Category: Fruits & Vegetables

Growing Knowledge: Teaching Kids About Vegetable Gardening

by Sara MacDonald
September 3, 2025

Recently, our Master Gardener Volunteers and I had the wonderful opportunity to visit Sun Grove Montessori School. We introduced students to the joys of vegetable gardening. Gardening is more than planting seeds. It’s a hands-on way to learn ... READ MORE

Category: 4-H & Youth, Agriculture, Community Volunteers, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Recreation, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Gardening, Kids Gardening Activities, STEM, UF/IFAS Extension, Urban Horticulture

Researchers enlist Florida residents in the fight against citrus greening

by Megan Winslow
August 28, 2025

Most people know Florida’s citrus industry is struggling with citrus greening. The threat, however, doesn’t exist in a silo, and residential trees – where the plant disease was first detected in the state – can serve as reservoirs for ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Crops, Fruits & Vegetables, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: ACP, Asian Citrus Psyllid, Bay, Citrus, Citrus Care, Citrus Greening, Cold Hardy Citrus, Columbia, Danielle Williams, Diaphorina Citri, Educational, Entomology, Gadsden, HLB, Huanglongbing, IFAS, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Integrated Pest Management, Jefferson, Laura Warner, Lauren Diepenbrock, Leon, Management, Mesh Bags, North Florida, Orange, Pest, Plant Disease, Reflective Mulch, Research, Romain Exilien, Santa Rosa, UF, UF-IFAS, University Of Florida, Workshop, Xavier Martini

Better mangoes, papayas and other tropical fruit: Breeding fruits consumers love, growers need

by Lourdes Mederos
August 27, 2025

Florida has long held a special place in America's fruit bowl. With its subtropical climate, the state remains one of the few parts of the continental United States where exotic fruits -- from mangoes and avocados to papayas and dragon fruit ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Crops, Farm Management, Fruits & Vegetables, Health & Nutrition, Horticulture, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Avocado, Consumers, Crops, Cultivars, Diseases, DNA, Dragon Fruit, Exotic Fruits, Flavor, Florida, Gardens, Genetic Markers, Genetic Tools, Growers, Health, Jugpreet Singh, Laurel Wilt, Mango, Nutrition, Papaya, Papaya Ringspot, Pests, Production, Shelf Life, Subtropical Climate, Tropical Fruit, Tropical Research And Education Center

Loquat Trees in Your Food Forest: A Sweet Addition to Central Florida Landscapes

by Jamie Daugherty
August 26, 2025

As edible landscaping continues to gain momentum, many Central Florida homeowners are exploring the concept of growing a food forest. A food forest is a layered, productive forested containing various fruit trees in your own back yard. If you're ... READ MORE

Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruits & Vegetables, Horticulture, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension,
Tags: Backyard Fruit, Fruit Forest, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Extension Sumter County, Urban Forestry, Urban Forestry Extension

UF/IFAS Typical Grower Events and Resources You Should Know

by Hannah Eason
August 25, 2025

This blog is intended to help growers, ranchers, beekeepers, landscapers, and specialty producers access recurring UF/IFAS trainings, field days, webinars, and educational resources. Typical programs and links are included, but may be subject ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Crops, Farm Management, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Lawn, Livestock
Tags: Beef Cattle, Beekeeper, Beekeepers, BMPs, Cflandscapes, Edis, Events, Farmer, Farmers, FDACS, FFL, Florida Friendly, GI-BMP, Growers, Hops, Landscaper, Landscapers, Local Foods, Marketing, Online Learning, Pesticide Applicator License, Producers, Resources, Small Farms, Specialty Producers, UF/IFAS Resources, Vegetable Guide, Vegetable Production

UF/IFAS for Your Soil and Water Testing Needs — Science You Can Trust

by Mike Loizzo
August 24, 2025

When it comes to caring for your yard or garden, accuracy and expertise matter. The UF/IFAS Extension Soil Testing Laboratory (ESTL) provides precision, reliability, and support to make a difference in your soil management. The ESTL offers a ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Crops, Farm Management, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Home Management, Horticulture, Lawn, Turf, UF/IFAS Extension, Water
Tags: Extension Soil Testing Lab, Franta Majs, IFAS Analytical Service Laboratories, Landscaping, Lawn, Nutrient Management, Soil Fertility, Soil Health, Soil Water And Ecosystem Sciences, Turfgrass

The peak of the Hurricane Season is coming. Are you prepared?

by Henry Mayer
August 15, 2025

A few weeks ago, we hosted a webinar with Mr. Robert Garcia, who is the Warning Coordination Meteorologist of the National Weather Service (NWS). He did an excellent job-sharing valuable information on hurricane preparedness, breaking down key ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Coasts & Marine, Conservation, Crops, Disaster Preparation, Farm Management, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Lawn, Natural Resources, UF/IFAS Extension, Work & Life
Tags: 2025 Hurricane Season, Hurricane, National Hurricane Center, Natural Disasters, NWS

Back-to-School Planting Suggestions: Vegetable Groups

by Shane Teachworth
August 15, 2025

Intro Recently on IFAS blogs, I posted about leafy greens which fit well in fall gardening; this entry is a continuation of that idea, touching on other cool weather vegetables. The start of the fall semester marks a dramatic cold turn in the ... READ MORE

Category: Crops, Fruits & Vegetables, Horticulture
Tags: Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Carrots, Cauliflower, Celery, Cool Weather Crops, Garlic, Kale, Onions, Parsley, Shallots

Suncoast Grown and Gathered: July’s Heavyweight Jackfruit!

by Forest Hecker
August 14, 2025

At UF/IFAS Extension Sarasota County, we've been cultivating a "Food Forest" to showcase the most productive, unique, and often-underutilized fruits suited to our distinctive, Southwest Florida climate. Through this project, we aim to inspire ... READ MORE

Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Work & Life
Tags: Ag, Agriculture, FFL, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Food, Garden, Horticulture, Landscape, Landscaping, Pgm_Gardens, Pgm_HortRes, Suncoast Grown And Gathered, SuncoastGrownAndGathered

Suncoast Grown and Gathered: Beekeeping for Sweet Summer Honey!

by Forest Hecker
August 14, 2025

One of the most rewarding ways to get Suncoast Grown & Gathered honey? Starting your own backyard beehive! Whether you’re interested in harvesting your own honey or boosting pollination for your foodscape, beekeeping in Florida can ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes
Tags: Agriculture, FFL, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Food, Garden, Horticulture, Landscape, Landscaping, Pgm_Chemicals, Pgm_HortRes, Suncoast Grown And Gathered, SuncoastGrownAndGathered

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