What to plant this week in Fort Lauderdale, FL
In Fort Lauderdale's heat, this week is the critical window to sow Daikon radish seeds indoors or directly into your raised beds before they bolt. With no frost ever threatening and temperatures consistently soaring well above 90°F, focus your energy on harvesting your summer squash and melons while managing intense evaporation.
The next 7 days
Fort Lauderdale, FLGrowing in Fort Lauderdale right now
- Soil dries out rapidly in our limestone-based sandy loam; water deeply every morning to keep moisture consistent for newly sown radishes without washing away seeds.
- Plant Daikon radish directly now rather than starting indoors, as this heat-tolerant variety can handle the intense South Florida sun right from germination.
- Amend heavy clay spots with compost immediately to improve drainage and aeration before planting your watermelon or squash crops.
- Use organic mulch heavily around established squash and corn to reflect some scorching light and retain soil moisture during peak summer humidity.
Sow this week
1 crops- Daikon Radish
Transplant this week
Nothing is due to go out this week.
Harvest soon
32 crops- Acorn Squash
- Basil
- Butternut Squash
- Cantaloupe
- Celosia (Cockscomb)
- Cleome (Spider Flower)
- Cosmos
- Cowpea (Black-Eyed Pea)
- Cucumber
- Delicata Squash
- French Marigold
- Garden Verbena
- Gomphrena (Globe Amaranth)
- Gourd (Ornamental/Bottle)
- Honeydew Melon
- Loofah (Luffa)
- Malabar Spinach
- Morning Glory
- Nasturtium
- Okra
- Purslane
- Roselle (Cranberry Hibiscus)
- Shiso (Japanese Basil)
- Spaghetti Squash
- Sunflower
- Sweet Corn
- Thai Basil
- Vinca (Madagascar Periwinkle)
- Watermelon
- Yellow Summer Squash
- Zinnia
- Zucchini
Seasonal tips
- Succession plant sweet corn or zucchini every two weeks for a continuous harvest throughout the season.
- Pinch back the tips of basil and shiso to encourage bushier growth before they set seed.
- Clear away any dead foliage from squash and melons to improve air circulation.
Pest & disease watch
- Watch for aphid colonies forming on the undersides of newly transplanted basil and marigolds due to high humidity levels.
- Monitor watermelon and cantaloupe vines carefully for cucumber beetles, which thrive in our warm, wet evenings.
- Inspect Malabar spinach leaves regularly for spider mites, as these pests explode in population during dry, hot spells.
Watering this week
Water deeply in the early morning to reduce evaporation, especially as heat builds up during the day.
Harvest okra pods daily when they are young and tender before they become tough and fibrous.
Fort Lauderdale gardening questions
3When is the best time to start my Daikon radishes in Fort Lauderdale?
You can sow them directly into your garden now since they are listed as a 'sow_now' crop for this week. Keep seedlings watered daily until they establish their root systems in our sandy soil.
Which of these summer crops will be ready to harvest soonest?
Acorn Squash, Yellow Summer Squash, and Zucchini are all flagged as 'harvest_soon' this week, so check them twice daily for peak flavor.
Do I need to protect my plants from freezing in Fort Lauderdale?
No protection is needed, as there is no frost date recorded for our Zone 11a climate year-round. You can focus entirely on heat management rather than winterizing crops.
Other cities in zone 11a
2See the full zone 11a guide → · Plan your Fort Lauderdale garden in SproutGuide →