Category: Horticulture

Plant Status Change – Tropical Milkweed is Now Listed as a Category II Invasive

by Tia Silvasy
November 5, 2025

  Tropical Milkweed is now Invasive! Tropical milkweed (Asclepias curassavica) was once a go to larval host plant for monarch butterflies. As of June 2025 the plant status has changed. It is now listed as invasive in the entire state ... READ MORE

Category: , Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Invasive Species, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Asclepias, Butterfly, Invasive Species, Native Plants, Tropical Milkweed, Tsilvasy

UF/IFAS Extension Manatee County 2025 Farm City Week Agricultural Tour: Keeping Agriculture Alive in 2025.

by Caitlin Sollazzo
October 31, 2025

The 34th Annual Farm City Week Agricultural Tour in Manatee County is a fun-filled, day-long, chartered bus tour that will take place on Friday, November 14, 2025 from 8:00 am – 4:00 pm. Attendees will get a rare opportunity to go behind-the-scenes ... READ MORE

Category: 4-H & Youth, Agribusiness, Agriculture, , Coasts & Marine, Disaster Preparation, Events, Farm Management, Horticulture, Natural Resources, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: AP Bell, ManateeFarms, Orban's, WestCoastTomato
Image of several adults standing in a wooded setting, watching an instructor point to something in the distance

ex•plore: Your Adventure Guide to Sarasota County

by Mike D'Imperio
October 30, 2025

Are you looking to find more ways for you and your family to ex•plore all Sarasota County has to offer? From award-winning beaches to natural areas and trails, from mangrove tunnels to fishing holes, birding sites, gardens and more, Sarasota ... READ MORE

Category: 4-H & Youth, Events, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Natural Resources, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, Water, Work & Life
Tags: Events, Explore, Family, Family Friendly, Hiking, Outdoors, Pgm_Water
raised garden beds with food and flowers growing, a garden sign, a garden arch trellis with cattle paneling and a succulent garden at the other end.

ex•plore: Edible Gardening with Extension

by Mindy Hanak
October 30, 2025

Let’s Ex.plore what we’ve been up to! We’ve been busy at our UF/IFAS Sarasota County extension campus located in Twin Lakes Park off Clark Rd. We’ve added an edible garden demo area featuring different garden beds of varied heights ... READ MORE

Category: Events, Fruits & Vegetables, Health & Nutrition, Horticulture, UF/IFAS Extension, Work & Life
Tags: Edible Garden, Explore, Garden, Grow, Pgm_Gardens, Produce, Vegetable Gardening
White garlic pile texture. Fresh garlic on market table closeup photo. Vitamin healthy food spice image. Spicy cooking ingredient picture. Pile of white garlic heads.

Garlic and Vampires: The Science Behind the Myth [Part 2]

by Suzanne Holloway
October 30, 2025

In part one, we explored garlic’s history and its remarkable ability to help protect against germs, health problems, insects, and even unwanted company. Now, in this post, we’ll take a deeper look into vampire lore, the creatures and conditions ... READ MORE

Category: Fruits & Vegetables, Health & Nutrition, Horticulture, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, Work & Life
Tags: Bats, Folklore, Garlic, Halloween, Health, Holiday, Leech, Leeches, Mosquitoes, Sanguivore, Spooky Season, Supernatural, Vampires

Exploring Florida’s Natives: Butterfly Milkweed

by Julia Sirchia
October 30, 2025

Milkweed is a flowering Florida native that supports pollinators, like the monarch butterfly. It is the only plant on which Monarch butterflies can reproduce. But, beyond their critical role in supporting monarch butterfly populations, milkweed ... READ MORE

Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Horticulture
Tags: Exploring Florida's Natives Series, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Garden, Gardening, Gardens, Horticulture, Native Gardens, Native Plants, Protect Native Plants

Online Resources for Community Gardeners

by Calvin Gardner
October 28, 2025

If you are looking to start a community garden, or improve an existing one, check out these helpful resources from UF/IFAS. The Florida Vegetable Gardening Guide – This is an excellent guide that covers all different topics of gardening ... READ MORE

Category: Fruits & Vegetables, Horticulture
Tags: Community Garden, Composting, Edibles Calendar, Florida Gardening, Florida Vegetable Gardening Guide, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Natural Products, Ocextension, Organic Vegetable Gardening, Pest Control, Plant Selection, UF-IFAS, Vegetable Gardening

Florida Gardening 101: Composting at Home

by Calvin Gardner
October 28, 2025

Have you ever dreamed of turning the plants, leaves, and food scraps around your home into a nutrient‑rich garden compost? Below I’ll walk you through the simple steps to create a thriving compost pile right in your backyard or a community ... READ MORE

Category: Fruits & Vegetables, Horticulture
Tags: Backyard Composting, Brown Waste, Community Garden, Compost, Eco-friendly, Florida Gardens, Gardening Tips, Green Waste, Kitchen Scraps, Organic Waste, Pest Control, Soil Health, Soil Nutrients, Sustainable Gardening, Urban Horticulture

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