The pace of life typically slows in panhandle Florida as the temperature rises. For the youth, the exhilaration of freedom from the daily schooling grind passes into a leisurely lull which requires forethought only about the next snack. For most air conditioner acclimated adults, it is all about the thermometer readings and the rain. The…Read more
Author: Les Harrison
Les Harrison is a longtime resident of north Florida, having attended public schools in three counties. He has a Bachelor Degree from the University of Florida in Journalism and a Master’s of Science from Auburn University in Agricultural Economics. He is the author of more than 2000 newspaper and magazine stories and journal articles. During his career, he held positions in private, government and educational (university level) sectors. He holds the title of Extension Agent Emeritus. He can be reached at harrison.gl@gmail.com.
Taking Good Care of Your Trees Before It’s Too Late
News sometimes feels like it is rarely good news. Politics, the economy, the national debt and the list goes on. To add potential injury to all the cheerless information, the storm prognosticators are forecasting an above average number and intensity of hurricanes for 2025… the bad news never ends! Anyone who has lived in panhandle…Read more
Signs of Summer and What Comes After
In case it has escaped anyone’s attention, May 2025 is turning out to be a hot and humid month. This trend is not a surprise for anyone who has lived in panhandle Florida for at least a year, but there are many new residents to the region who are having their first experience with north…Read more
A Natural Alternative for a Sweet Tooth
Getting children interested in home gardening is, to say the least, a challenge. Instead of relaxing on soft cushions in climate-controlled comfort where the WIFI signal is strong, the youngster must put down the electronic device and go outside. When in the great outdoors, there are hand tools to be used which require physical exertion….Read more
A Time for Tomatoes and More in the Sunshine State
Two popular vegetables will soon be producing in panhandle Florida vegetable gardens. One will come to the end of its season in a few weeks, and the other one is just beginning. Tomatoes and peppers have a long history in the region’s home gardens and a much longer history of being cultivated in the New…Read more
A Bountiful Buffet for Beautiful Butterflies
One of the seemingly permanent casualties of the COVID-19 pandemic has been salad bars. This restaurant offering had mass appeal to the public and as such, there were many to be found. Diners on a diet could feast on a variety of leafy greens and raw vegetables. There were, of course, a few high caloric…Read more
Making Compost (And Making It Work)
With spring in full swing, gardeners everywhere are often inclined to apply soil nutrients in the form of commercial fertilizer products in hopes of getting better performance from their plants. Annuals, perennials, ornamentals, vegetables and even trees will respond to the addition of these elements in proper amounts to further nourish home landscapes and gardens….Read more
Frogs and Toads of the Sunshine State
As April 2025 quickly progresses towards May, the thermometer readings feel like June going into July. The little creatures which live in this region are reacting to the sultry environment. One of the many creatures which is encountered in or near freshwater are frogs in one of their developmental phases. Florida has 27 native frog…Read more
Keeping the Pests Out of the Garden
It is a weird and perverse universal cosmic law. This particular statute compounds all that is positive and correct, and turns it into a negative. This is why if a slice of buttered toast is dropped, the chances of it landing with the butter side down is directly proportional to the value of the rug….Read more
The Yearly Return of the Garden Pests
“Thus out of small beginnings greater things have been produced.” So said William Bradford, five-time governor of the Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts’ early days. He certainly had the credentials and track record to make this observation valid. Bradford was one of the pilgrim leaders who guided his followers out of the Netherlands and to a…Read more