This is a comprehensive template for vegetable horticulture in USDA Zones 11 - 13 ( Subtropical / Tropical Zones ) , covering regions like southern Florida , coastal Texas , Hawaii , Puerto Rico , and the US Virgin Islands .
You should study this Vegetable gardening usher : Department of Agriculture zona 11 - 13 alongside ourmonthly vegetable horticulture calendar – USDA zones 11 - 13 , which sets out all you sow , planting and harvesting task on a month by month foundation .
Key Characteristics of Tropical Zone Gardening:
The Vegetable-by-Vegetable Guide:
This guide includes :
Aubergine (Eggplant)
Sow : Year - unit of ammunition with apex time Sep - Feb
graft : yr - round , 1 month after sowing
Harvest : class - pear-shaped , 60 - 80 day after transplanting
mad apple thrive in tropical condition . Long - fruit Asiatic multifariousness like ‘ Ping Tung ’ and ‘ Thai Long Green ’ perform especially well . Also try ‘ Florida Market ’ and ‘ Florida High Bush ’ uprise for hot , humid conditions . They can produce continuously for 1 - 2 years as perennial in these zones . Provide afternoon spectre during hot calendar month .
Amaranth (Callaloo)
Sow : twelvemonth - round
graft : Not necessary ( unmediated sow )
Harvest:3 - 4 weeks after sowing for super C ; 8 - 12 calendar week for cum head
Popular leafy super acid in Caribbean cuisine . Both leaf and young stems are eatable . Cut - and - come - again harvesting extends production . ‘ Green Callaloo ’ and ‘ Red Callaloo ’ varieties are rough-cut . high temperature and humidness tolerant .
Beans (Long/Yard-Long/Asparagus Beans)
Sow : Year - round with best prison term Sep - April
Transplant : Not commend ( direct sow )
Harvest:8 - 10 weeks after sow
These heat - loving noodle varieties produce well in tropical conditions . ‘ Red Noodle ’ , ‘ Green Noodle ’ , and ‘ Thai Purple ’ chiliad - farseeing noggin thrive where other bonce fight . leave trellising for these vigorous climbers . Can be grown twelvemonth - round but give rise best outside the hottest , soused month .
Beans (Winged/Goa/Four-Angled)
Harvest:10 - 12 weeks after sowing
A perennial bonce that produces uniquely shaped pods with four longitudinal gimcrackery or “ flank . ” Very heat tolerant and prosper in humid condition . ‘ Winged Bean Thailand ’ and ‘ Psophocarpus tetragonolobus ’ are vulgar miscellany . All parts ( seedpod , folio , flowers , tubers ) are edible .
Bitter Melon (Bitter Gourd)
transplantation : When seedling have 2 - 3 true leaves
Harvest:12 - 16 calendar week after sowing
Popular in Asiatic , Caribbean , and Indian cuisine . ‘ Taiwanese Bitter Melon ’ ( larger , lighter green ) and ‘ Indian Bitter Melon ’ ( smaller , darker dark-green with pointed tubercles ) are uncouth types . Requires trellis . Very rut and humidity tolerant . harvest home when fruits are still immature for less gall .
Cassava (Yuca)
Plant : Year - beat with best times at start of showery season
Harvest:8 - 12 months after planting
Grow from stem cuttings ( 8 - 10 inches long ) planted horizontally or at an angle . leisurely to raise and extremely drought tolerant once established . ‘ Sweet Varieties ’ are preferred for home gardens . Harvest by digging up the entire root organisation . take right cooking to remove cyanogenetic compounds before consumption .
Chayote
Plant : outset of rainy time of year
Harvest:3 - 5 month after planting
engraft the entire fruit , partially bury with the narrow-minded close up . Perennial vine that can grow for days . ‘ Florida Green ’ and ‘ White ’ varieties are common . call for strong trellis to support heavy vine and yield . Both yield and produce point are edible .
Chinese Broccoli (Gai Lan/Kai-lan)
Sow : Oct - Feb
Transplant : When seedlings have 4 - 5 honest leaves
Harvest:6 - 8 weeks after transplanting
More heat - tolerant than traditional Brassica oleracea italica . even harvest home of untested stem and leave-taking run production . take bolt - repellent varieties fortropical climates . Grows well during the coolest months in zones 11 - 13 .
Coconut
Plant : Year - round
Harvest:12 - 18 months for young cocoa palm ; 3 - 4 long time for matured nut
flora partially husk mature nut horizontally in well - enfeeble dirt . nanus varieties like ‘ Malayan Dwarf ’ and ‘ Fiji Dwarf ’ are good forhome gardensand produce nut before than tall varieties . saltiness - tolerant and perfect for coastal areas .
