If you’ve settled on a home or townhouse in an existing community or neighborhood and you’re new to south Florida, you may be in for a delicious surprise.
Mature fruit trees could be growing on your property, and mango season starts in May through October. Mango harvest is closer to the fall, and lots of homeowners here are preparing to prepare mango preserves and have friends and neighbors waiting for their annual supply.
Florida law allows you to grow certain fruit trees on your property for your own consumption. This is an agricultural state, so the law protects Florida farmers.
All the major home improvement stores sell and deliver fruit trees here. But always check first with your homeowners’ association (HOA) to make sure they’re up on current state laws that “prohibit local governments from regulating vegetable gardens on residential properties except as otherwise provided by law”: Senate Bill 82 (2019)
If you’re used to growing tomatoes and other edible crops, it’s worth a call to the Palm Beach County Cooperative Extension experts since Florida soil is totally different from the soil back north: Cooperative Extension
“As the local branch of the University of Florida, Palm Beach County Extension has access to the latest research and technology on many topics. Do you have a landscape question and need an answer? Our Master Gardener Volunteers are available Monday – Friday to answer questions, either in-person, by phone, or by email. Call the hotline at 561.233.1750.”
Here’s planting resources:
- University of Florida Gardening Solutions for growing Florida vegetables, what to plant and native plants: Gardening Solutions
- Palm Beach County Cooperative Extension, Residential Horticulture
