In My Own Back Yard

It is my goal to grow nutritious and clean food. But, I do not want to grow very picky or high maintenance plants, nor do I want to rely on having to use any chemical fertilizers nor any insecticides, herbicides or fungicides to bring a harvest to fruition. In a Southwest Florida climate that has high humidity, high temperature, high rainfall one month and no rainfall the next, and no frost (which should be translated to year round bugs), that can seem very difficult.

Southwest Florida is not really a temperate zone, nor is it a true tropical zone, we are considered SUB tropic here. Sometimes it rains, sometimes it doesn’t, but there is usually always a high level of humidity. Knowing THAT mix makes all the difference as to how successful you can be here. And successful you CAN be! You can actually grow something and harvest something ALL year round – BUT you have to learn to adjust to our very unique area.

The following things will help make your garden more successful:

Where you plant – raised beds or containers for veggies, mounded and composted areas for trees. Don’t EVER try to amend the soil here, we don’t dig DOWN, we build UP.

What you plant – Not everything will grow here. My daughter moved to Wisconsin, and I don’t care what soil she uses, where she decides to plant (north side, west side, south side, etc.), how much she amends the soil, or how much fertilizer she uses, she will NEVER be able to grow mango in her yard. Likewise, there are certain plants that JUST won’t grow here – don’t even try. So far, on my list I have Rhubarb, Garlic, Asparagus, Raspberries, Kiwis, Apricots, and a few things that non-organic farmers can grow (but remember I don’t use any sprays or chemicals) for example, cucumbers and zucchini. Also, certain varieties are more suited for our area as well. As an example, I use short carrot varieties and not long, I grow Guatemalan and tropical avocados and not Haas.

When you plant – yes, there are seasons, but they are not Winter, Spring, Summer & Fall, instead they are referred to as cool season (if you are lucky), warm season, and HOT & RAINY season here. That makes our growing seasons quite upside down compared to every other state in the continent. We start our main vegetable growing season in September and it ends in April or May. Yes, you can grow things over the summer, but they will all be tropical (and you may not be able to recognize them and maybe not even be able to spell them!).

It took me many years to figure this all out – But I don’t want you to have to take that long! I offer classes and tours of my yard so that you too can learn what will grow here and how to do it. Please come by some time and see all that I am growing!

What Miss Potter grows.

Fruits		Veggies & Other Edibles
Apple	Longan	Aloe	Lemongrass
Avacado	Loquat	Arugula	Lettuces
Banana	Lychee	Beans	Luffas
Barbados Cherries	Macadamia	Beets	Orka
Blackberries	Mango	Black Pepper	Onions
Blackberries	Mulberry	Bok Choy	Peas
Blueberries	Olive	Broccoli	Peppers
Cherry of the Rio Grande	Papaya	Cabbage	Peppercorns
Cocoplum	Passion Fruit	Carrots	Radish
Dragonfruit	Peach	Cauliflower	Roselle
Elderberry	Pineapple	Chives	Soybeans
Figs	Plum	Cocoa	Spinach (all kinds!)
Gogi Berries	Pomogranate	Coffee	Sweet Potatoes
Grapes	Sherbet Berry	Edible Cactus	Swiss Chard
Grumichama	Soursop / Guaynabana	Eggplant	Tea Plant
Guavas	Star Fruit	Ginger Root	Tomatoes
Ice Cream Bean	Stoppers	Jicama	Turnips
Jaboticaba	Sugar Apple	Kale	Tumeric
Jamaican Cherries	Strawberries	Kholrabi	Numerous Herbs & Min
Jujube	Tamarind	Leeks
Kumquats	Wax Jambu
Lemon	White Sapote
Lime

If it grows at Miss Potter’s Place, then you can grow it too!

In the nursery, there are seeds, seedlings, plants and trees available for purchase all at very affordable prices. Before you buy elsewhere, CHECK OUR PRICES – they are extremely affordable! Miss Potter’s Place is not a large corporation looking to make huge profits, Miss Potter Place purposes to make edible plants available to everyone.

Miss Potter’s Place has a full greenhouse!

Fruit trees, Vegetable starts, Herbs and Butterfly plants. Additionally, we have *MW Horticulture bagged Compost, Veggie Blend & Acidic Soil Mix, 55 gallon Rain Barrels, Ceramic Pots, Worm Condos for backyard worms & freshly harvested “Bunny Berries” fertilizer.

Come Visit Soon! Come be inspired! Come see what can be done in a backyard space!
We’re at 3747 Liberty Square, Fort Myers, FL 33908 (239) 464-5754
Call to schedule your personalized appointment – available several days a week.