Eggplant originated from South Asia and is a frost/cold-sensitive, warm-season plant. With the right conditions, you can grow eggplant (Solanum melongena) in your summer garden. As well as being a staple in the diet, it has also been ... READ MORE
Category: Crops, Horticulture
I started a tamarind tree from seed at least fifteen years ago. I would have more often found a started plant but had some seeds with sprouted very easily. I ended up with one tree which was stepped up from one pot to another pot until ... READ MORE
Category: Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes
Central Florida has a sub-tropical climate that is excellent for growing a variety of fruits. Here are our top five choices for easy-to-grow productive fruits for your home landscape. Pineapple Pineapples can be grown and fruit ... READ MORE
Category: , Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, UF/IFAS Extension
A simple guide to diagnosing landscape problems before reaching for fertilizer. When plants start looking unhealthy, it's tempting to reach for a bag of fertilizer. Yellowing leaves, stunted growth, or poor flowering often seem like obvious ... READ MORE
Category: Agriculture, , Conservation, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Lawn, Natural Resources, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Teaching, Water
The garden journey of a Master Gardener Volunteer is always fascinating. UF/IFAS Extension Polk County Master Gardener Volunteer, Jessica, shares how she started a food forest in her yard. To learn even more, take a listen as we chat with Jessica ... READ MORE
Category: Community Volunteers, Home Landscapes, UF/IFAS Extension
This tropical fruit has bright orange-pink flesh, small black seeds in the center, and a naturally sweet flavor. Ripe papaya is typically enjoyed fresh, peeled, seeded, and sliced into cubes or wedges. Papaya is packed with nutrients while ... READ MORE
Category: Health & Nutrition, UF/IFAS Extension
May is harvest time for blackberries in northeast Florida! All through April we've been enjoying the beautiful flowers. We've watched the fruit, made up of multiple clustered drupelets, develop. Now, for the next month or so, it's harvest ... READ MORE
Category: , Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes
Even though it may not feel like it, spring has arrived. Now that a number of vegetable crops are in the ground, we've pretty much lost the option to apply preemergent herbicides. Because of this, we need to focus on selective and directed ... READ MORE
Category: Horticulture
Florida-grown lychee trees offer a taste of the tropics for home growers. Their berries deliver a sweet, rose-scented fruit with vitamin C-rich pulp and a vibrant color and flavor to fruit cups, cakes, mocktails, ice cream blends ... READ MORE
Category: Agriculture, Blog Community, Conservation, Crops, Home Landscapes, Invasive Species, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS TeachingFlorida-grown lychee trees offer a taste of the tropics for home growers. Their berries deliver a sweet, rose-scented fruit with vitamin C-rich pulp and a vibrant color and flavor to fruit cups, cakes, mocktails, ice cream blends ... READ MORE
Category: Agriculture, Blog Community, Conservation, Crops, Home Landscapes, Invasive Species, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Teaching