Cucumbers
Harvest:6 - 8 workweek after sow
Disease electric resistance is decisive in tropical zones . Asiatic salmagundi like ‘ Nipponese climb ’ and ‘ Suyo Long ’ often perform better than westerly types . seem for varieties with resistivity to powdery mould and puberulent mold . Trellising improves air circulation and reduces disease .
Edible-Podded Peas
Sow : Oct - Jan ( coolest month only )
Traditional peas struggle in tropic hotness , but some edible - pod types can be uprise during the coolest months . ‘ Oregon Sugar Pod II ’ and ‘ Mammoth Melting Sugar ’ execute best . Plant in areas with good afternoon shade and keep well - mulched to coolsoil .
Ginger
Harvest:8 - 10 calendar month after planting for ripe rootstalk ; 4 - 6 months for young ginger
Plant small composition of rootstalk with growth buds 1 - 2 column inch deep . ‘ Hawaiian Yellow ’ and ‘ Chinese White ’ are common miscellanea . prefer partial shade in hottest regions . Can be grown as a perennial with fond harvest home . Turmeric is grown similarly .
Jicama
Sow : twelvemonth - round with good clock time at start of ironical time of year
Harvest:5 - 9 months after sowing
big tuberous root vegetable that grows on a vine . Plant seed 1 - 2 inches deep . ‘ San Juan ’ and ‘ Cristalina ’ are common varieties . Only the root is comestible ; other parts of the plant are toxic . Requires long growing time of year .
Kangkong (Water Spinach)
transplantation : When seedling have 3 - 4 leaves , or propagate from cuttings
Harvest:3 - 4 weeks after sowing / constitute
Extremely high temperature - broad leafy green that grows in plastered or dry weather condition . ‘ Ching Quat ’ ( minute leaf ) and ‘ Bangkok ’ ( wide leaf ) are popular miscellanea . Can be grown in water garden or regular garden beds . Fast - growing and productive . note of hand : view invasive in some areas ; check local regulation .
Luffa (Loofah)
Sow : twelvemonth - round with flower time at showtime of showery time of year
Harvest : For comestible use : 4 - 7 solar day after flowering ; For sponges : when fully mature and dried
Dual - purpose vegetable . Young fruits are edible ; mature dried fruits become lifelike sponges . ‘ Smooth Luffa ’ and ‘ Ridged Luffa ’ are vulgar varieties . Vigorous vine that needs impregnable trellising . Very heat and humidity tolerant .
Malabar Spinach
Transplant : When seedling have 3 - 4 true leave , or diffuse from cuttings
Harvest:6 - 8 weeks after sowing ; uninterrupted once establish
Heat - loving leafy green that thrives when reliable prickly-seeded spinach fails . ‘ Red Stem ’ and ‘ Green Stem ’ multifariousness are available . climb vine that benefits from trellising . Not come to to true prickly-seeded spinach but used similarly . Perennial in zones 11 - 13 .
Malanga (Taro)
Harvest:9 - 12 months after plant
Grown for its starchy corm . works modest corms or while of with child corm with grow buds . ‘ Malanga Blanca ’ and ‘ Malanga Lila ’ are vulgar variety in Caribbean regions . Prefers systematically moist soil . Similar to dasheen but typically more heat tolerant .
Moringa
transplantation : When seedlings are 6 - 8 column inch marvelous
Harvest : Leaves : 3 - 5 calendar month after set ; Pods : 6 - 8 months
Fast - growing tree with highly nutritious leaves and unfledged pod . Can be keep pruned as a bush for easy harvest home . ‘ PKM1 ’ and ‘ PKM2 ’ are improved miscellany . Extremely drought tolerant once launch . Perennial that can produce for eld .
Mustard Greens
Sow : Oct - Feb ( nerveless months )
Harvest:3 - 5 weeks after transplanting
Asian mustard mixed bag like ‘ Green Wave ’ , ‘ Red Giant ’ , and ‘ Mizuna ’ are more heat patient of than European types . Harvest outer leaves for extended production . Grows best during the coolest months in tropic zona .
New Zealand Spinach
Transplant : When seedling have 3 - 4 unfeigned leave
Not genuine Spinacia oleracea but used likewise . exceedingly heat tolerant and prosper in tropical conditions . Can be grow as a perennial in zones 11 - 13 . harvest time immature growing tips on a regular basis to encourage bushiness .
Okra
Harvest:50 - 60 days after sowing
Tropicalplant that fly high in hot , humid conditions . ‘ Clemson Spineless ’ , ‘ Burgundy ’ , and ‘ Star of David ’ execute well . crop pods when 2 - 4 inches long for tenderness . Can spring up 6 - 8 feet tall and produce for many months in tropical zones .
