Consider how can prior and current crops affect the future. What actions can be taken to ensure a successful garden in the future? Understand that pests from prior gardens often show up in future gardens. If weeds in a garden got out of control ... READ MORE
Category: AGRICULTURE, Crops, Fruits & Vegetables, Horticulture, Pests & Disease
Fall is known for pumpkin picking, cooler weather, and trick-or-treating. While we are enjoying our yards in this cooler, drier weather, it is a good time to look for something truly spooky that may be lurking amongst the bushes: invasive ... READ MORE
Category: , Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Invasive Species, Lawn, Pests & DiseaseIt is essential to understand how prior crops affect the present and what actions can be taken to ensure a successful garden. When a gardener or a large-scale grower understands this, they can prepare accordingly and prevent or mitigate the ... READ MORE
Category: Agribusiness, AGRICULTURE, Crops, Fruits & Vegetables, Horticulture, Pests & DiseaseA successful garden comes from an understanding of the variables that emerge from the past, present and future. Before any garden begins, ask the following questions: What crops were planted in the past? Were they a success or failure, and why? A ... READ MORE
Category: AGRICULTURE, Crops, Fruits & Vegetables, Horticulture, Pests & Disease
Typically, this time of year many homeowners are tackling a variety of weeds in their landscapes. One of those weeds may very well be the invasive and aggressive weed known as Doveweed (Murdannia nudifflora). Doveweed emerges when average temperatures ... READ MORE
Category: Home Landscapes, Lawn, Pests & Disease, Turf, UF/IFAS ExtensionMost of the food crops we grow in Florida originated in lands far away. If we understand where these crops originated it can help us to grow them more effectively. Generally, plants that originated from a latitude that Florida shares are ... READ MORE
Category: Agribusiness, AGRICULTURE, Crops, Fruits & Vegetables, Horticulture, Pests & Disease
This has been a spectacular year for loropetalums (Loropetalum chinensis) around North Central Florida. The mildly sweet-smelling, pink fringed flowers give this plant its common name, Chinese fringe flower. Loropetalums are one of the most ... READ MORE
Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Horticulture
Farming and gardening share some similarities, but in reality are very different. Both farming and gardening present their own unique challenges, so the same standards and expectations simply cannot be equally applied. There are luxuries ... READ MORE
Category: AGRICULTURE, Crops, Farm Management, Fruits & Vegetables, Livestock
Did you know that more than 90% of American farms are considered small farms? This means that a very large percentage of farms in the US make less than $250,000, and most are family owned (Small and Family Farms, n.d.). Florida itself has ... READ MORE
Category: AGRICULTURE, Health & Nutrition, Natural Resources
Sand in the gut Owning horses is like having potato chips, you can’t have just one. With each horse comes a labor of love in ensuring they are well managed, especially when it comes to overseeing their gut function and keeping them free of ... READ MORE
Category: AGRICULTURE, Crops, Farm Management, Livestock, UF/IFAS