As you can see, there isn’t much that can be planted in June. As a gardener originally from Ohio, this is the time of year that throws me off the most. While my friends up north are posting pictures of their newly started gardens, I’m harvesting what remains before the heat, bugs, and weeds kill what’s left.
Two plants that don’t make this list are Seminole peas and Seminole pumpkins.
If you can’t gather from the name, they are considered Florida natives. They love the heat and moisture of Florida summers and are very disease and mildew resistant.
The problem you may run into is finding seeds or plants. I bought some Seminole peas from Whitwam Organics in Tampa, FL last year, but I got them late in the season and they only produced a few pods for me. I saved those pods for seeds to be planted this summer, and they have already begun sprouting.
Seminole peas are similar to a southern pea if you let them dry on the vine, but they can also be eaten like a green bean if picked while they are still green and tender.
I received my Seminole pumpkin seeds from a friend of mine, but I’ve also seen them available from Baker’s Creek.
If you know anyone who grows it, they will probably give you seeds. I have tons of them and pass them out by the handful.
The name can be a bit misleading as they are more like a butternut squash than a pumpkin, but I have never seen another squash plant produce this well in Florida.
I don’t even need to start seeds this year. We had a rather mild winter and my vine from last summer is still going.
My summer is expected to be a busy one, so I’m not really starting a lot of seeds right now. My sweet potato vine from last year never really did anything, so I’m letting it go this summer to see how it does.
Otherwise, I’m going to let it go and try to reclaim what’s left when things slow down and the temperatures cool off. Happy gardening!