By Ralph E. Mitchell With the heat and rain of summer weather ramping up, some vegetable gardeners take the summer off and simply solarize their garden. However, if you wanted to go ahead and garden through the summer,… Read More
By Ralph E. Mitchell Coffee is a favorite beverage for much of the world. In addition to this attribute, coffee plants can also be considered ornamental and novel in regards to your backyard landscape. Small coffee seedlings are… Read More
By Ralph E. Mitchell Pest problems can come on a large or small scale. Think of the myriad of microbes that can bring us to our knees. A flea may be tiny, but look at the aggravation it… Read More
By Ralph E. Mitchell The first time that I tasted a muscadine grape was in Georgia. It was a pleasant difference from what I was used to, namely northern bunch-type grapes. The thick skin and extra-large berry contained… Read More
By Ralph E. Mitchell I was out in our Demonstration Garden at the East Port Campus on Harbor View Road in Port Charlotte this morning and smelled a floral fragrance of some type –a honey-like scent. I followed… Read More
By Ralph E. Mitchell I am going to have to repeat myself, but in addition to not liking red beets as a youth, I also did not like kale. It was probably in the manner it was served,… Read More
By Ralph E. Mitchell Sweet potatoes are surprising plants. Native to tropical America, this tuberous relative of the Morning Glory, is both edible and ornamental. An excellent source of vitamin A, the tubers come in yellow, orange and… Read More
By Ralph E. Mitchell A papaya is not a true tree, but a tree-like or arborescent plant. This large herbaceous plant is relatively short-lived, but can be a great producer of high-quality fruit. I have grown them for… Read More
By Ralph E. Mitchell I have heard that one of our soil’s best attributes is for keeping plants upright – our Florida terra firma takes a great deal of ridicule! “Moon sand” or “beach sand” are common terms… Read More
By Ralph E. Mitchell Can you grow a coconut palm in Charlotte County? The short answer is both “yes” and “no”. While this magnificent symbol of the tropics makes a wonderful landscape feature in some places, it is… Read More
