Our climate & soil
Growing in Delray Beach: climate & soil
Zone 10b, sand over limestone, high pH, salt air and storm season.
Our climate & soil
Every recommendation on these pages comes back to these six facts about growing anything in Delray Beach.
Zone 10b, and it never really stops growing
Delray Beach sits in USDA zone 10b. Nothing goes dormant for long, so mowing, trimming and feeding are year-round chores — and so are the pests.
Sand over limestone, not topsoil
Water and fertilizer run straight through. Compost, peat and mulch are how you build any water-holding ability at all, and they need topping up every year.
High pH locks up iron
Our alkaline soil is why gardenias, ixora and citrus go yellow between the veins. Chelated iron and manganese fix the symptom; acidic mulch and compost help the cause.
The county fertilizer ordinance
Palm Beach County restricts nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer during the summer rainy season and requires a 10-foot buffer from water bodies. We stock summer-legal options — ask at the counter.
Salt air is a tool killer
Rinse and dry pruners, shovels and mower decks after use, keep a light oil on the metal, and don't leave anything on the patio overnight this close to the ocean.
Storm season changes the list
Thin canopies in spring, not September. Keep chain oil, fuel stabilizer, tarps and a charged battery platform on hand before the forecast makes it a scramble.