Spring (Mar–May)
Spring in Tampa is a hand-off season. Cool-weather crops finish out while heat-tolerant plants take their place. Get spring plantings established before June’s real heat arrives.
What to plant now
Per UF/IFAS Vegetables I–III for Florida:
- March: transition crops — snap beans, squash, cucumbers, sweet corn; last call for late lettuce in a shady corner
- April–May: heat lovers — okra, southern peas, eggplant; start basil (it thrives here when lettuce quits)
- Pull spent cool-season beds and haul the debris away (nothing is left on site — plan a trip for green waste)
Water & weather
- Rainfall climbs through late spring; check the forecast before irrigating.
- Afternoon thunderstorms are common May onward — water in the morning so foliage dries before evening humidity sets in.
- Mulch raised beds 3–4″ as temperatures climb to cut evaporation.
Pests & problems this season
- Fruit pressure from birds and squirrels on early tomatoes — netting beats sprays.
- Watch for early whitefly and spider mite populations in the dry spells of March/April; a strong water jet knocks numbers down.
Sources
- UF/IFAS Extension Hillsborough County — https://sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu/hillsborough/
- Ask IFAS (Vegetables guides) — https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/
- Florida-Friendly Landscaping — https://ffl.ifas.ufl.edu/
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