Food Gardening
Fruit – Homeowner Spray Guide
Georgia is a great state for fruit production. Unfortunately, it is also a great state for the insects and diseases which limit fruit production. Growing fruit organically is possible…but it demands a huge amount of time and effort. Most novices...
Miracle Berry
Berries that make a lemon taste sweet?? When retired Fernbank Science Center naturalist David Funderburk sent me a note about his trip to Fort Lauderdale, I had to save it for reference: ————— Walter - Occasionally I encounter a “new”...
Citrus – Cold-hardy
I am frequently asked if there is any citrus plant that can be grown outdoors year-round in Atlanta. Unfortunately, there is none. Freezing temperatures doom them in winter. Further south, gardeners tell tales of certain citrus that “has grown in...
Fire Blight
Apples, crabapples and pears are susceptible in spring to a bacterial disease known as fire blight (fireblight). The most noticeable symptom is the sudden death of the new leaves at the end of a branch. The dead sprouts may be...
Broccoli
Brassica oleracea var. botrytis Broccoli is a member of the mustard family, and grows along the seacoasts of Europe from Denmark to France, and in other locations from Greece to Great Britain. • More detailed information can be found in...
Onions and Leeks – Home Garden
Growing Onions and Leeks in the Home Garden by Orin Martin taken from the Center for Agroecology & Sustainable Food Systems newsletter zzyx.ucsc.edu/casfs/community/20.2.pdf Over time the genus Allium, which includes onions, leeks, and garlic, has been variously listed under the...
Tomato – Early Blight
Most tomato gardeners have seen the symptoms: lower leaves turn bright yellow then drop off the plant. As the season progresses most leaves may drop off the tomato vines, leading to sunscald of fruit if any form. The disease is...
Tomato
Lycopersicon lycopersicum Tomatoes are unquestionably the most popular garden vegetables in the United States. The flavor of a newly picked red tomato from your garden easily surpasses that of premium, greenhouse-grown fruit and no other vegetable comes close to producing...
Squash – Pollination
Gardeners growing yellow squash and zucchini may notice that many blooms come on the plant early but fall off without forming fruit. Members of the cucurbit family (melons, squash, pumpkins, gourds) have separate male and female blooms on each plant....
Potato
Solanum tuberosum The potato ranks with rice and wheat as one of the world’s leading food crops. It is the number one vegetable crop, grown in nearly every country of the world. The potato is actually a shortened stem called...
Spinach
Spinacia oleracea Spinach is probably native to southwest Asia. Gardeners have cultivated it for centuries as a salad green and cooked vegetable. Even though many youngsters are dissuaded by early experiences with boiled spinach, most adults eventually appreciate its diversity...
Pea, Southern
Vigna unguiculata To a Southerner, “peas” means blackeyed, not English. Also known as field pea, cowpea, and protopea – or just plain Southern pea – these high-protein bean relatives come in a huge array of pod and seed color, size,...
Squash
Cucurbita pepo, Cucurbita moschata, Cucurbita maxima, Cucurbita mixta Squashes are warm-season vine crops with flavorful flesh. The many types are divided into summer squash, grown for the immature fruit, and winter squash, which is harvested mature. • More detailed information...
Sorrel
Rumex acetosa (scutatus) Sorrel, commonly called garden sorrel, produces leaves with a sharp, lemony flavor. A high oxalic acid content, which may be troublesome for persons subject to gout, causes the sharpness. • More detailed information can be found in...
Asparagus
Asparagus officinalis Asparagus is a cool-climate perennial plant that is fairly well adapted to all but the hottest areas of the South. Its tender spears, which arise from the crowns in the spring, make it an appetizing product of the...
Mustard Greens
Brassica juncea This leafy relative of cabbage and collards is grown early in the season and also as a fall crop. Mustard, close in popularity to collards and turnips, is an important green vegetable in southern gardens and one of...
Lettuce
Lactuca sativa No other salad crop is grown or used in such large quantities as lettuce, which has become an essential part of salads. Lettuce is a cool-weather crop that can be grown in spring or fall. Hot weather causes...
Pepper
Capsicum annuum, Capsicum chinense, Capsicum frutescens Peppers are available in so many types and varieties that most gardeners stick to a few types that they will use in their recipes. The most familiar peppers are the bells: green-red, yellow, purple-lilac,...
