Don’t let this Florida heatwave crush your gardening goals. In this video, I’m showing you five heat-loving plants that thrive in our brutal summers. From lemongrass and Everglades tomatoes to basil, ashwagandha, and hot peppers, these are some of the most underrated but reliable crops you can grow right now in some parts of Central and South Florida.
Now I already know some folks are wondering why I didn’t mention southern peas, sweet potatoes, seminal pumpkins, or cassava. Trust me, I’ve got all of those in the ground too. They are Florida staples and definitely worth growing. I’ll be making a video on those real soon.
But today’s list is focused on the forgotten crops. These are the ones people tend to overlook but they still produce like champs in the heat. They deserve some shine too. Whether you’re just starting out or looking for more options to beat the heat, this video will help you keep your garden growing strong this summer.
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[Music] Welcome back to Healthy Living Florida Style. I’m Germaine. Florida summers are great, but they are hot and humid. So today, I’m going to share with you my top five plants that you can put in the ground right now for Central and South Florida. If you’re ready to grow that summer garden right here in Florida, don’t forget to subscribe and hit that notification bell. I’m going to be bringing these gardening tips all summer long. So, first up, we got lemongrass. Lemongrass likes full sun, so 6 hours of sun, so make sure you put it in a nice sunny spot. It also likes well draining soil. We use our lemongrass primarily for chop and drop. So, as you see, our lemongrass is looking a little dry. We got it planted right next to moringa right here. Lemongrass was there first, put the moringa in afterwards. Um, but yeah, so we use ours for chop and drop mainly. Also for teas, uh, we like to put lemongrass in some of our teas. A lot of the teas that don’t have the best taste, like your your sour sap and even your moringa, you know, like things that don’t have the greatest taste, you know, kuck, add some lemon lemongrass in there. It’s going to help improve that taste. Lemongrass also is very easy to grow. You can grow it from seed, but I think it’s easier if you just find somebody with some lemongrass and ask them to give you a few cutings and, you know, you could put this in a pot, you could put it in the ground and it grows like a weed. our lemongrass. We chopped this back so much again. We use it for chop and drop. This bush was about five feet high and about five feet wide. So, we’re going to get it back. So, we’re going to need it um for the grunt part of this summer. So, we’re going to water it today, get it back all nice and green, let it grow back so it could be ready for us come July and we could put it down and use it as a mulch. Lemongrass, easy to grow. You don’t have to do anything before it gets established. You’re going to have to put it on the watering schedule, but once it gets established, you don’t have to water it that much. Grow yourself some lemongrass. If you live in central and south Florida, you can grow this. Grow this lemongrass. Thank me later. Next we have up is our Everglaze tomato plant. These plants prefer full sun, at least 6 hours a day of sun, and they also like well drained soil. This plant is excellent to plant in central and south Florida because not only is it a heavy heavy producer, it thrives on the sun. You cannot take this plant out and it grows so quickly. When I first planted this little bitty plant, it actually had three little tomatoes on it when I planted this little tiny thing just a couple weeks ago and this is exactly 2 weeks of growth. The a trellis to let them grow out. I like them getting bushy like this. They’re heavy producers. And the one of the best things about these Everglad tomato plants, they don’t get the same typical have the same typical problems that other tomato plants here in Florida have with diseases. Excellent plant to grow right now in Central and South Florida. Next up, we have basil. This loves the sun. As you see, I have it in full sun myself. Just make sure you’re watering it just like the everglazed tomato. Make sure you’re giving it good water. And these plants thrive in the summertime in Florida. This I mean it’s a kitchen staple in most homes. I know it is in ours as well. And they’re great for planting, companion planting with tomatoes. Smell great, thrive in the sun. You can get a bountiful harvest of it. You can give some to your neighbors. Basil is the way to go. It’s a herb that you need to plant. And you can plant this in central and South Florida today. Basil tip, if you pinch back the top stems regularly, it’ll help the plant from flowering and it’ll keep it bushier, make it more bushier. And also, when you harvest, you want to take leaves from the top cuz it’ll help the new growth come from the bottom. So, harvest from the top so you can get more growth out of this. One of the great things about basil, like most plants, it’ll tell you when it’s really, really hot by it’ll start to wither. So, make sure that you constantly give it some water. Up we have hot peppers. Hot peppers love Florida sunshine in the heat. Just make sure, like all things, you keep it watered. We like to grow Scott bonnets, jalapenos. They’re all great in the summertime here. Tastes great and we love them. This is a Florida staple right here. Hot peppers. You can put them in the sun and they’ll do perfectly fine. Is ashwagandha. Ashwagandha likes well draining soil to prevent root rot that we get in our Florida climate. It likes 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight. So make sure you put it in some place that gets plenty of sun. And you want to water this thing constantly allowing the top soil to dry slightly between waterings. You never want this soil to be dry. So keep it a little bit moist, especially when it’s a young plant. You can plant the seeds directly outdoors in late winter