Category: Agriculture

Don’t Start Outdoor Spring Cleaning Just Yet!

Debbie Roney Smith on
Photo by local artist, Mx. Noah (click photo for more)

Your landscape, be it yard or garden, is an important part of your home. Many people have felt the urge to start straightening their outdoor spaces but don’t get ahead of yourself! The changing of the seasons is not a light switch; it’s a gradual shift. This means there are still cool days ahead. It also means that most of your garden is still snoozing or just beginning to break dormancy. Pollinators including all our beautiful butterflies, caterpillars, moths, and more over-winter in yard debris like fallen leaves and spent flower stems. When you pick the debris up and stuff/shred it into a waste bag to haul away, the next generation of beneficial pollinators are killed before they can emerge and start the cycle over. Pollinators play a vital role in healthy ecosystems; in fact, without the Southern Blueberry Bee (Habropoda laboriosa), we wouldn’t get to enjoy such a rich flush of Rabbiteye blueberries here in Florida (learn more about the crucial relationship between food production and pollinators here).

Here’s some tips and tricks for keeping your plants safe for potential weather shifts while supporting the beautiful pollinators who call our ‘yard waste’ home during the winter.

Click to enlarge
  • When it comes to trimming unsightly cold damage, please don’t. Leaving the damaged foliage helps insulate the plant and keeps it from going into shock during future cold night. Wait until spring has officially arrived to trim dead foliage (learn more about March 20th, the Spring Equinox). 
  • Want to get out in the garden but don’t want to hurt your plants or local wildlife? Consider doing one of these tasks instead of pruning/burning: start seedlings, clean your gutters, repair any broken fencing/bed edging, weed unwanted grass from beds, transplant seedlings from undesired areas, maintenance any garden tools so they’re ready for the equinox – there’s lots to do to get ready for spring!
  • When can you clean up? “Watching for insect activity is the easiest way to know when to clean up. When you start seeing insects, the spring emergence is underway. Wait a few days to be sure and go for it. Remember, leave the garden a little messy. Old twigs, perennial stems, and leaf litter all make excellent nesting and habitat sites for the coming season. If we all pitch in, we can save our pollinators, as our food chain and survival depend on these insects.”(source)

Jackson County Master Gardener Volunteer Sale

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The annual Jackson County Master Gardener Plant Sale is coming up quick. Come fill all your spring plant needs on March 22nd at the Jackson County Extension Office (located at 2741 Penn Ave, Marianna, FL 32448). Beginning at 7am, come out to get fruit trees, vegetable starts, small fruit plants, flowers, and more! There will also be various craft vendors set up AND the Jackson County 4-H Program will be selling concessions for any hungry shoppers.

For any questions or concerns, please call 850-482-9620 or email payne.abigial@ufl.edu. Follow the Facebook event page to stay up-to-date with announcements. 

Have You Heard About the Poor Man’s Fertilizer?

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‘Snow is a poor man’s fertilizer’ is an infamous expression that some consider nothing more than an old wives’ tale. But snow is actually quite useful in the garden. With record breaking snowfall across the Florida Panhandle, we got curious about the benefits of snow:

  1. Snow collects nitrogen and other particulates like sulfur as it falls through the atmosphere. When it melts, those helpful elements can help revitalize soil. 
  2. The moisture snow provides can help nourish seeds, sprouts, and seedlings so they survive sometimes unpredictable spring rainfalls without assistance. 
  3. Snow acts as a natural insulator; it has a crystalline structure that creates air pockets useful in protecting delicate roots and bulbs against radical temperature fluctuations during hard freezes.
  4. Snow moved from hard walkways such as walkways, patios, decks, or driveways can be added to grass, flowerbeds, or garden plots. This will add extra moisture to the soil rather than allowing it to evaporate.
  5. Snow can be collected in rain barrels, open troughs, or other containers to use for watering gardens or pots once it melts. 

Want to learn more about the poor man’s fertilizer? Tim Travers further explains nitrogen in his 2002 article (click here to open). 

