Hi Bea

I really love Lake Placid and would go back if I could!

It might not be warm enough there in the winter, though. But we found the home prices were more in our range and lots more rural areas. Lots of waterfronts and lots of farmlands and lots of orange groves.

(I can even tell ya the name of the most honest hard-working realtor in Florida, in you're interested.)

That's my two cents. I'm anxious to hear what other folks say!

Good luck ~ Susie

Rural areas are going to be colder areas, bottom line. Lake Placid for example, might be warm enough most years, but then that right kind of freeze like we had 4 years ago will burn everything up. You need to find the small microclimates that are everywhere. Find the area you would like to live in and then look for the microclimates. Southeast corners of lakes will usually be 10 degrees warmer than the northwest corners of the same lakes, for example. A couple of big examples is when you see a C shaped lake with the open part open in the S.E side. Lake Toho near Kissimmee has a protected area like this. Crooked Lake, just south of Lake Wales is also this shape. Just think, people growing avacodos and tropical fruit in Lake Wales! Also, on the second night of the 2 day freeze events we get, when there is no wind, a spot that is 6 feet lower in elevation will be at least 6 degrees colder than the higher point, even just a few 100 feet away on the same property.

Bea,

I would suggest moving next door to Silvia and do absolutely everything she does in her garden:o)

Lou

Bea, the best thing for you would be to take multiple trips to areas of interest and price range and see for yourself.

Thank you Lou, I wish that I was living next to you to be able to benefit from your experience, wit, advice and sense of humor.:)

Silvia

Look at the Sarasota/Bradenton area. Lots of land north of 75 but close enough to the Gulf to moderate the temps. We live in Sarasota, near the Bradenton line. Very convenient to everything, beaches, downtown Sarasota, etc. I believe Bradenton allows chickens, Sarasota does not. All my tropicals and orchids live outside year round. So far, so good.

Jane

Bea,
I have to agree with Jane, she is in a very good area for gardens as the weather is tempered by the proximity to the gulf waters. There are many great areas in Florida to do gardening, you will have to spend some time and effort to search out which is best for your specific gardening interests. Drive around the area you are interested in and see what is growing in peoples yards.

Sylvia,
I'm still working on my homemade wood greenhouse expansion 8 to 10 feet high, 24 feet wide, 32 feet long. It is still a mess with all the tools and building materials lying around so no pictures as yet. I'm setting up my earthboxes along the walls at 3 feet high so I don't have to bend over to service them. I have warm fertilized water piped to the earthboxes and I put roof gutters under them to catch the overflow and bring it back to the catch barrel where the pump and water heater is located. The warm water cycles constantly helping to keep the greenhouse warm overnight and I add my fertilizer to the catch barrel water. So far I have sweet taters, onions, leeks, garlic, bib lettuce, spinach, lettuce mixture, carrots, beets, celery, radishes, bush beans, bush cucumbers, bush pickles, zucchini, yellow squash, tomatoes, and probably more stuff that I cannot remember. Everything is growing great except the bush beans, the dirt is too damp so I will have to work out a solution for growing green beans. I'm working on two more IBC totes for the Aquaponics set up. I now have to cut a hole and mount the louvered fan I bought to evacuate the daytime heat. I'm slowly getting there. One section of the greenhouse is setup for my tropical trees.

Lou

Thx for all the advice. Great suggestions. WeâÂÂve been driving to many areas in central FL and checking them out. Will add your suggested areas to the itinerary.

Central Florida will be colder. You need to look closer to the Coasts and South. Try Manatee County which is next door to Sarasota. Its a bit inland but not too far in. Still get the warmth from the Gulf.

Jane