• The first “Gardening in the Panhandle LIVE!” of 2022 will discuss growing tomatoes, live on Feb. 17 at 1 p.m. Eastern, noon Central.
• Recordings are posted afterward at tinyurl.com/GardeningLive.
• Zoom requires pre-registration, and viewers have another option to tune in on Facebook Live. An expert monitors each platform’s comments to answer viewer questions live.

A free virtual series for home gardeners, guided by the expertise of UF/IFAS Extension horticulture agents, returns in 2022 with a slate of new topics: the ever-popular tomato, pollinator-friendly gardening, and even subtropical fruits.

The series is aired concurrently on both Zoom and the “Gardening in the Panhandle” Facebook page. Events are live on Thursdays at 1 p.m. Eastern/noon Central, with the first session, “Growing Tomatoes in Northwest Florida,” on Feb. 17. Zoom participants can submit questions in advance when they register at tinyurl.com/GIP-Tomato.

“We’re now in our third year of hosting this program, and we continue to pull in new topics and expertise, often based on some frequently asked questions,” said Julie McConnell, UF/IFAS Extension Bay County horticulture agent and coordinator of the series, which initially launched in the early days of COVID-19. “Although our expertise is focused on the specific needs of our climate here in the Panhandle, presenting virtually makes this open to anyone and also means we can get UF/IFAS experts from other parts of the state.”

The series is abbreviated this year, skipping the summer months, but with topics just as engaging as in previous years.

“For a topic like lawns, we’ve covered that each year, but this year we’ll also bring in a new element with some alternative groundcovers,” McConnell said. “And that’s not to mention the brand-new topics like subtropical fruits that can be grown in our area and addressing some gardening myths.”

The remainder of the schedule is as follows:

March 31: Turfgrass and Groundcovers

April 14: Subtropical Fruits for the Florida Panhandle

May 19: Native Pollinators and their Favorite Flowers

Sept. 15: Winter Garden Planning

Oct. 13: Gardening Myths and Home Remedies

Recordings are closed captioned and uploaded to a YouTube playlist (tinyurl.com/GardeningLive). All previous topics – from herb gardening to beekeeping to tree maintenance – can be viewed there now.

Stay up-to-date with upcoming events at facebook.com/GardeningInThePanhandle and tinyurl.com/yc7xv94j.

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The mission of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) is to develop knowledge relevant to agricultural, human and natural resources and to make that knowledge available to sustain and enhance the quality of human life. With more than a dozen research facilities, 67 county Extension offices, and award-winning students and faculty in the UF College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, UF/IFAS brings science-based solutions to the state’s agricultural and natural resources industries, and all Florida residents.
ifas.ufl.edu  |  @UF_IFAS

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