Designing a garden....

[john gault]

...this is something I got to start thinking about. I want a garden with produce, I.e. veggies and some fruits, but I also want simple flowers to attract the pollinators. Thus far the bulk of my efforts have been building up the soil; I've had some real success in area, but not so much in other areas. This is primarily for two reasons 1. Not enough kitchen waste to throw under the mulch (I refuse to buy soil); 2. Not enough rain this year -- it there's one way to put a halt to life, take away the moisture.

Another bane of my efforts is weeds. Now I know there are some beneficial weeds, for example I now have purslane all over the place and regularly include it with my meals, just had some on my pizza last night. However, I got this grass type of weed (been meaning to load up a pic for identification), but I believe it's a type of Bermuda grass. I can't imagine this stuff being beneficial for anything, but I have found its Achille's heel and shade, not just shade, but basically anything less than all-day sun. There are some other type weeds, but since they flower I don't mind them so much and plus they're easy to control, unlike the aforementioned grass from hell.

There is one area of my garden that this grass won't stop growing so what I did was lay down some black plastic bags (cut into strips), these are bags that I collected from curb-side pickup left out for the city (that's how I mulch my yard). I'm just rambling...

[bullthistle]

Well I don't know about purslane on my pizza, but why don't you collect leaves in the fall and ask some landscapers if you can have their grass that they collect. Build up an area with ties and compost inside them, do a small one for what you folks like for vegeys, besides purselane. Start off small and each year add.

[rainbowgardener]

Was there a question in there? For smothering your grass, I prefer newspaper/ cardboard, covered in dirt/ leaves etc (to the plastic). It will break down and feed your soil. The plastic stops air and water from getting to the soil and so kills the life in your soil as well as the grass.

If you are looking for suggestions, here's a couple threads about what to grow to attract pollinators and other beneficial insects.

https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=38910

https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=185545

[john gault]

I think there's a question somewhere in there, but I don't see it either

I do collect leaves, not only for my garden, but also for my compost pile and various mulched areas of my yard, so eagerly awaiting for the fall.

I'm so desperate for leaves now that I've pruned my live oak, stripped down some weedy vines and bushes around the yard.

BTW, I was just out side and looked at the leaves I collected from a bush yesterday (in the mulch of my garden), this bush had my morning glory vine growing in it, so I did accidently rip out some morning glory. Now I got a blooming morning glory flower in my mulch. I wonder how many flowers can bloom after being ripped away from the plant, so far I know of two plants:
1. Morning Glory
2. Purslane

[jutsuri]

I want a garden with produce, I.e. veggies and some fruits, but I also want simple flowers to attract the pollinators.

I grow flowers and herbs among my vegetables, not only because it looks pretty but because it attracts both pollinators and other beneficial insects. This year my neighbor and I unintentionally did an experiment on monoculture vs. potager style gardening, my neighbor planted his squash in a few long rows and had such a bad infestation of squash bugs he had to spray daily when the plants were young. My squash were surrounded by herbs and flowers and I hardly saw a squash bug on them, they were all over my roses though.

I like to mix annual flowers and herbs with my veggies, but also have a perennial area nearby for the sake of the beneficial insects. I plant lots of flowers in the spring when the veggies (particularly tomatoes and squash) are small, and then pull them out as the food crops grow and need the space.

My Favorite Warm Season Annuals: Parsley, basil, tarragon. Cosmos, cleome, nasturtium, lobelia.

My Favorite Cool Season Annuals: Parsley. Pansies, snapdragons.

My Favorite Perennials: Salvia (culinary and decorative,) thyme, rosemary, lavender.

I'm kind of fanatic about growing my own fruit, but I think conditions for fruit growing in Florida are so different from California you would be better off getting advice from a local. Having said that, I'm pretty sure Citrus trees do well in Florida and they are one of the best edible landscaping plants IMO, evergreen with fragrant flowers and showy fruits. I need to protect mine from frost but it's worth it to me to have my own Meyer Lemons, and they have the most fragrant flowers in my garden.

I have been working on planting my home orchard and building my veggy garden for four years, and I'm still only halfway done. I think it's best to take your time and tackle just a few projects a year so it doesn't become overwhelming.

Good luck, and have fun!