Bugs Don’t Pay Rent Here
If you’ve ever tried to garden in South Florida, you know the bugs think you planted everything just for them. And it’s not just the plants—they seem to think Ethan is part of the buffet too. Mosquitoes, beetles, caterpillars, you name it. At one point, I swear I saw a grasshopper giving me a smug […]
Flowers That Keep the Party Buzzing
If you’ve ever watched a bee bounce from flower to flower, you know they look like tiny workaholics on a sugar rush. In South Florida, the heat can be cruel, but certain flowers don’t just survive it—they thrive and turn the yard into a pollinator’s buffet. And if you’re like me, chasing butterflies with a […]
Bananas Gone Wild in My Backyard
Bananas sound so tropical and dreamy, right? Like sipping something cold under a palm while the breeze smells like sunscreen. What they don’t tell you is that growing bananas in South Florida is more like babysitting a bunch of leafy toddlers who eat too much and hog all the water. When we first planted ours, […]
Too Many Mangoes? Never Heard of It
There are days I look at the baskets of fruit on my counter and wonder if I accidentally opened a roadside fruit stand without realizing it. Living in Homestead means mangoes fall like rain in June, avocados grow big enough to feed a family of four, papayas show up overnight like uninvited guests, and lychees—well, […]
Gardening All Year Without Losing Your Mind
South Florida doesn’t really do “seasons.” We just have hot, hotter, and hurricane. But here in Homestead, I’ve learned that zone 10B can be a blessing if you lean into it. You can grow something all year long—though not always the same something. My garden feels like it has moods, and I just try to […]