UF/IFAS Extension Duval County -

Companion Planting Can Help Reduce Or Eliminate Insecticide Use In The Garden

by Duval MGV
March 2, 2026

Spring has returned and now is the time to start planting your warm season vegetables Part of the fun of gardening is trying new methods like companion planting. In the past, gardening wisdom would just declare that certain vegetables did not ... READ MORE

Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Crops, Duval, Florida Gardening, Gardening, Landscape, Mulch

Treating Cold Damaged Citrus

by Duval MGV
February 2, 2026

The freeze over the weekend was certainly a deep one In an instant our landscapes and turf went from green to various shades of brown. While there are a lot of articles and blogs telling us not to prune out our dead plants, there is not a lot ... READ MORE

Category: Forests, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Lawn, Natural Resources
Tags: Citrus, Duval, Tree, Trees

Planning for Your Tomato Sandwich Starts Now

by Tonya Ashworth
January 22, 2026

Nothing tastes better from the garden than a home-grown tomato. And the highest and best use of that tomato is to slice it up and put it between 2 slices of white bread slathered in mayo and sprinkled with salt and pepper. If you agree, now ... READ MORE

Category:

UNF Botanical Garden – Focusing on Sustainability Through Florida-Friendly Landscaping™

by Stephanie Means
January 9, 2026

Recently Rhonda Gracie, the University of North Florida Botanical Garden Horticulturalist and mastermind behind the gardens for the last decade plus, received the Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ (FFL) Ambassador award. An FFL Ambassador is ... READ MORE

Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: 9 Principles, Botanical Garden, Conservation, Duval, Florida Friendly, Florida Friendly Landscaping, Gardening, Groundcovers, Mulch, UNF Botanical Garden

Mistletoe: A merry Christmas decoration or menace to trees?

by Larry Figart
November 13, 2025

For many people, mistletoe is a pest, while for others, it is a symbol of Christmas cheer. The origin of mistletoe as a Yuletide symbol came from the Norse and the Druids. Both had traditions that equated mistletoe with forgiveness and reconciliation. ... READ MORE

Category: Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Pests & Disease
Tags: Christmas, Duval, Figart, IFAS, Mistletoe, Parasite

Selecting Firewood

by Larry Figart
November 12, 2025

For humans, gathering around fire is a unique social event. For thousands of years we have been gathering around fires to cook, hold ceremonies, and keep warm. Even though today we have the modern conveniences of central heat and insulated ... READ MORE

Category: Home Landscapes
Tags: Duval, Figart, Fires, Firewood, Fuelwood, IFAS, State Forests

Thank You to Our Veterans–With a Touch of Green

by Beth Marlowe
November 12, 2025

Many of us reach out to veterans we know each November and thank them for their service. In September, 2023 a group of nurses at the Veterans' Affairs Outpatient Clinic on Jefferson Street in Jacksonville went beyond that. Noticing that ... READ MORE

Category: , Horticulture
Tags: Community Gardens, Edible Garden, Vegetable Gardening, Veterans

New Air Potato Beetle Species Release

by Tonya Ashworth
November 11, 2025

They are small but mighty. A new species of air potato beetle is being reared and released in Florida to wage war against the invasive air potato vine. First, a little background on the enemy. The air potato vine was introduced in Florida ... READ MORE

Category: , Conservation, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Forests, Invasive Species, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease
Tags: Air Potato Beetle, Air Potato Vine, Invasive Plant, Invasive Species

Homeowner’s Guide to A 30 Minute Fall Irrigation Tune-Up

by Stephanie Means
November 6, 2025

You've started to feel that welcomed North Florida cool-down, but your monthly water bill might still be reflecting the brutal summer heat. Many warm-weather grasses found locally, such as St. Augustine, Zoysia, and Bahia, will go dormant ... READ MORE

Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Florida Friendly Landscaping, Irrigation, Irrigation Calibration, Irrigation Tune Up, Saving Water

Growing Persimmons

by Duval MGV
November 6, 2025

When we think of fall fruit, often we think about apples, pumpkins, and cranberries This year why not add persimmons to the list. Fall is when their ripening, orange fruits are very noticeable. Not only are they available in the produce section, ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Duval, Florida Gardening, Gardening, Landscape, Native Plants, Persimmons, Trees

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