My Recent Discovery of an Ancient Crop I tried persimmons for the first time this fall and became an instant superfan. The lack of distinct seasons in Florida is a little strange for me, even after living here for four years. Persimmons help ... READ MORE
Category: Agriculture, Blog Community, Crops, Fruits & Vegetables, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension
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: Blog Community, Crops, Fruits & Vegetables, Horticulture, UF/IFAS
Intro UF’s fall semester starts roughly one month ahead of autumn. In most of the US, this is when you might see leaves start to change colors, harvests come in, and most everything green goes dormant for winter. In Florida the cool season ... READ MORE
Category: Blog Community, Crops, Fruits & Vegetables, UF/IFAS
Introduction I am fascinated by the origins of our food. It’s a little absurd to imagine our distant progenitors, searching for food by trying every random plant and mushroom. It's harder still to imagine the investment across generations ... READ MORE
Category: Blog Community, Crops, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Forests, Fruits & Vegetables, Recreation
Just under 100 registrants attended UF’s first-ever Blackberry Field Day at the North Florida Research and Education Center (NFREC) in Quincy, marking a major step in expanding blackberry production in the state. The event showcased current ... READ MORE
Category: Academics, Agribusiness, Agriculture, Crops, Events, Farm Management, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research
The plants we eat often have interesting and surprising relationships, although “family” is a more distant relation in science than we use socially. These relations can be easy to see, as with the strong similarities between Cucurbitaceae ... READ MORE
Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruits & Vegetables, Health & Nutrition, Horticulture
Not many garden plants are as well-adapted to the intensity of Florida summers as those from Cucurbitaceae, the gourd family. An estimated 975 species of this family are used for food or ornamental purposes, making them an important component ... READ MORE
Category: Agriculture, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruits & Vegetables, Horticulture, UF/IFAS
Held each year at the UF/IFAS Plant Science Research and Education Unit (PSREU), the Stone Fruit Field Day brings together growers, breeders, and stone fruit enthusiasts to exchange the latest research and practical innovations shaping Florida’s ... READ MORE
Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Blog Community, Crops, Events, Farm Management, Fruits & Vegetables, Horticulture, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research
Peach season is currently winding down in north-central Florida, meaning these rich, fragrant, darkly alluring stone fruits are filling roadside stands and farmers’ markets. Seeing them now was a surprise to me, as they are a late summer fruit ... READ MORE
Category: Crops, Fruits & Vegetables, Horticulture, UF/IFAS
Finger limes appear as a promising choice to growers searching for alternative citrus crops thriving in Florida. The Australian Lime Improvement Program hosted the most recent Finger Lime Field Day to highlight ongoing research and market ... READ MORE
Category: Agriculture, Crops, Farm Management, Fruits & Vegetables, Horticulture, UF/IFAS Research