Category: Horticulture

A Bug Eat Bug World

by David Austin
March 12, 2025

Those Pesky Bugs If you are like many people, you might cringe at seeing some unknown creature crawling across your prized plant. Your Spidey senses might kick in, and you may want to act. Before you reach for a spray bottle, please take ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Crops, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Horticulture, Lawn, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS Extension,
Tags: Beneficial Insects, Bugs, Conservation, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Gardening, Hometown Gardener, IPM, Pollinator Plants, UF/IFAS Extension

Cultivating a Food Forest in Your Yard

by David Austin
May 29, 2024

To grow your food is to know your food Step outside your door and gather the ingredients for a salad or pick some fruit for breakfast. It wasn't so long ago that people lived that way and grew much of what they ate. With the convenience of ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Crops, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruits & Vegetables, Health & Nutrition, Home Landscapes, Home Management, Horticulture, UF/IFAS Extension,
Tags: Agriculture, Classes, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Food Forest, Gardening, Highlands County, Highlands Horticulture Digest, Hometown Gardener, Master Gardener Volunteers, Permaculture, UF/IFAS Extension, Vegetables

Convert your yard to a Florida-Friendly one

by David Austin
April 10, 2023

Don't kill yourself any longer Is taking care of your yard hard on your pocketbook and your back? Has it become something out of an Alfred Hitcok film? Are you frustrated with your plants not doing well? Someone may have told you, “That’s ... READ MORE

Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Gardening, Highlands County, Highlands Horticulture Digest, Hometown Gardener, Master Gardener Volunteers, UF/IFAS Extension

Grow citrus at home

by David Austin
February 23, 2023

Florida means citrus Florida is synonymous with citrus. No better juice-producing trees are grown in the world. Yet finding 100% Florida orange juice is becoming a challenge. Global markets have made juice too inexpensive for Florida growers ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, UF/IFAS Extension,
Tags: Agriculture, Citrus, Classes, Fruit Trees, Highlands County, Highlands Horticulture Digest, Hometown Gardener, Master Gardener Volunteers, UF/IFAS Extension

Highlands County Ag Tours are back

by David Austin
February 17, 2023

Hidden gems Agriculture is Central Florida's largest industry. We are often known for the many citrus groves and cattle ranches that are the central agriculture vein throughout our county. Most of you may be familiar with Caladiums. Highlands ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Crops, Fruits & Vegetables, Horticulture, Livestock, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Agriculture, Agriculture Tours, Highlands County, Highlands Horticulture Digest, Hometown Gardener, Tour, UF/IFAS Extension

Are you a keeper?

by David Austin
February 14, 2023

By Amanda Johnson/ guest blogger Are you interested in learning about beekeeping and the important role that honey bees play in our ecosystem? Look no further! The Heartland Beekeepers Association is offering a Beginner Beekeeping Class for ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Crops, Fruits & Vegetables, Horticulture, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Agriculture, Beekeeping, Highlands Horticulture Digest, Hometown Gardener, Honey, Insects, Master Gardener Volunteers, Pollination, Pollinator Plants

Master Gardener Volunteers are planning their annual clearance plant sale

by David Austin
February 10, 2023

By Master Gardener Volunteer/Guest Blogger, Mary Frances Meier The Highlands County Master Gardener Volunteers will offer a spring plant sale on Saturday, February 25, 2023, from 9:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. at the Bert J. Harris Jr. Agriculture ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, UF/IFAS Extension,
Tags: Agriculture, Gardening, Highlands County, Hometown Gardener, Master Gardener Volunteers, Pollination, Pollinator Plants, UF/IFAS Extension

Tips from the Help Desk… What’s Killing my Palm-February 2023

by David Austin
February 10, 2023

Tips from the Help Desk... What's killing my palm? by David Austin Residential Horticulture Agent and Master Gardener Volunteer Coordinator Palm trees are forever a symbol of Florida. Nothing says tropical quite like a palm tree. ... READ MORE

Category: Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS Extension,
Tags: Diseases, Highlands County, Highlands Horticulture Digest, Hometown Gardener, Lethal Bronzing, Master Gardeners, Palms, Tips From The Help Desk, UF/IFAS Extension

Canning, an art from the past

by David Austin
February 2, 2023

In the old days, food was not as readily available as today. We've come a long way with grocery stores seemingly on every corner. It's hard to imagine how our great-grandparents and those that came before them survived without such conveniences. ... READ MORE

Category: Events, Food Safety, Fruits & Vegetables, Horticulture, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Teaching,
Tags: Agriculture, Gardening, Highlands County, Highlands Horticulture Digest, Hometown Gardener, Master Gardener Volunteers, Tomatoes, UF/IFAS Extension, Vegetables

Cold-Protection pro tips

by David Austin
January 18, 2023

Tips from the Help Desk... Cold Protection Pro Tips by David Austin Residential Horticulture Agent and Master Gardener Volunteer Coordinator Late December and early January brought the Heartland of Florida some unexpected colder-than-usual ... READ MORE

Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, UF/IFAS Extension,
Tags: Gardening, Highlands County, Highlands Horticulture Digest, Hometown Gardener, Master Gardeners, Tips From The Help Desk, UF/IFAS Extension

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