Category: Pests & Disease

Lake County MGVs

FIELD TRIP: Nehrling Gardens in Gotha, FL


May 31, 2026

Fourteen Master Gardener Volunteers (and family) toured Nehrling Gardens in May 2026. Theresa Schretzmann-Myers (Board of Directors Vice President) was our excellent tour guide. Ms. Theresa fed us history, facts, stories, and anecdotes in ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Conservation, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Forests, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Home Management, Horticulture, Invasive Species, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Teaching, Water, Wildlife, Work & Life
Tags: Attract Wildlife, Botanical Garden, Conservation, FFL, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Native Plants, Sustainability
Manos recolectando vainas verdes de okra directamente de la planta en un huerto, rodeadas de hojas verdes.

El okra pasa de ser un alimento básico en cocinas y huertos caseros a convertirse en parte fundamental del movimiento “La Comida como Medicina” en la agricultura de Florida


May 28, 2026

Creado por Lourdes Mederos, gerente de relaciones públicas en español para el Departamento de Comunicaciones de UF/IFAS. ¿Qué hace que el okra, conocido también como quimbombó, sea una elección inteligente para los huertos caseros, las ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Blog Community, Crops, Fruits & Vegetables, Health & Nutrition, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Agricultura, Alimentacion, Alimentos, Caracoles, Centro De Investigación Y Educación Tropical (TREC) De UF/IFAS, Chicharrita De Dos Manchas Del Algodón, Cultivo, Dakshina Seal, Demanda De Okra, Entomologia, Español, Germinación, Gusanos Cogolleros, Hortalizas, Huertos Caseros, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, La Comida Como Medicina, Manejo Integrado De Plagas, Monalisa Seaton, Mosca Blanca De Alas Plateadas, Okra, Produccion Comercial, Programa De Extensión De UF/IFAS, Pulgones, Quimbombó, Rendimientos, Salud, Saludable, Spanish, TREC, UF-IFAS, Valor Nutricional
Pods of red okra of the cultivar ‘Carmine Splendor’ hybrid grown in South Florida. UF/IFAS photo by Vander Rocha Lacerda

Is okra rising from a kitchen, home garden staple to a ‘Food is Medicine’ star in Florida agriculture?


May 26, 2026

What makes okra a smart choice for home gardens, healthier meals and Florida’s next great crop? University of Florida researchers from the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) say this adaptable crop illustrates how ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Blog Community, , Crops, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Antioxidants, Ask IFAS, Crop, Dakshina Seal, Digestion, Easy-to-grow, Español, Farmers, Florida, Food Is Medicine, Gardens, Health, Health Benefits, Healthy, Heart Health, Homestead, IFAS, Invasive Pests, Kitchen, Monalisa Seaton, Nutrition, Okra, Ornamental Plants, Peyton Ecklund, Plant-based Foods, Seed-borne Diseases, Seeds, South Florida, Staple, Tropical Research And Education Center, Two-spotted Leafhopper, UF/IFAS Research, Vitamins, Xiaoying Li

Is okra rising from a kitchen, home garden staple to a ‘Food is Medicine’ star in Florida agriculture?


May 26, 2026

What makes okra a smart choice for home gardens, healthier meals and Florida’s next great crop? University of Florida researchers from the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) say this adaptable crop illustrates how ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Blog Community, , Crops, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Antioxidants, Ask IFAS, Crop, Dakshina Seal, Digestion, Easy-to-grow, Español, Farmers, Florida, Food Is Medicine, Gardens, Health, Health Benefits, Healthy, Heart Health, Homestead, IFAS, Invasive Pests, Kitchen, Monalisa Seaton, Nutrition, Okra, Ornamental Plants, Peyton Ecklund, Plant-based Foods, Seed-borne Diseases, Seeds, South Florida, Staple, Tropical Research And Education Center, Two-spotted Leafhopper, UF/IFAS Research, Vitamins, Xiaoying Li
Citrus tree with fruit

Growing Citrus in the Florida Home Landscape


May 25, 2026

Growing citrus in your home landscape is challenging. The citrus disease greening affects much of the citrus in Florida and requires extra attention to insect management and fertilization. Getting Started with CitrusIf you are ready to plant ... READ MORE

Category: , Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Citrus Fruits And Vegetables, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Food Forest, Garden, Hillsborough County, Home Landscapes, Orange, Tsilvasy, Video
Seminole pumpkin

Growing Seminole Pumpkin in Florida: From Seed to Harvest to Table


May 19, 2026

Growing Seminole Pumpkin in Florida pumpkin is a great vegetable to grow in Florida's summer heat because it is heat tolerant. It's an heirloom vegetable that dates back to the native American times you can save the seeds from year to year. ... READ MORE

Category: , Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruits & Vegetables, Health & Nutrition, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Pumpkin, Roasting Pumpkin, Seed Saving, Vegetable, Vegetable Gardening
Vista desde abajo de un árbol de papaya, mostrando un racimo de papayas verdes creciendo a lo largo del tronco, con grandes hojas lobuladas que se extienden hacia afuera contra un cielo brillante.

¿Desea cultivar papaya en su jardín? La guía bilingüe de Ask IFAS ofrece consejos basados en investigaciones para lograrlo exitosamente


May 19, 2026

Creado por Lourdes Mederos, gerente de relaciones públicas en español para el Departamento de Comunicaciones de UF/IFAS. Con el cuidado adecuado, los árboles de papaya prosperan en los jardines de Florida y producen frutos dulces y flores ... READ MORE

Category: Blog Community, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Ask IFAS En Español, Bilingue, Cosecha, Cultivando Papaya En El Jardín De Su Hogar En Florida, Cultivo, Drenaje, Enfermedades, Español, Flores, Frutas, Fruto, Jardín, Papaya, Patio, Plagas, Prácticas De Mantenimiento, Productores´, Publicación Bilingüe, Residencial, Siembra, Spanish, UF-IFAS, University Of Florida Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS)
Adobe Stock photo 129917074 of Ripe papaya on the tree.

Want to grow papaya trees in your backyard? Ask IFAS bilingual resource offers top research tips for success


May 19, 2026

With the right care, papaya trees thrive in Florida backyards, producing sweet fruit and flowers. Depending on the variety, this slender tree can produce more than one bright white flower in less than 12 months. Well suited to Central ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Blog Community, Conservation, Crops, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Ask IFAS, ASK UF/IFAS En Espanol, Central Florida, Diseases, English, Food Is Medicine, Harvesting, Healthy, Healthy Environment, Home, Irrigation Needs, Jonathan Crane, Landscape, Papaya, Papaya Growing, Papaya Seeds, Papaya Tree, Pests, Plants, South Florida, Superfruit, Sustainable, UF-IFAS, UF/IFAS Tropical Research And Education Center

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