How to Homestead and Garden in Florida

To some homesteaders, Florida is a promised land, one of bounty, plenty, and pleasant weather. To others, it is merely the end of the line, a place of violent natural disasters, crazy people, alligators, and badlands.

Which perspective is correct if you want to mosey down to the Sunshine State? As always, the truth is somewhere in the middle. I called Florida home for more than a decade, and like all states Florida has pros and cons. But the only thing that matters is if you know how to handle yourself and handle your affairs.

If you are considering a move to Florida or you’ve already set down your suitcase, I’m here to help with everything you need to know for successful homesteading in the US’s sunniest state…

Short Answer: Is Florida Good for Gardening and Homesteading?

´, as long as you know how to work around the climate, the weather, and the soil while managing challenges like abundant predators, pests, and diseases.

Homesteaders and gardeners both should expect to adapt their strategies specifically to the region of the state they are in, or even seasonally: Florida is not a mono-climate like some people assert.

What About Livestock?

Florida can definitely support raising animals successfully and abundantly, but you’ll have big challenges here depending on the species and breed.

Don’t even think about bringing cold-weather-adapted breeds here because the heat will cook them. Likewise, your life and theirs can be a whole lot nicer if they can cope with intense heat and humidity. Regardless, your contingency planning will revolve around combating both to keep your animals happy and healthy.

Climate Type

Despite popular assertion that Florida’s climate is overwhelmingly subtropical, not tropical, throughout, the true tropical zone is at the very southern reach of the state, basically the Miami area stretching through the Florida Keys.

Summer is always hot, hot, hot, especially throughout the interior where you won’t benefit from those nice coastal breezes. Sustained highs of 95°F are the rule. Humidity averages anywhere from 70 to 90% throughout the year and the warm season, with winters typically being quite mild and pleasant, usually topping out at about 70°F.

Florida is also known for its tremendous rainfall, up to 70 inches annually on average. However, compared to places like Michigan and the Pacific Northwest, it is “bursty”: Florida dumps rain and by the bucket in summer, but it tends to be considerably drier in the fall and winter.

Growing Zones

8A to 11A. This will be a surprise for some because the panhandle can have winters that are downright crisp, and frost is not unheard of. But once you get to the beltline of the state and farther south, frost is a distinct rarity.

This can be good news or bad news depending on your goals. The good news is that, if you’re flexible about where you’re going, you’ll be able to find a zone to grow just about anything you want.

But if you’re moving to the lower zones, heat will be a constant, more or less, and that can definitely disrupt your seasonal plan compared to more temperate areas.

But if you’ve ever wanted to garden all year round easily enough, and that means straight through the winter, it doesn’t get any better than Florida.

Veggies that Do Well in Florida

Again, contrary to what some people would tell you, it is entirely possible to grow cool-season crops in the Sunshine State, including most of your leafy vegetables, brassicas (broccoli, cauliflower, etc.), and more. Early winter through spring is prime time for these veggies because they won’t bolt on you in the warmer weather.

As expected, if you’ve got your heart set on hot-season vegetables, Florida will certainly accommodate, and the state is renowned for peas, beans, okra, and sweet potatoes.

Tomatoes, surprisingly, can be dodgy: shade is an absolute necessity in most regions, and you’ll have to redouble your already considerable pest control efforts to keep them intact until harvest.

Your Best Bets for Fruit Trees

You already know what you’re going to see in this section: citrus and more citrus! Florida is rightly renowned for the quality and quantity of its citrus fruits. Oranges, of course, but also lemons, limes, bergamot, and grapefruit.

Tropical fruits that are completely exotic anywhere else, like papaya, mango, avocado, and even bananas, can and will grow well here, especially farther south. Figs are also on the menu.

More common berries like blueberries and strawberries can do fine but are best grown up in the panhandle. Without a proper cool season, they will struggle.

Livestock Options

As mentioned above, whatever kind of livestock you’re bringing to Florida, they’ve got to be heat-hardy and preferably pest-resistant.

Farmers and homesteaders keep cows, goats, sheep, pigs, chickens, and more, but breed selection is critical. Bringing sheep known for thick wool to Florida is basically a death sentence, and keeping dairy cows cool and productive can be really difficult depending on where you live.

Something else to keep in mind when it comes to grazing opportunities and pasture: there’s plenty of land throughout Florida, but much of it grows scrubby, reedy, poor-quality forage.

Unless you’re ready for extensive and breathtakingly expensive soil improvements, you’ll have to allocate money instead for feed to keep your critters healthy.

That’s the overview that will get you on your feet. In the following sections, I will take you through Florida’s unique advantages and disadvantages piece by piece so you’ll have a better understanding of what to expect.

The Good

Tons of Sun!

No kidding! They don’t call it the Sunshine State for nothing. Most parts of Florida throughout the year will enjoy an astounding 10 to 12 hours of full-value sunlight daily, and that’s year-round, mind you.

That’s awesome for sun-loving plants and can also facilitate energy independence because of the tremendous solar index throughout the state.

If you ever thought about investing in a solar power array, now is the time.

Long Growing Season

Every gardener I know, whatever they are growing, loves Florida’s long growing season. Depending on your habits and what you are growing, it might be endless!

It’s a breeze to get two or even three full harvests out of your plants in
Florida. Bananas, tomatoes (indeterminate varieties), citrus fruits, green beans, cucumbers and squashes are all highly productive.

Options for Exotic Produce

Florida is like no other state if you’ve got your heart set on some delicious exotic fruits. Pineapples, bananas, mangoes, dragon fruit, and a whole lot more. All of it is on the table and surprisingly easy once you learn the ropes. These are delicacies that most folks simply can’t achieve except in a greenhouse elsewhere in the country.

