful.

Armyworms are caterpillars of several moth species, and need to be addressed quickly

Numerous larvae hatch out at the same time on undersides of tomato, pepper or other vegetable leaves, and can do significant damage if not controlled early. Squishing them by hand is easy when they’re tiny. Bacillus thuringiensis, or Bt, works quite well on those too large for squishing. Follow label directions when applying. Leaf-footed bugs, related to stink bugs, are hardest to control. They are large and built like tanks so insecticides don’t have much impact on adults. Treating earlier nymph stages with insecticidal soap can be effective. Placing the adults into a bucket of soapy water is the easiest way to get rid of them.

Planting:

Planting in May and June is limited to only the most heat-tolerant crops such as sweet potatoes, okra, luffa gourds, Seminole pumpkins and southern peas. Sweet potatoes are planted using slips, or the newly sprouted stems of a sweet potato. They can be ordered online and shipped via mail. Be sure to open and plant them immediately upon delivery. Don’t store them in the refrigerator to buy some time. They are very cold sensitive. Southern peas, gourds and pumpkins are typically direct-seeded where they will grow. All these crops can handle the heat of July and August, providing harvests long after our spring crops are finished. The UF/IFAS infographic for May and June are helpful for remembering what we can plant at these times. For monthly planting guides go to: https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/plants/edibles/vegetables/vegetable-gardening-in-florida.html#monthly

Article written by Beth Marlowe, Urban Garden Program Assistant, June 2024

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