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Post by brownrexx on Dec 3, 2023 10:27:48 GMT -5
I have not been on the forum very much lately but it's not because I am not gardening or don't love this forum. Hubby and I are seriously thinking of moving to Florida and have been super busy.
We are both retired and have started thinking that we don't need the big house that we currently have. We do not want to downsize in PA or live in a retirement community so Florida with a smaller home is on the table.
We are flying to FL in early January to meet with a realtor and check out some lots for sale. We intend to build a smaller home on a decent sized patch of land.
I wish that I could bring my beautiful, black garden soil that I have been improving for years but I will just have to start from scratch. That could be fun too although I know that gardening in Florida can be challenging.
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Post by octave1 on Dec 3, 2023 10:38:30 GMT -5
Interesting, brownrexxWhat is it that attracts you to Florida?
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Post by brownrexx on Dec 3, 2023 11:29:24 GMT -5
octave1 the weather, tropical plants, the different wildlife, bird watching, assorted nature areas and of course the beaches. I love swimming in the ocean. I didn't mention gardening but that will have its own level of Interest without the freezing temperatures I deal with. We are looking into a rural area in Northwestern Central Florida near Gainesville. Crowded areas with lots of people and traffic have no attraction for us.
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Post by paulf on Dec 3, 2023 11:32:23 GMT -5
We love Florida too, but from December through March. For us Yankees, the summers are too hot and the no-see-ums drive me crazy. But if we all moved in next to Laura we could have a great time together. Where are you looking? Florida is a large State with lots of differences. We have a place on the east coast about halfway between Orlando and Miami and just love being close to the beach. The panhandle is also pretty nice. I have not been impressed with the gulf coast the farther south you go and know little of the interior. The weather is what sends northerners to Florida from what I gather. I would love to be a snowbird but we are basically stuck where we are.
Good luck with your search and keep us posted.
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Post by mgulfcoastguy on Dec 3, 2023 13:49:52 GMT -5
Maybe it might be a good idea to rent for a year? There will be a LOT of changes to deal with from hurricanes, heat and humidity, Santas in board shorts, certain differences that I won't bring up on this forum. You might fit in fine or you might decide North Carolina or Tennessee are a better fit. If I wear to win the lottery I would consider Kentucky but again I would rent for a year first. Apples, rich soil, 4 seasons, mountains are all things that I like in the summer but have no idea about if I could handle the winter.
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Post by september on Dec 3, 2023 14:22:35 GMT -5
I agree with renting for a full year to be sure that the climate is for you. I used to think we could move to Mexico, when we used to spend January/February there, but as I got older I realized I could not take the summers, and probably would only have 4-5 months that I would be truly comfortable. The southern US would be the same for me, I'm sure -- I just don't do well above 85F long term and don't like constant air conditioning. We have AC, but only need to use a couple weeks total a year, and normally can turn it off at night. We had friends that retired to near St. Augustine, then also acquired mountain property in North Carolina where they spent quite a bit of time in the summers, partly to get away from the summer tourist crowds. Good luck on your search, that is part of the fun! So many possible areas, and nice to be within driving distance of the beautiful beaches and blue water.
I'm glad you are ok, I was beginning to worry with the long lack of posts.
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Post by brownrexx on Dec 4, 2023 10:30:25 GMT -5
paulf, I wanted to be a snowbird but hubby said that he would be bored if he did not own the place and be able to do things around the property. He wants chickens and likes buying and selling things. He would die of boredom if he did not have something to do. mgulfcoastguy, september, I understand the theory of renting and it makes sense for some people but not for us especially in this real estate market. Average rent is about $1500 per month so a year of rent would be $18,000. If we buy a house and live in it for a year and don't like Florida summers, we can sell the house for a profit and move elsewhere rather than wasting $18,000 on rent that we will not get back. We will have to pay a moving company to move our stuff from PA to Florida and if we rented in Fl, we would need a moving company again if we bought a house. Moving companies are not cheap. Last but not least, hubby needs to own the place so that he can work on it. If we rented, it would be more like vacationing with nothing for him to do. I am a little worried about the heat, humidity and bugs but I think that it will be enriching for us to have new things to see and do rather that just doing the same things season after season here in PA. Long, cloudy days for weeks on end in the winter are something I will not miss. We are looking into northern FL and it has more seasons that southern FL. I think that will be good. Not a big hurricane risk where we are looking either although it can happen anywhere.
