Recommended Varieties for FL Vegetable Gardens

By following the recommendations for a successful Florida vegetable garden and choosing varieties of crops that are well-adapted to the conditions, gardeners have a much better chance of success. Some of the best varieties to grow in a backyard garden in Florida are as follows, as recommended in the ‚”Florida Vegetable Gardening Guide” by J.M. Stephens et. al. [University of Florida IFAS Extension, rev. Feb 2009] and by the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.

• Beans, bush. Snap: Bush Blue Lake, Contender, Roma II (flat pod), Provider, Cherokee Wax (yellow wax). Shell: Horticultural, pinto, Red Kidney, Black Bean, Navy.
• Beans, pole. McCaslan, Kentucky Wonder, Blue Lake.
• Beans, lima. Fordhook 242 (large seeded), Henderson, Jackson Wonder, Dixie (Speckled) Butterpea, Early Thorogreen.
• Beets. Tall Top, Early Wonder, Detroit Dark Red, Cylindra, Red Ace, Yellow Detroit
• Broccoli. Early Green, Early Dividend, Green Sprouting/Calabrese, Waltham, Packman. Waltham 29 is a preferred choice. Florida gardeners also have good luck with Green Mountain, Spartan Early, Atlantic, Green Sprouting, Green Comet, Italian Green Sprouting, and Green Duke.
• Cabbage. Green varieties: Atlantis, Augusta, Bravo, Cheers, Copenhagen Market, Emblem, Flat Dutch, Round Dutch, Gideon, Gloria, Isalco, Rio Verde, Royal Vantage, Solid Blue 790, Wakefield, Savoy (crinkled). Red varieties: Cardinal, Red Rookie, Red Acre.
• Cantaloupes/Honeydews. Cantaloupes: Athena, Ambrosia, Galia (green flesh). Honeydews: Morgan, Floridew, possibly Earlidew, Tamdew. Honeydews are difficult to grow in Florida, and may have problems with ripening.
• Carrots. Imperator, Nantes, Danvers, Chantenay.
• Cauliflower. Snowball Strains, Snow Crown, Brocoverde (green-headed)
• Celery. Utah Strains.
• Chinese Cabbage. Michihili, Bok Choy, Michihili, Napa, Baby Bok Choy, Pak-choi, Joi Choi
• Collards. Georgia, Georgia Southern, Top Bunch, Vates
• Corn, sweet. White: Silver Queen, How Sweet it Is, Yellow: Sweet Riser, Early Sunglow.
• Cucumbers, slicers. Sweet Success, Poinsett, Ashley, MarketMore 76, Straight Eight, Space Master, Supersett (disease resistent, all female flowering), Dasher II (all female flowering, produces lots of 8 inch cukes in Florida), Cherokee (productive and disease resistant).
• Cucumbers, picklers. Liberty Hybrid, Eureka, Boston Pickling, Ohio MR-17, Wisconsin SMR-18, SMR-58, Pixie, Galaxy, Chipper and Sumter. Female flowering ‚Äî Carolina, Explorer, Premier, Score, Southern Cross, Triple Cross, Lucky Strike, Calypso, Miss Pickler.
• Eggplant. Black Beauty, Dusky, Long, Ichiban, Cloud Nine (white)

Of course, this is only a start. Besides growing beans, broccoli and cucumbers, there are many more vegetable and fruit cultivars that thrive and produce well in Florida. An excellent resource for gardening in Florida is the book, Vegetable Gardening in Florida by James M. Stephens [University Press of Florida, 1999]. With its long growing season, the Sunshine State makes it possible to have a spring, fall and winter garden full of healthy and delicious food right in the backyard.