or early spring to maximize growth season. So, right now you’re a little bit late, but that’s okay. If you live in central and south Florida, you can get those seeds in the dirt right now and you’ll still be okay. If you can find transplants, I suggest you do that. Get those transplants and put them in some dirt right now. Um, also another thing about this ashwagandha, it actually likes sandy soil. So, when you’re putting it in a grow bag like myself, you might want to mix it with some perlite and a little bit of sand. You want this soil to be really airy and really dry like this, but keep it moist with that water. Plenty of sunlight. Ashwagandha is great to grow right now. The medicinal properties of ashwagandha is just, oh, it is so many. So, grow yourself some ashwagandha. Those are my top five plants that I would put in the ground right now in Central and South Florida for the summertime. I would love to hear what you’re planting right now. So, in the comments below, let me know what you’re planting in your raised beds or in your grow bags this summer. Out of all those, I’m going to say those Everglazed tomatoes. If you like tomatoes or if you just want to, you know, help your kids eat something other than fruit all day, I suggest Everglazed tomatoes. They’re they’re small, but they taste so great and it grows so quick. So, if you got children and you want to just get them a, you know, just just up their nutrition just a little bit and get them to eat something outside of their norm and you’re going to have abundance of it and you really don’t have to do too much. Everglazed tomatoes. I definitely suggest that. Second, if I had to pick number two, what I’m what I’m growing is going to be peppers. But that’s because me, I love spicy food and I love peppers. But with peppers, if you just water them, give them some sun, you really don’t have to do too much, especially your hot peppers, your very, very hot peppers. So, everglazed tomatoes and peppers are my top two on that list. So, thank you for watching. Don’t forget to like and subscribe. And until the next video, see you guys later. Here’s some peppers I threw in a pot the other day. Just some seeds right here. Threw them in a pot. So, we got some jalapenos, we got some habaneros, and we got some cayenne peppers. Let’s see how they grow. [Music]
22 Comments
What are your biggest challenges when gardening in the Florida heat, and what tips do you have to share?
I 'm Growing in North FL I just Subscribed Peace and Blessing dear brother I love seeing our People growing our own food ❤ Jackie ❤
Great recommendations, thank you!
Moringa has a lot of medicinal use they have been using it for thousands of years in in eastern healing. I use the root and leaves to help keep my A1C numbers good.
My banana peppers going crazy in St Pete FL
Love me some hot peppers! I also have some basil going. I found a couple small pots at the box store that had a bunch of green and purple plants. I divided them out into about six pots, and they are growing like gangbusters! I've had two good harvests so far in jus about four weeks. Pesto anyone?
I had an infestation of stink bugs destroyed my tomatoes. What do you use to keep them away?
Lemongrass for scattering around the chucken ciop, keeps the mosquitoes away
I am so glad you came up on my feed. From Sumter co. Thank you so much, new sub
Living in the Keys, I grow almost everything in pots or elevated planters. I really need help, as many others I suppose, in identifying plants, decorative and edible, that are not appetizing to Iguanas. Thyme and rosemary are on the list from my experience but are there others anyone has identified. Thank you.
I agree with the crops you mentioned. I'd add Longevity spinach, Chaya (tree spinach), cranberry hibiscus & cassava to the list of forgotten FL summer crops.
I'm growing in south FL (zone 10B) & they're absolutely thriving in the heat (though my Longevity spinach appreciates partial shade)!
I'm known to kill plants. Basil and Everglades tomatoes….even I can't kill. I need to try some lemongrass next.
Howdy GrowFitFl, we in Orlando are having good luck with everglades tomatoes, peppers and basil.
If I plant anything at any time of the year, squirrels dig it all up. Any suggestions?
Hi! Im on a second floor balcony in Bradenton ,growing cucumbers, acorn squash, and one green bean plant has made it, but the other ones withered and died😢. I'm starting okra, Everglades tomatoes and kewalo tomatoes (Hawaiian variety). I have lots of pepper types and herbs, basil is doing the best out of all of them! Happy growing, everyone!❤
what about north florida?
Thanks for the info about the tomato type. I'm going to go get some seeds for those. Also, in my garden are 6 types of peppers…. 3 hot and 3 not, green onions still, okra and Basil….. coming out of my ears! We're making it into pesto and dehydrating it for the pantry. Chives are growing great too.
Thank you. I plant OKRA in the hot summer. I just eat one raw each day and give the rest to friends who love them. I will plant more sweet potatoes this week plus cherry tomatoes. My dependent tomatoes are done for this summer. 250 is my personal record in my forth year of gardening. Thanks again.
Hello, from zone 10A Tampa Bay. Currently growing okra, yard long beans, pole beans, ginger, bell peppers, jalapenos, plantains, Brazilian spinach, cilantro, shishito peppers, cow horn peppers, cucumbers, pole beans, pequin peppers, suncherry tomatoes, ancho poblano peppers, San Marzano cherry tomatoes, black cherry tomatoes , fish peppers and 4 other cherry tomato varieties.
Just found your channel today n subscribed! Thanks for all you share n do! Giving us motivation to keep on growing in Zone 9b! God bless you all🙏🏼
I am growing Ginger,turmeric and Blue turmeric as well as some of your pics.. also sweet potatoes which grow almost all year long…
You mentioned some teas your drink do not always tastes so good ( tart,etc.) so you add the lemon grass. Why not drink something else does tastes good?