As you know, I am a retired NYC public school teacher who lives half the year in Brooklyn (Zone 7A) and half the year in Tampa (Zone 9A). I have loved plants all my life.

I have a small garden in both places and am a member of a community garden in both cities. I share my love for plants here on my blog.

This past year in Tampa, I grew many vegetables: tomatoes, cilantro, kale, lettuce, carrots, and beets. However, the winter was harsh. In January, the temperature dropped below freezing for a few days. I was lucky to harvest all my tomatoes just before the freeze hit, but the plant itself—which was still full of fruit—did not survive the cold.

After the snap, I kept working on my box and was still able to harvest plenty of lettuce, cilantro, kale, and carrots for the rest of the season. I harvest them weekly. There were plenty of vegetables even to share with friends.

When I left Tampa, there were still zucchini, eggplants, peppers, and more tomatoes growing. I plan to go back this summer to check my garden box, and I hope there will be a surprise harvest waiting for me! Earlier this year, while cleaning the box to start again, I even found ten turnips I had forgotten about. I took them home and cooked them—they were delicious.

The temperature in Tampa is getting pretty hot and humid now, so the growing season is over there. Plants don’t grow well now. It is too hot.

Now, I am back in Brooklyn and ready to start a new gardening plot all over again. The weather is cooler here, and it is time to start growing cold-weather vegetables. It is a new beginning!