UGA Vegetable Gardening Publications
With food prices high, folks have been thinking about growing some of their own food. Food gardening is not hard and it doesn’t have to take much room in your landscape. You can even do it in containers! These gardening publications are available on the Internet or ask for a...
Shrub – Transplanting 1-2-3
Most shrubs and trees should be transplanted when the demand for water is least, in late fall or winter. Since many roots will inevitably be lost, they need many weeks to regenerate themselves before the hot, dry blasts of summer arrive. If you are contemplating moving a plant that would...
Shrub – Pruning Calendar
The Home & Garden section of the Atlanta Journal and Constitution published a very nice pruning calendar several years ago. When viewed on a sheet of newsprint, it was gorgeous. When reduced to fit onto a sheet of typing paper it was impossible to read. I imagine you didn’t keep...
South Africa Adventure – 2014
As many of you know, I led a group of gardeners and spouses to South Africa in 2010. The memories of that vibrant, beautiful, surprising country still linger in my brain! We had such a good time I’ve decided to lead another group trip there in January, 2014. Want to...
New Gardening Books
I regularly receive interesting-looking gardening books from publishers. I don’t have time to read them all or give an intelligent review but I know they would appeal to many gardeners. These are some of the books I’ve gotten recently. You can click the link under the book cover images to...
Brussels Sprouts
Brassica oleracea var. gemmifera Named for the city in Belgium where they first attained popularity, Brussels sprouts have been grown there since the early 1300s. Gardeners usually refer to them as a cole crop. • More detailed information can be...
Cabbage
Brassica oleracea var. capitata Cabbage is a cole crop, a member of the mustard family, Cruciferae. It is one of the oldest recorded vegetables, mentioned in literature 3,000 years ago. • More detailed information can be found in The Georgia...
Rutabaga
Brassica napus Rutabagas, also known as “Swedes” or “Swedish turnips,” are a cool-weather, giant cross between the turnip and cabbage. The rutabaga is also related to collards, kohlrabi, and Brussels sprouts. • More detailed information can be found in The...
Parsnip
Pastinaca sativa Parsnips were among the first vegetables brought to Virginia and Massashusetts by colonists in the early 1600′s, and Native Americans quickly began growing these large, white-rooted plants in their own gardens. • More detailed information can be found...
Carrot
Daucus carota var. sativas These vegetables with their bright orange roots may not appeal to the youngest family member as part of a favorite meal-or any meal for that matter. It seems that early peoples may have shared the youngster’s...
Crapemyrtle, Crape Myrtle, Crepe Myrtle – Which is Correct?
When I exhorted my radio listeners to check out my web pages on how to prune crapemyrtles, several sent plaintive notes that they simply could not find the correct pages on my website. The reason is that I spell the...
Turnip
Brassica rapa var. rapifera Turnips are cool-weather members of the cabbage family, which includes broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and kohlrabi. • More detailed information can be found in The Georgia Fruit & Vegetable Book by Walter Reeves and Felder Rushing...
Tomatoes – How they Ripen
If you’ve ever wondered about how tomatoes ripen, how the Flavr Savr tomato was introduced or how biotechnology could affect the lowly tomato, thses lecture notes are for you Biotechnology and the Tomato This publication also works very well as...
Tomatoes – Evaluating Different Varieties
My friend Terry is a garden experimenter…but best of all, he likes to share his information. Here are his thoughts on tomatoes: “I know you like to experimant with tomatoes other that the same ones we see at our local...
Yam Identification versus Sweet Potato
WHEN IS A YAM NOT A YAM?Thanksgiving Thoughts Rhoda Love Bulletin of the Native Plant Society of Oregon Last Thanksgiving I cooked some canned yams. At least the large print on the cans proclaimed them to be yams “Princella Brand...
Eggplant
Solanum melongena var. esculentum Most people recognize eggplants with their dark purple fruits and wonder how they got the name. Actually, there are varieties with small white fruits that look very much like eggs hanging on the plants. • More...
