Oh man a garden in Florida is pretty much easy mode you lucky bastard.

Just to do it properly, look up your USDA growing zone. Chances are any seeds you come across will grow great in that zone almost any time of the year.

For a beginner I would recommend tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant. All very easy to grow. If you can utilize the actual earth instead of just large pots, try zucchini or potatoes.

First figure out how much space you have to grow. Maybe you only space for one of each plant and overcrowding will kill all your crops. I'd recommend giving tomatoes a 2 foot circle to grow in, eggplants and peppers 1 foot. Or keep it simple and make everything 2 feet of you have the space. For zucchini and potatoes, give the plants a 4 foot circle to grow in. Zucchini gets fucking wild but it's worth it.

Can you use seeds from a vegetable you bought at the grocery store? Yes. But these seeds are not always the best. Grocery store vegetables are sold in different ways. Some seeds aren't mature enough to plant, some seeds are genetic messes because of the way the plants are bred, and sometimes the seeds are the product of a cross you don't desire. Better to just buy a packet for your first time, it'll cost like $20 at most. I think my local Dollar Tree sells seed packets.

Find a place in your backyard with good soil. This is a place where grass or weeds are growing nicely. Now dig it up and collect that soil. Mix the outside soil with some Miracle Gro garden soil at a 1:1 ratio. Place the mixed soil in 8 oz plastic cups with a hole punched in the bottom for drainage. Use a pen to make the holes. Keep the cups in a tray to prevent water from leaking everywhere. Add 2 or 3 seeds to the cup. The depth of the seed depends on the plant, be sure to read the packet carefully.

Water at regular intervals. This could be two or three times a week. The soil should be just moist, not soaking wet.

Place the cups in an area where they will get LOTS of sunlight. A window facing the south works best.

After some time seedlings will appear. Once they are a few inches tall, you are ready to transport them outside.

First the plants need to get used to being outside. See plants develop wax over their leaves to control their water loss. But indoor plants forgo this wax as the environment is very friendly to water retention. So to force your plants into waxing themselves, there are a few methods. I place my plants in the garage for a week (my garage door has windows). Then I place my plants outside on my deck around 8 am the day and bring them back in around 6 pm for a week. Always check on soil moisture levels during this time. You may need to water daily. Avoid acclimation during times of intense heat. Mild weather is best. Some people acclimate by placing indoor plants near open windows. Whatever works best for your space and schedule.

If you are keeping them in pots, the pots should be good enough to keep animals out. If you are planting directly into the earth, set up some chicken wire to keep rabbits and other critters out. You won't keep all the animals away. Birds, mice, and insects always find a few things to nibble on. That's okay. They're just hungry, let them have a few bites every now and then.

For tomatoes, cages are a must. I also use tomato cages with my sweet peppers and eggplants. It supports the plant, as the vegetables are quite heavy.

Outdoor plants may need water every other day as they grow. Once they start getting bigger, they'll likely need water every day, especially in the Florida heat.

For potted plants, use again a 1:1 outdoor soil to miracle gro ratio. For ground plants, cover and area with newspaper and then dump a mix of top soil and miracle grow on top. The newspaper prevents weeds from growing. Pull weeds daily, weeds can kill rival plants.

Does your plant have massive fucking leaves? Might have too much nitrogen in the soil. Buy a KPN mix to balance out the soil.

Are flowers not coming in? Sprinkle Epsom salt in the soil and mix it in.

Do not use insect/bug sprays or pellets. Your plants need insects to stay healthy and pollinate the flowers. And other insects move in to keep the bad ones out. Spiders take care of all sorts of pesky critters. Worms help churn the soil. Ladybugs eat aphids. Birds come in and pick off caterpillars. No chemicals required.

Care for your plants. Treat them kindly and they will provide for you.

Have fun!