The Neighborhood Gardener
May 2026
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Planning a Food Forest
Food forests are just like they sound: a carefully designed ecosystem that includes various plants working together in synchrony to produce food. With thoughtful planning and research, you can build a sustainable food forest scaled for your needs and limitations. Whether you are looking for the convenience of harvesting edible plants from your backyard or hoping to gain the nutritional value and improved taste of homegrown food, a food forest might be a commitment well worth the effort.
Heat-tolerant Vegetables
Florida’s sweltering temperatures, seasonal rains and sandy soils make edible gardening in the summer a challenge. Choosing the right crops, and the right varieties, can make all the difference in gardening success. What Florida lacks in traditional crops it more than makes up for in vibrant and delicious tropical vegetables. Turning to some of the lesser-known vegetables can be just you need to keep the edible garden producing through the summer heat.
Rust Diseases on Fruit Trees and Cedars
A mop of orange gelatinous tentacles found growing on a tree might seem extraterrestrial, but it is a symptom of a disease that (spoiler alert) originated on this planet. Rust diseases can be found in Florida and infect a variety of trees, including apple, quince, pear and hawthorn. A unique characteristic of these fungal pathogens is their reliance on two separate hosts to complete their life stages: one deciduous and one evergreen tree. A new Gardening Solutions article describes this curious problem (and includes a photo of those tentacles we mentioned).
Wendy’s Wanderings
I am a compulsive plant buyer, and many of you can probably relate. But this year’s unusually dry spring, following a harsh winter, has me trying to rein in my plant-buying habits. I find myself eyeing plants up and down at nurseries and asking, “Could this go a week without watering?” and “Is this plant tough enough to survive next winter without too much pampering?” Of course, it all really boils down to putting the right plant in the right place. Right now, though, I am appreciating my most resilient plants and resisting the urge to bring home too many tender new babies.
Plant of the Month: Sand Pear
The sand pear (Pyrus pyrifolia) is an excellent fruit tree for North Florida landscapes and edible gardens. Also called Asian pear, its showy white flowers attract pollinators while its fruit can be useful in the kitchen. Sand pears are rounder and have a crisper texture than the European pears typically found in the supermarket and are often cooked before eating. This deciduous tree can be grown in USDA Hardiness Zones 5-9 and prefers well-drained soil and full sun to partial shade.
May in Your Garden
In Florida, “May flowers” need to be able to take the heat; plant salvia, wax begonia, ornamental pepper, coleus, pentas and vinca. In the vegetable garden, North and Central Florida gardeners can plant okra, southern peas and Seminole pumpkin, while South Florida gardeners can plant pineapple, sugarcane and tropical “spinaches.” Insects become more active in warm weather. Watch for thrips, scale and mites on ornamental plants.
For more month-by-month gardening tips, check out the Florida Gardening Calendar. Three different editions of the calendar provide specific tips for each of Florida’s gardening regions—North, Central and South.
What’s Going On?
If your Master Gardener Volunteer program or Extension office is having an event, be sure to share it with us.