So it's been around nine years since my last post here. But hey, it's 2020 and anything can happen!
A lot of life events have occurred for me personally. In May, my husband and I ditched the big, dusty city in favor of a small coastal town. Goodbye Dallas, Texas...hello St. Augustine, Florida!
We are in a brand new house with a huge yard and, as the crow flies, we are a little over a mile and a half from the Atlantic. The air is predictably salty and breezy, and the soil is sandy. I'll certainly take that over black gumbo clay soil and triple-digit temperatures.
Speaking of temperatures, in terms of Hardiness Zones, this move means I went from Zone 8a to 9a. Locals tell me our winters are milder than Jacksonville, which is an hour to the north, but we can still get frosts here between mid-December and mid-February, with last frost around Valentine's Day.
There are a few apparent similarities when it comes to vegetable growing in Texas and Florida. Before knowing my background, everyone I've talked to here about gardening shakes their head, smiles, and remarks that I need to be prepared for "the heat and the bugs."
Brothers and sisters, I've gardened in Dallas. You don't get much hotter and buggier than that.
I'm really looking forward to my first real gardening season here in Northeast Florida. My seed starting and planting dates are a little different from what I'm used to, but I'm giddy with the prospect of actually being able to grow stuff all winter, and not just veggies. Plants that I used to treat as annuals aren't anymore. It's a little crazy and I'm really looking forward to the change. I hope you'll come back as I share more of my new adventures.