Leek
Allium ampelopasum The leek is a biennial onion relative that is grown as an annual for its long, thick stem, which is used for mildly flavoring salads, soups, and other cooked dishes. • This information can be found in The...
Endive – Escarole
Chicorium endivia If you’ve ever had a salad that tasted quite bitter, it probably had one or both of these leafy greens mixed in. • This information can be found in The Georgia Fruit & Vegetable Book by Walter Reeves...
Okra
Abelmoschus esculentus Okra is a relative of hollyhock and hibiscus that hails from the hottest parts of Africa. Gardeners grow the tall, leafy plants for their immature fruit pods or seed pods that they use to thicken soups and stews...
Onion
Allium cepa One of the oldest crops in human history, gardeners grow these members of the lily family for the immature green bunching onions, often called scallions, or for the mature dry bulbs. Onions seem to have originated in the...
Pea, English and Snap
Pisum sativum var. sativum Pisum sativum var. macrocarpon (Sugar Pea) Peas are decidedly cool-weather plants, intolerant of hot weather. As soon as the weather warms up, production ceases, much to the dismay of many pea-loving gardeners. Plus, peas lose their...
Broccoli Rabe
A recent e-mail asked a simple question: “Where can I find broccoli rabe seed?”. Now, broccoli I know – but broccoli rabe seemed to be a different kind of plant. Off to the Internet races I went again. I immediately...
Malabar Spinach
Basella rubra Also known as “climbing spinach,” this ornamental summer vine, from the tropics of India, is not a true spinach but its thick, fleshy, slightly-crinkled, heart-shaped leaves and tender young shoot tips can be harvested as they grow and...
Weeds – Identification with Pictures
Weed control in the landscape is a tough business. You have to know a lot about the weed in question just to get started! As in most situations, a picture is worth a thousand words. Websites Preen has terrific weed...
Diagnosing Holes in the Yard
Sometimes many heads are better than one when it comes to solving a problem. Wade Hutcheson, my Extension colleague in Spalding county, gets plenty of calls from the citizens of his area asking his help in identifying various holes in...
Brown Patch – Diagnosing
You have brown patches of dead grass in your lawn. Is it the common lawn disease ‘brown patch’ or is it something else? The answer is important: if it is brown patch you probably need to spray with a fungicide....
Bermuda – Weed Control
BASIC INFORMATION: Weed Identification Pictures General Turf and Weed Info Lawn Care Calendars THREE METHODS There are three primary methods of controlling weeds. Any one method, when used alone, will not usually control all of your weeds. To consistently control...
Lawn – Timing Pre-emergent Herbicide
One of the sourest phrases that can be directed at a child or adult is “I told you so!” Whether you touch a hot match, leave tools out in the rain or lift cinder blocks all afternoon, someone is usually...
Crapemyrtle – Pruning
One of the most confounding arguments I face is whether and how to prune crapemyrtles. They are mercilessly “murdered” by unaware landscapers and homeowners each winter… yet they still bloom in summer. Some people even believe a crapemyrtle won’t bloom...
Lawn – Growing in Shade
OK. I admit it. I have given up. I came to the conclusion that grass just would not grow in the corner of my lawn near the ornamental cherry trees. The shade there is so dense that my grass, no...
Lawn – Leveling
A new home in my neighborhood had bermudagrass sod planted in March. By May, one area was a perfect checkerboard of straight lines, composed of weedy plants, surrounding the individual squares of sod. Evidently the sod installers were in such...
Bermuda Grass – Disease – Brown Patch
Brown patch is most prevalent on bermudagrass which has been heavily fertilized when night temperatures are above 68 degrees and day temperature are above 80 degrees. Dead patches of grass may start small but can grow and join together to...
St. Augustine Grass Seed – Where to Buy
Q: Please tell me where I can buy St. Augustine grass seeds. Our lawn has some now and we like it a lot, but we’re having trouble finding seeds. A: You can’t buy St. Augustinegrass seed. The plant is very...
