Home gardening is a blast. Not only is it a fun way to engage with nature, if you do it right, you also get to taste your success. There is something really special about raising something from a seed, tending it, harvesting it, and serving it to your hungry friends and family (with a small side of "yep, I grew that").
A benefit of owning a plant shop is that it is literally your job to grow things! In our Secret Garden (the beachfront patio area on 2nd street), we grow a wide variety of plants, including herbs and vegetables like kale, arugula, sugar cane, basil, and spinach.
While all of those plants do well in our Secret Garden, a kale plant in the entryway has been exceeding our expectations for months now; overcoming salt spray air and scorching sunny days to give us tons of quality greens for our table. This plant hasn't asked for much; it's mostly watered naturally, with occasional supplemental watering. We've been snacking on its bounty for over 6 months now, and I suspect we'll be enjoying it for a few more months. The variety is Thousand Head Kale, and it has proven to be a boon to our dinner table and snack times.
If you're new to Florida gardening or accustomed to growing in other climates (say, further north where summers are shorter or more temperate) you may find Florida weather unforgiving. All you need is a few small tweaks to your tried and true, and you'll be on your way.
If you're wondering what our secret is, get this: there is no secret. Growing edible plants in Florida is a well-worn road, and there are tons of resources out there to help you get the most from your patch of dirt. We owe much of our success to the University of Florida’s amazing resources for home gardeners, and we share that often with our customers. UF's research and science-based guides https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/) detail best practices for plant varieties, soil preparation, watering schedules, and pest management all optimized for Florida’s unique warmer climes.