Decide What to Plant

One of the most fun parts of gardening is deciding what to plant. Lucky for us we are in Zone 8, we are right on the border and sometimes have Zone 9 hardiness. The difference varies from year to year, but overall doesn't matter. What it ultimately means is we can get two..sometimes three (if you overlap)  seasons of active growth. Also, we can pretty much grow something year round because our winters are mild.

This is just an example of what you can grow, it is a list of things that I have grown and had success (consumed something from it) with, some much more successful than others. Chances are if the plant does not need a certain number of cold days or specific temperatures to flower and set fruit, then it will probably grow here.

Vegetables: Asparagus Bell Peppers Beets Broccoli Cabbage Carrots Cauliflower Collard Greens Corn Cucumbers Eggplant Green Beans Green Onions Green Peas Jalapeno Peppers Kale Lima Beans Mustard Greens Okra Radish Sugar Snap Peas Sunflower Tomatoes Turnips Yellow Squash Zucchini

Fruits: Cantaloupe Figs Strawberries Watermelon

Herbs:  Basil Cilantro Dill Oregano Parsley Rosemary Sage Spearmint Stevia Tarragon Thyme

Other crops I know grow well here but don't have experience or haven't been successful with are:

Asian Cabbage
Citrus (Orange, Grapefruit, Kumquat, Lemon)
Hot peppers
Leaf Lettuce
Mulberry
Peach
Pear

Pecan

Plum
Potatoes
Sweet Potatoes

Yard Long beans

Yellow/Red Onions

After deciding what things you would most like to grow, you need to figure out how to get it all in the space your have, or choose from your list what will fit in the space. Most fruits and vegetables need six or more hours of sun but a lot of fall crops like kale, collard greens, mustard, broccoli are tolerant to more shady conditions. Most plants will grow something but not as big as if they had more sun. By choosing dwarf or bush varieties, you can get more plants into a space. The best way to tell how much room you will need is to consult your seed packet and then your own experience. Like I said, the first year is mostly just learning how your plants behave and grow. My first year growing zucchini, I didn't give the large sprawling leaves enough space and my first year growing okra, I gave them too much space. In both instances I had followed the packet, but found the experience in my own garden proved I needed more or less space.