Generally Pleasant Weather

If you are like me and the millions and millions of Florida residents who hate a proper winter, no other state compares. Winters are mild and dreamy, basically a second spring.

Whether you’re gardening or just want to keep up with chores or hobbies outdoors, you might have to put up with some cool, crisp nights that demand a light jacket but almost never anything worse than that.

Be like me and trade in that snowblower for a beach chair!

Mild Winters as a Rule

I’m not belaboring the point here: for homesteaders, a truly mild winter means you won’t need winter-specific preparations like extra mulching, garden blankets, greenhouses, or anything else.

Plants that are annuals in most places will be perennials in Florida, and keeping your garden clean, tidy, and productive is so much easier because of it.

Plenty of Land Throughout the Interior

Florida is only astonishingly expensive if you want to live in that narrow strip that winds around the coasts or in any of the larger cities. You’ll find plenty of affordable acreages throughout the state pretty much everywhere in the interior and the panhandle.

If you’ve ruled out Florida in the past because of the average residential cost, you’ve probably been looking at an inflated figure based on the hot spots where most people want to live in the city or suburbs.

High Self-Sufficiency Index

Ultimately, Florida can provide nearly everything that a competent homesteader needs to live off-grid entirely or nearly so. Abundant sunshine for solar power, very easy access to water, tons of rain for collection, and a survivable, if sometimes harsh, climate makes for abundant farming.

If you’ve got the moxie and the know-how, Florida can supply the rest, and you can live the lifestyle of your dreams.

The Bad

Severe Weather

You just knew this was going to come up, didn’t you? Florida is known for oranges and sunshine, but also for devastating hurricanes. I’m here to tell you as a longtime
resident that the hurricanes are no joke.

Yes, locals might be used to them, or numb to them is probably a better word, but if you’re planning on waiting out the worst at a fun hurricane party, you are gambling with your life.

Hurricanes are the most destructive storms on Earth, combining devastating high winds with killer storm surge and flooding. Being self-sufficient with a survival kit, evacuation plan, and bug-out location is a must. Note that no part of the state is safe. You can wind up devastated if you live in the interior, but things can be much worse closer to the coasts.

Oppressive Heat and Humidity

If you’ve never been to Florida in the middle of summer, all you need to do is put on all of your clothes, set a space heater in your bathroom, and then climb into a hot shower. It’s the same thing!

The heat is downright oppressive and destructive. Heat casualties are extremely common for people and animals, and beyond the physical effects, it affects people’s psychology.

No joke. Irrationality and violence always spike, sometimes significantly, in Florida when things get hot. It can fry your brain. More practically, this means that you might lose what would otherwise be your most productive hours during the day if you’re working outside. It’s just too hot!

Diseases Proliferate Like Mad

Much of Florida is, basically, a great swamp, and beyond that, most subtropical and especially tropical environments play host to all kinds of destructive diseases. Diseases that will affect you, your animals, your plants, and potentially two of the three!

Gardeners must be ready to do battle down here. Rust, diseases and rot are constant enemies, and Florida has been rocked by devastating historical blights in the recent past. Ensuring adequate ventilation is hard when humidity is pegged out at 90% and the air feels as thick as soup.

You’ll have to take care not to get sick and work overtime to keep parasite loads in your animals at acceptable levels.

Pests

You’ve never dealt with pests until you’ve lived in Florida. Mosquitoes are practically the state bird, and fruit flies form thick clouds you can see from many feet away. Another iconic and infamous Florida native is the fire ant. One misplaced step in your garden can leave you covered with itchy, painful blisters.

But beyond that, you’ll have to deal with furiously digging armadillos, raiding raccoons, and other critters like nematodes that can infest your plants’ root systems.

Predators

Florida also plays home to lots of different predators. Almost iconic, though not a major concern unless you are truly careless, is the alligator, but huge coyote and feral hog populations are a more pressing concern for most. Many birds of prey, including various hawks and bald eagles, will make short work of your chickens, guineas, and young turkeys.

Between the predators and the pests, homesteaders living in Florida have to work overtime to achieve parity, much less true protection, from the wildlife.

Widespread Poor Soil

Florida seems to have so many advantages for growers, and it’s easy to forget that much of the soil is quite poor. It tends to be very sandy and lacking in nutrients.

This means that intensive and laborious, not to mention expensive, amendment with your own soil, manure, or compost will be necessary to get the most from your land.

If you aren’t growing on a large scale, do what I did and invest in raised beds. You’ll have more control and less to do.

Saltwater Issues

Saltwater air near the coast will rapidly corrode metals, and sometimes saltwater can infiltrate soil and other water supplies. This is especially bad during hurricane season because storm surge will carry seawater a long way inland. If you want a well in these places, special accommodations must be made.

Legal Considerations for the Sunshine State

Broadly speaking, Florida is very homesteader-friendly with tax breaks, easy rules covering livestock, minimally invasive ordinances outside of major cities and other population centers, and good water rights concerning rainfall. However, groundwater rules and contamination laws are strict. You’ll have to get permits, permission, and all the rest for any kind of well or even a small pond in most places.

Something else to consider is that if you are building, much of the time you’ll have to comply with hurricane-rated building codes, which in short means extra expense and aggravation compared to living further in the mainland US.

Regrettably, county laws in Florida are all over the place, much of the time more restrictive than the state laws. Research both state, county, and municipal laws intensively before you pull the trigger on a piece of property or consider a move.