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Post by rdback on Dec 4, 2023 11:10:31 GMT -5
Wow brownrexx, that's exciting! I'm sad you'll be leaving "the area", but certainly understand your reasons. We've talked about if we were to move, where would we go? We think we'd look into SC, GA, AL. But, we have no immediate plans to do so. We have too many family ties to PA and VA. And I have the same concerns as you do about FL, but millions of people live there, so it can't be untolerable. I look forward to your journey ahead!
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Post by brownrexx on Dec 4, 2023 12:19:29 GMT -5
rdback, just think how exciting it will be to hear about my new garden successes and failures. Laura_in_FL will be my mentor! If we do make the move I am planning on raised beds instead of inground like I have always done.
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Post by september on Dec 4, 2023 13:17:19 GMT -5
brownrexx , with you and your husband's real estate background, it does make sense for you to buy, since you understand the housing market better than most folks and are not likely to get stuck on pricing and resale, should that ever need to happen. He does not sound like someone who can just retire and twiddle his thumbs, so building a new house or remodeling should keep him happy and occupied. Would you buy a house first, to live in while you build your new one? Can't wait to hear how it all works out for you. Laura will be a great resource!
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Post by mgulfcoastguy on Dec 4, 2023 13:56:20 GMT -5
Well the fishing will be good so there's that. Building new would allow you to insure that it is hurricane resistant and termite resistant. Possibly adding a safe room to it since there are no basements down here. All of that will help with house insurance which is an issue down here.
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Post by brownrexx on Dec 4, 2023 15:55:34 GMT -5
september , We are looking at a 10 acre lot and having a modular (not a mobile) home built. We will visit a custom homes business on one of the days that we are there in January and draw up plans for what we want. I already have a list of what I want and I can manage the building process online and through pictures. We have had homes built in the past so we are not new to this. I would rather be there but that's just not feasible with the cost of flying and renting a car. The house can be built in about 4 months and then we will just drive down in 2 vehicles with 1 cat each and move in. The realtor at home says that our house should sell in about 3 weeks or less so it will be challenging to work out all of the logistics. Another option we discussed was buying a used camper and living on the lot until the house is finished and then reselling the camper. mgulfcoastguy , we will not be near the coast so I am not sure about the fishing.
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Post by Laura_in_FL on Dec 4, 2023 17:17:44 GMT -5
brownrexx, there are plenty of rivers and lakes to fish in the areas you're looking. You won't have to go all the way to the beach to drop a line, unless you just want to. Finding locals who can tell you the good places to go will be the hardest part. And you can fish more or less year-round, although there will be fewer species actively feeding in winter. Since you've had houses built before, maybe I will ask you to mentor me when I start building mine later on.
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Post by brownrexx on Dec 4, 2023 19:36:21 GMT -5
Laura_in_FL, I know more about building houses than I do about gardening in Florida so it will be a good trade!
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Post by Hensaplenty on Dec 4, 2023 21:56:17 GMT -5
That is very exciting, brownrexx,! Florida is a great state! We have lots of half-backers in the Carolinas. These are folks who moved to Florida from "Up North" and decided they missed the 4 distinct seasons. They moved half way back and ended up in one of the Carolinas. Keep us posted!
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Post by brownrexx on Dec 5, 2023 12:14:58 GMT -5
I have heard of that Hensaplenty, we are looking into north Florida so it may have more of a seasonal change than the south. I definitely won't mind giving up the boring winter weason!
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Post by spike on Dec 5, 2023 22:24:40 GMT -5
brownrexx, I am very happy and excited for you except the packing and moving part. Being military our stuff started looking better in boxes If I ever have to move again I am packing a suitcase and burning the rest.
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Post by octave1 on Dec 5, 2023 23:33:18 GMT -5
brownrexx, I hope you stay active on this site after you move to Florida. I've been considering the idea of moving to a warmer place for some time, not sure where or when, and, as a fellow gardener, I am very interested in what your experience will be. I can definitely go without fishing, but not without gardening.
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Post by brownrexx on Dec 6, 2023 11:41:03 GMT -5
spike, I know the feeling. I have been selling contstantly on Facebook Marketplace as well as donating bags and bags of stuff to charities. Even if we don't move, the house will be cleaned out nicely! octave1, no way will I give up gardening. I expect to have some raised beds this time and I will be here talking about my successes and definitely my failures since I know nothing about Florida gardening although Laura_in_FL, will be an excellent resource for me.
