Category: Work & Life

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

Building Life Skills with Life Hacks

by Ashley H.K. Gill

January 11, 2023

The 4-H Youth Development program focuses on teaching critical life skills like communication, responsibility, leadership, citizenship, to name a few. Our motto is "Learn by Doing", and we believe this approach truly helps youth master the skills ... READ MORE

Category: 4-H & Youth, Home Management
Tags: Do At Home; Diy, Highlands County 4-H, Homeowner, Life Skills, Youth Development; Highlands County 4-H

Master Gardener Volunteers honored

by David Austin

December 22, 2022

Tuesday, December 13th the Master Gardener Volunteers (MGV) of Highlands County recognized some of their members for their hard work during 2022. The Awards banquet took place in the back room of the Caddyshack Bar and Grill in Sebring. Twenty-five ... READ MORE

Category: Community Volunteers, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, UF/IFAS Extension,
Tags: Highlands County, Highlands Horticulture Digest, Hometown Gardener, Master Gardener Volunteers, UF/IFAS Extension

Tips from the help desk, Fall cool weather lawn fungus, November 2022

by David Austin

December 16, 2022

Tips from the Help Desk... Fall cool weather lawn fungus by David Austin Residential Horticulture Agent and Master Gardener Volunteer Coordinator What up with my grass? Are you noticing large discolored patches of grass in your St. Augustine ... READ MORE

Category: Home Landscapes, Home Management, Horticulture, Lawn, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, Turf, UF/IFAS Extension,
Tags: Highlands County, Highlands Horticulture Digest, Hometown Gardener, Large Patch Lawn Disease, Master Gardener Volunteers, Master Gardeners, Tips From The Help Desk, Turfgrass, UF/IFAS Extension

Baby it’s cold outside!

by David Austin

September 27, 2022

Florida has been through a period of warm winters. When I say warm I mean Central Florida has not seen many hard freezes in the last 11 years. During these warm periods, homeowners forget those tortuous cold nights on their tropical plants. ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Crops, Disaster Preparation, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Teaching,
Tags: Agriculture, Classes, Gardening, Highlands County, Highlands Horticulture Digest, Hometown Gardener, Master Gardener Volunteers, UF/IFAS Extension

Time to prep for your fall Florida garden

by David Austin

July 14, 2022

Time to garden! With food prices climbing toward the sky it may be time to consider pulling that brown thumb out of your pocket and adding a little green paint to it. Growing a garden can be a humbling experience, especially in Florida, but ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Crops, Fruits & Vegetables, Health & Nutrition, Horticulture, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Classes, Gardening, Highlands County, Highlands Horticulture Digest, Hometown Gardener, Master Gardener Volunteers, Tomatoes, Vegetables

Tips from the Help Desk…Mothballs Do’s, and Don’ts! May 2022

by David Austin

May 31, 2022

by David Austin ... READ MORE

Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Home Management, Horticulture, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Gardening, Highlands County, Highlands Horticulture Digest, Pesticides, Tips From The Help Desk, UF/IFAS Extension

Why not make it a tea garden?

by David Austin

May 27, 2022

Southerners and sweet tea When I was a child, we drank sweet tea. I didn't really know where it came from, but it was sweet and that suited me just fine. Later, I discovered tea was from the leaf of a plant. I had heard about tea leaves, and ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Health & Nutrition, Horticulture,
Tags: Agriculture, Highlands County, Highlands Horticulture Digest, Hometown Gardener, Master Gardener Volunteers, UF/IFAS Extension

Incredible Edible Landscaping

by David Austin

May 19, 2022

Food for the taking Have you ever eaten a pine tree? Many parts are edible. Those supposedly were the famous words of world-renowned food forager, Euell Gibbons, on a grape-nuts commercial in the ’70s. Not many of us would be interested in ... READ MORE