Our Backyard Garden
In September of 2024, we put in a paver patio to create some outdoor dining in our backyard. We ended up with a bunch of fill dirt and decided to put it to use in a raised, galvanized planter. Our garden began and we were quickly hooked.
Now, everytime before we leave for school and work, as well as when we get home, we head out back to check on the plants and see what’s new that’s growing.
Zone 9b
I follow the University of Florida agriculture page. They publish infographics each month letting gardener’s know what to plant for the season and the zone. I narrowed down their infographics to make an annual calendar (pictured above) for our family that is full of variety and foods we will actually eat.
This isn’t my first garden, but I’ve learned to adjust my expectation to what will grow here and not just what I want to grow. Otherwise, gardening can be very disappointing. Here is their website: Gardening Solution.
Plant Needs
When planning a garden, it is important to consider the plants’ needs for the amount of sunlight, amount of water, and drainage needs of each. Using my planting schedule of recommended plants from the University of Florida, it becomes really clear why Florida is called the Sunshine state. If it won’t do well with 6+ hours a day, it probably won’t grow well here. Most of the plants listed in the Full Sun category actually prefer 8 - 10 hours of sunlight. Fall and winter crops can be affected by the heat rather than the amount of light they receive each day.
The Nitrogen Cycle in the Garden
After watching Common Ground, a documentary on regenerative farming, I realized soil health is going to be a big deal moving forward - especially if I plan to use the same raised planters. I started to research options for rotating my plants and discovered it all comes down to nitrogen levels in the soil.
Being in Florida, our soil is very sandy. I know this is going to be an ongoing battle. Thankfully, bunny poop is a cold compost, which means it can go straight into the garden.
I read that nasturtium and cosmos flowers do well in zone 9b summers and reinforce the soil. I’m still debating if I’m going to use these in the rotation or more of a companion plant.
That’s my plan for reinforcing my soil. Stay tuned (I’ll share updates here).
Read more about our pet bunnies.
Did you know bunny poop is known as gardening gold?
Rabbit manure makes an excellent and safe fertilizer for plants. It's a good source of nitrogen and phosphorus, essential nutrients for plant growth. Rabbit manure is dry, odorless, and comes in pellet form, making it easy to handle and apply.
How to use:
Direct application: You can spread rabbit pellets directly onto garden beds and mix them into the top few inches of soil.
Planting holes: Place some pellets in the planting holes before planting.
Compost tea: You can make a concentrated tea by adding pellets to water and allowing them to settle.
Application rate: For a typical garden bed, a 1 to 2-inch layer of fresh rabbit pellets can be applied and mixed into the top 4 to 6 inches of soil.
You can also add rabbit manure to your compost pile to create a richer soil amendment.
4 times more nutrients than cow or horse manure
Twice as rich as chicken manure
Improves structure of sandy soil
Improves drainage and moisture retention
Not as stinky as other manures
Little threat of burning plant roots
Each bag contains approximately 5 oz.
Each order contains 2 bags (approximately 10 oz total).
Our Seeds
For convenience, I currently get my seeds from Amazon. I do plan to take advantage of the free seeds offered at our local library. I also like to let my plants bolt/bloom so I can harvest and save these seeds, too.
Bell Peppers, Butternut squash, Broccoli, Cabbage, Canteloupe, Cauliflower, Carrots, Corn, Cucumber, Eggplant, Garlic, Ginger, Green beans, Kale, Lettuce, Lettuce (with arugula and spinach), Luffa, Okra, Onions, Peas, Peanuts, Pineapple, Potatoes, Pumpkin, Seminole pumpkin, Squash, Strawberries, Sweet potatoes, Tomatoes, Watermelon
Tools
We added a compost bin to our side yard (behind our AC unit) in the summer of 2025. We put both green (yard) and brown (paper, leaves) waste, as well as food scraps (i.e., vegetables, fruits, and egg shells). We make sure to avoid placing seeds in the compost bin. We also make sure any storebought produce is not tossed in with the stickers still on them.
Red Wiggler Worms
We also added worms to our bin to help keep the smell down. With the addition of the worms, we have to make sure we are evenly placing green and brown waste in the bin, as well as keep the brown waste moist, but not wet.
Bell Peppers
Plant in December, January and February
Butternut squash
Plant in February, March, August, and September
Broccoli
Plant in February and September
Cabbage
Plant in October, November, December, and January
Canteloupe
Plant in February, March and April
Cauliflower
Plant in February, October and December
Carrots
Plant in January, August and November
Corn
Plant in March - August
Cucumber
Plant in February and September
Eggplant
Plant in December, February and March
Garlic
Plant in October
Ginger
Plant in November and December
Green beans
Plant in February, April, and September
These grew quickly and we’ve been steadily harvesting them since February through the beginning of summer.
Honeydew Melon
Plant in January
Kale
Plant in March and October
Lettuces
Plant in January, February, November and December
We had an abundance of lettuce. The bunnies eat it quickly, which is a good thing because by mid-April the heat becomes too much and the leaves wilt and either start to decay or dry out too quickly.
Luffa
Plant in May
Luffah seeds are super easy to save. I wait until the luffah squash dries out on the vine. Then I peel the skin off and the seeds start falling out. I leave the seeds out on a paper towel for a day to completely dry out before sealing them in these envelopes.
Onions
Plant in March, August, and December
Peas
Plant in April, June, and August
Peanuts
Plant in June
Pineapple
Plant in May and July
Potatoes
Plant in March and November
It took me a couple of tries, but I finally got some old potatoes that started to decompose in the pantry to grow. I believe it came down to watering them enough without having them sit in wet soil.
Seminole pumpkins and Gourds
Plant in March, May and July
Squash
Plant in March, April, August and September
Strawberries
Plant in October
We picked up a variety of strawberry plants from Lukas Nursery in Oviedo. Unfortunately, the heat and drought conditions have limited the fruit development, but with regular watering, we’ve been able to keep the plant healthy.
Watermelon
Plant in February
These took a while to get going. We ended up seeing big growth in April. The vines had a hard time with the weight of the melons. We’ll need a better system for supporting them next year.