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Post by Laura_in_FL on Dec 7, 2023 14:33:55 GMT -5
One thing about raised beds in Florida, though: you're going to need a good watering set up. In the heat raised beds will dry out fast. Standing around the garden with a hose in July gets old quick.
Most of the time from Nov-February the rainfall is sufficient. But you will not be able to rely on rainfall meeting your needs for the rest of the year. Yes, we get a lot of rain in summer in Florida, but it's erratic. You might get rain every day for a week and then nothing for two weeks or more. A half-mile down the road your neighbor might have an entirely different experience.
Thick mulch will greatly reduce the amount of watering you have to do, too. Thick mulch can be awkward in densely planted raised beds, but IMO is worth it, at least in the hot months.
Drip irrigation + a timer is the most convenient and is the least conducive to making diseases worse. You can also set up the drip lines under the mulch, so you lose almost no water to evaporation. But overhead watering can certainly be successful as long as you don't water in the late afternoon - you don't want to have the plants wet overnight.
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Post by brownrexx on Jan 17, 2024 11:05:26 GMT -5
Hi Guys, I hope that everyone is doing well. DH and I have been diligently looking at Florida real estate and we found a beautiful 10 acre property just north of Gainesville. We looked at lots of satellite views and Google Map views and were so sure that it was perfect that we placed an offer and were the successful bidders. We flew to Florida last week to check it out and make further plans. Unfortunately satellite views can only show so much and we were extremely disappointed to discover that although the property was beautiful, the adjacent neighbor had FIVE very aggressive dogs, 2 of them pit bulls. As we were trying to check out the well cap for information, the dogs just went nuts, snarling, growling, barking and jumping at the wire fence between us. We had a 10 day inspection clause in our contract and we used it to cancel our agreement with full return of our deposit. There is no way we could be happy living next to something like that. I would not even feel safe on my own property. It was SUPER interesting to see the Florida soil and think about gardening. Laura_in_FL , had mentioned how sandy it is but I kind of thought that further inland might not be as sandy as where she lives. WRONG. I have never seen soil like that. It was amazingly different than my nice dark brown, organic material filled soil in PA. Gardening in FL will be a big adjustment but I feel that I am up for the challenge and having tomatoes in the winter will certainly be a big plus. We have not given up on moving to FL, we are just regrouping and taking a break. This was a very stressful trip and I came home with Covid for the first time. Honestly I am amazed that it is not as bad as I expected and after 3 days I already feel back to normal but with a slightly stuffy nose. I plan on taking another test before going out in public but hopefully it is negative. DH did not get sick and I am happy about that.
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Post by september on Jan 17, 2024 15:21:41 GMT -5
Oh my gosh, what an unexpected disappointment in starting your search. Who could have known about the dogs, maybe they would have calmed down once they accepted you belonged there, but no way to know that ahead of time, and too stressful to have to deal with every day long term if they stayed aggressive. The things you learn when house hunting! Sorry about the Covid too, they do say that the latest versions are not as severe even though they are very easy to catch. Just relax now and snuggle in for the latest cold temps and do some more internet property hunting with a cup of hot cocoa in hand.
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Post by Laura_in_FL on Jan 17, 2024 17:49:10 GMT -5
Now brownrexx believes my tales about the sand we have for soil! But as skilled a gardener as she is, I am sure that once she adapts she will be growing lots of food year round. Brownrexx, I sure hope that your next trip to Florida is less stressful, and ends up with you signing a contract on a great property. Not to mention that I hope neither of you catch COVID or any other illness next time, either!
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Post by brownrexx on Jan 18, 2024 9:53:45 GMT -5
Now brownrexx believes my tales about the sand we have for soil! You are so right Laura_in_FL , I had imagined regular soil with some sand in it but the soil I saw was almost pure sand with some grayish soil particles. Wow, I have not seen anything this sandy since I was at a beach! Gardening in FL will be a major challenge. I can see why you are growing in containers. september , we also wondered if those dogs might calm down when they got used to us but it was not worth the risk. Not only that but the dogs barked and snarled at us for a good 10 minutes and the neighbor never even came outside so it makes me wonder what type of neighbor that would be. No thanks. On another note, I seem to be mostly over Covid. I took another test this morning and the test line only had a super faint pinkish line that I could hardly see when it had been dark red 4 days ago. I feel fine and expect that the test will be negative in another day or two.
