If experienced farmers across Florida had a hard time protecting their crops , you’d probably guessed there was little us rookie home gardeners could do to protect our plants. Gone are my peppers, tomatoes, herbs, jalapenos, radishes, carrots, lettuce… Within days they were all frozen.

After mourning for a few weeks, last weekend we finally spent time fixing what was left and planting new crops.

I stopped by Home Depot and discovered that they are doing a great job with Bonnie Plants to promote edible gardens. I had seen this a few months ago, but the edibles selection is getting bigger and bigger, which means more people are opting for edibles instead of ornamental plants.

They also have neat home garden handouts in English and Spanish with information on creating your own raised bed and on how to grow your own container edible garden when you don’t have a lot of space.

They also have a pile of organic soil bags next to the veggies, making people opt for the healthier soil.

I also noticed new plants this trip, including strawberries and yellow peppers, which makes me excited about what they’ll continue adding to the selection.

Home depot can be a little expensive if you are easily tempted like me, but here are a few tips:

-Broken soil bags sell at a discount, sometimes up to more than 50% off, so just ask where they keep them (and be sure to bring tarp or something to protect your car).

-When selecting plants, carefully inspect them. Pick the ones that have two or more plants in the same pot… you are actually getting one or two free plants.

-Cashiers are allowed to give a 10% discount for ceramic and plastic pots that are damaged, even if it’s minimal. Just ask for it, and if the damage is more severe, don’t be afraid to ask for a higher discount.

-Don’t buy seeds or seedlings for things that are easy to grow from home leftovers. It’s really easy to grow tomatoes, peas and peppers from the seeds of the veggies you already have in the fridge.

-Compost. You save on soil, fertilizers, and recycle our resources.