Peppers (Hot/Chili)
Transplant : When seedling have 6 - 8 true leaves
Harvest:70 - 90 solar day after transplanting ; continues for months
red-hot pepper thrive in tropical conditions and can be grown as perennial , bring forth for eld . ‘ Scotch Bonnet ’ , ‘ Habanero ’ , ‘ Thai Bird ’ , and ‘ Caribbean Red ’ are well - adapted to zone 11 - 13 . Disease resistance ( especially to bacterial folio bit ) is crucial .
Pigeon Peas
Sow : Year - round with just times at showtime of showery season
organ transplant : When seedling are 4 - 6 inches tall
Harvest : Green pods : 4 - 5 month ; Dried pea plant : 6 - 9 months
drouth - large-minded legume grow as an one-year or short - lived perennial . ‘ ICPL 88039 ’ ( dwarf ) and ‘ GT-1 ’ are productive salmagundi . industrial plant grow 3 - 10 foot tall depending on kind . Both green pod and dried peas are used in cooking .
Roselle (Sorrel/Hibiscus)
Sow : start of rainy season
Harvest : calyx : 3 - 4 weeks after anthesis ; Leaves : throughout growing time of year
develop for edible calyx ( used for tea , drinks , and preserves ) and leaves . ‘ Thai Red ’ and ‘ winner ’ are productive variety . plant grow 4 - 7 feet magniloquent . Extremely heat kind and resistant to most pestis .
Sweet Potatoes
Plant : yr - round with acme times at start of rainy season
develop from slips ( rooted sprouts ) or vine cutting . ‘ Beauregard ’ , ‘ Jewel ’ , and ‘ Cuban cherry-red ’ execute well in tropical geographical zone . Can be mature continuously in rotation . Both radical and young leaves / shoots are edible . Very warmth and humidness tolerant .
Taro
Harvest:7 - 10 months after plant
Grown for its buckram corm . Plant minuscule corms or while with growing buds . ‘ Bun Long ’ and ‘ Lehua Maoli ’ are common varieties . Prefers systematically moist grease but some varieties can grow in siccative condition . Both corms and young leaves can be corrode ( after proper cooking to remove calcium oxalate ) .
Tomatoes (Heat-tolerant)
Sow : Oct - Feb ( cooler months )
Transplant : When seedling have 5 - 6 truthful leaf
Harvest:70 - 85 twenty-four hours after transplanting
Traditional Lycopersicon esculentum struggle in extreme hotness and humidity . Choose specially recrudesce heat - tolerant varieties like ‘ Heatmaster ’ , ‘ Solar Fire ’ , ‘ Florida 91 ’ , and cherry tree character like ‘ Everglades ’ and ‘ Sweet 100 ’ . Growing during slightly cool months amend success . Disease opposition is critical , peculiarly to bacterial wilt and fungal disease .
Turmeric
Harvest:8 - 10 months after establish
plant life rootstalk pieces with growing buds 2 inches deep . ‘ Alleppey ’ and ‘ Tamil Nadu ’ are common variety show . favor fond shade in hot regions . Can be grown as a perennial with fond harvesting . turn likewise to gingerroot .
Winged Bean (Four-Angled Bean)
Harvest : Pods : 60 - 90 Clarence Day after sowing ; tuber : 8 - 10 months
tropic leguminous plant where all contribution are edible ( pods , leaves , flowers , seed , and tubers ) . ‘ Thailand ’ and ‘ Bogor ’ are coarse varieties . Vining plant that requires trellis . Very heat and humidness tolerant .
Yams (True Yams)
Harvest:8 - 11 months after planting
Different from gratifying potatoes . industrial plant small tubers or pieces with “ eyes . ” ‘ White Yam ’ ( Dioscorea alata ) and ‘ Yellow Yam ’ ( Dioscorea cayenensis ) are common in tropical part . Vining flora that benefits from trellising . Requires long produce time of year .
Vegetables to Avoid in Zones 11-13
The following vegetables loosely perform ill in tropic zone 11 - 13 and are not recommended :
Martin Cole has been an avid flora lover and nurseryman for more than 20 eld and do it to talk and write about gardening . In 2006 he was a finalist in the BBC Gardener of the Year competition . He is a member of the National dahlia Society .
He previously lived in London and Sydney , Australia , where he took a diploma course in Horticultural subject and is now establish in North Berwick in Scotland . He launch GardeningStepbyStep.com in 2012 . The internet site is place at everybody who fuck plants or has been bitten by the gardening bug and wants to know more .
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