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Post by brownrexx on Mar 27, 2024 9:17:49 GMT -5
It has been a while since I posted but I have been super busy but I have lots of news.
First of all, I have missed you guys but I will have lots to post about after we move to Florida!
Last night we signed the papers for our new home in Lecanto Florida. It is on 4.3 acres with mature trees, an in ground pool and a small greenhouse. There is also a chicken coop but it is junk and will be removed. We still want chickens so will get something new. I have always liked guineas and hope to get some of them. Their favorite food is ticks and who wouldn't like that?
I won't be able to garden for several months but I want raised beds in FL and will need lots of advice about gardening in FL.
We also sold our log cabin that I always talked about and my garlic bed with nice garlic seedlings will be transferred to the new owner on April 5. I hope that they like garlic.
Lecanto is a small town with lots of horse farms (ranches?) in north central Florida and is not far from the horse capital of Florida, Ocala. Some of the houses that we looked at online showed more photos of the horse barns than the houses!
We have been super busy flying to Florida a couple of times, signing offers, negotiating with sellers, getting our cabin packed up and ready for sale (sold in 11 days), and now getting our home cleaned up and ready for sale.
Last but not least, I just found out yesterday that I will need a knee replacement. I want to get this done here by my husbands excellent surgeon who replaced his hip 2 years ago. This will delay our move a bit but gives us more time to get things done.
Not only will I need to learn about gardening in FL I will need to learn some new cooking recipes. Southern cooking is a bit different than I am used to but I love new things.
I hope that everyone is doing well. I will have lots of gardening news once I get settled. I think that I can grow some things in the Fall.
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Post by Laura_in_FL on Mar 27, 2024 14:37:00 GMT -5
Congratulations, brownrexx. How exciting! You have been really busy! Good luck with the knee replacement - hopefully it will go smoothly and you'll have a fast recovery. I bet you're going to love fall and winter gardening in your new place. Just to get you in the mood, here's the IFAS Vegetable Gardening Guide. Almost none of the info in the main article will be new to you, but if you scroll down to the bottom and click on Table 1, there is the important part: a planting calendar for each region of the state. So when you have two minutes to yourself (like maybe when you're resting up after your knee replacement), you can start planning what to plant in your first Florida fall garden!
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Post by brownrexx on Mar 27, 2024 14:45:16 GMT -5
Laura_in_FL, that's a great idea although I don't see an attachment. Maybe you can answer one question now. I see a lot of what looks like little hills of sand all over the property. I thought that they were ant hills but hubby pushed one apart and no ants came out. I read something online about deep digging scarab beetles. Do you think that is what they are? I will be relieved if they are not fire ants! If they were pocket gopher holes, wouldn't I see an opening at the top? I got my knee surgery date and it is May 2 so we may be able to move in early July. Nice and hot I know but at least I will have a pool.
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Post by Laura_in_FL on Mar 27, 2024 18:05:25 GMT -5
Most likely the hills are from pocket gophers, and no, you wouldn't necessarily see an opening: nwdistrict.ifas.ufl.edu/phag/2012/04/16/what-are-those-sandy-mounders-anyway/ The article has pictures of the sand mounds they make, so you can see if that looks like what you have. If the mounds were from ants, this time of year it's warm enough that the ants would be active. So a live ant nest (fire ants or any other ants) would definitely react to being poked. Also, ant nests are extremely soft, collapsing when poked, because they riddled with tunnels. Gopher hills are piles of sand they've excavated, so they hold their shape a little better. And gophers make A LOT of hills this time of year. They are amazingly prolific diggers, aided by the easy-to-dig sand we have down here. Since you have a bunch of hills they are more likely from gophers. If you're worried about the gophers eating your veggies, you can line the bottom of your raised beds with hardware cloth/wire mesh so they don't dig into them from underneath. That'll keep moles and voles out, too. ________________________ Back to the vegetable gardening guide, if you scroll to the very bottom, below both the article AND the Acknowledgments you should see: Click on "View." I don't know why they hide the tables like that in the IFAS articles! This is one of many articles that IFAS reformatted when they updated their website some years back. I thought the older format was more intuitive, but I guess it wasn't "pretty" enough.
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Post by mgulfcoastguy on Mar 28, 2024 17:33:06 GMT -5
Well with all of the horses there should be plenty of horse manure to improve the soil!
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Post by meandtk on Mar 29, 2024 16:01:14 GMT -5
I’m excited for your move and will pray your surgery is successful and recovery quick.
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