Suwannee County Fair

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The Suwanee County Fair starts this Friday. From March 15th to 23rd, Live Oak will be hosting its over 100-year-old county fair. There will be endless fun, food, and livestock at the event. The highlight is the annual Fair and Youth Livestock Show and Sale. There will also be carnival rides, live music, deep-fried food, and more. Midway through the fair’s run is the annual Hog and Steer Sale. The fair includes two nights for the Beef Heifer Show, plus Hog, Steer, Goat, Dairy Cattle, and Sheep Shows.

To view the schedule, visit the Suwannee County Fair website. 

Jackson County Seed Library

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The Jackson County Public Library is hosting its Seed Library Kickoff tomorrow! Head over to the library from 10:30am to 1:30pm to benefit from this season’s seeds. Adults with a current library card can get up to FOUR seed packs. The Library would like to thank the Master Gardener Program and the UF|IFAS Extension Office for their support. Learn more by visiting the event Facebook page. 

Winter Veggies

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Despite the cold nights, it’s not a bad time to plant certain herbs and vegetables. Some herbs thrive in the cold weather; consider planting parsley, dill, garlic, and cilantro. The list of cold-hardy vegetables is shorter but there are still some great choices: English pea, cabbage, radish, beet, and broccoli.

Now is also a good time to start planning your spring garden, especially if you would prefer to start from seed. Beginning now gives you the time to choose your plants, secure seeds, and start them indoors. Most vegetables are more successful if they are transplanted rather than sown directly in the garden. Some good warm-season crops to start inside are tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants. 

Pensacola Poultry & Farm Animal Swap

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The Farm & Nursery Mart is hosting a Poultry & Farm Animal Swap for Pensacola and surrounding areas on January 6th from 8am-Noon. Located across from Five Flags Speedway, the event occurs on the first Saturday of each month. The Swap is a free event with vendor set up being first come, first serve. The Mart invites you to bring chickens, turkeys, bunnies, goats, quail, ducks, and small farm animals to sell, buy, swap, and trade with your fellows. There will also be plants, herbs, honey, and homemade jams to obtain. 

For more information, contact Rick Lipham at 850-287-2103. Farm & Nursery Mart is located at 7460 Pine Forest Road in Pensacola. 

Sykes Family Farm Crop Maze

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Sykes Family Farms’ 9-acre corn maze is once again open for the spooky season! Located in Elkton, this crop maze has four phases. Guests are provided with a question-filled passport to help guide them through the maze. This year’s maze is a tribute to country legend Reba McEntire; expect some themed crop patterns and more! Admission to the crop maze also includes hayrides, duck races, pedal carts, corn popper, a chance to meet the farm animals, and the playground. The maze is open during daylight hours and after dark. Please note that guests entering the crop maze after dark must have at least one flashlight or glowstick per group. Learn more by visiting the Sykes Family Farm website. The crop maze will be open October 13-15, 20-22, and 27-29. 

Mid-South Harbor Farmers Market

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Mid-South Harbor Farmers Market is hosting their monthly Farm, Garden, Craft & Animal Swap next Saturday, September 9th from 8AM – 2PM. This is a FREE event for both vendors and the community. Meet with local vendors and creators supplying fresh produce, baked items, canned goods, hand-made arts & crafts, plants, and small animals. Interested in being a vendor? Email: youngstown@midsouthlumberco.com or midsouthlumber@knology.net for a vendor application. Visit the event’s Facebook page to stay up-to-date with event announcements and more. 

 

August Gardening

Debbie Roney Smith on

August might seem like it’s too hot for planting but that’s not the case in the Florida Panhandle! Now is a good time to transplant a number of fall crops and start a variety of seeds. Transplant beets, broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collards, eggplant, kale, peppers, tomatoes, and tropical spinaches. As for seeds, now is a good time to start lima beans, pole beans, carrots, cucumbers, onions, squashes, and turnips.