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.
Gardening during the summer of 2024 has been “interesting”, to say the least, in panhandle Florida. The temperatures have been higher than recent averages and several storms have been quite violent. The environment’s tantrums limited the choice of crops to the stalwarts able to handle the 90-degree temperatures, high humidity and the intermittent rains, some…Read more
As the days become marginally shorter, it is safe to say the leaf raking season is on the horizon. The weeks leading up to the cooling weather can be productively spent on a variety of tasks or idled away thumbing through the library of last spring’s gardening catalogs which are by now pretty shopworn. While…Read more
The opening of 2024’s tenth month has cooler weather on the horizon, finally. While the lawn mowing schedule slowed during September with the shortening days, the unusually warm weather kept turf growing at a rapid pace. The impending seasonal change dictates several behavioral adjustments when it comes to the proper care and maintenance of yard…Read more
Autumn has finally arrived, at least on the calendar. Weather forecasts still predict some days in the low 90’s, but at least the humidity has moderated a bit. While some residents of panhandle Florida consider working in the home landscape a chore, many view it as a means of enhancing their personal environment. One of…Read more
Simple, easy and low maintenance are not normally terms applied to growing vegetables in panhandle Florida, or anywhere else. To every rule, however, there are a few exceptions, and gardening is no different.Gardeners in the coming cool season have many advantages to go along with the challenges. Insects are few to non-existent, there are far…Read more
September is a month of curious contradictions and juxtapositions, at least for gardeners in panhandle Florida. Depending on the individual characteristics of the environmental factors of the year, events and occurrences can, and often do, cancel each other. Still, much can be accomplished during this transitional period from summer to autumn. The summer of 2024…Read more
The weather forecast currently states there is likely a reprieve coming from the hot and dry weather being experienced by the residents of Florida’s panhandle. Some locales in the northwest portion of the state have already experienced rain and cooler (albeit not cool) weather. While the change cannot come soon enough for the human residents,…Read more
Ever since June 20 of this summer, the days have been getting gradually shorter. On Sunday, September 23, 2024 the autumnal equinox will occur and the days will continue to get inexorably shorter. This change in the length of daylight is so subtle it is not noticed by most of the human residents of panhandle…Read more
Panhandle Florida’s gardens are still producing in August, at least in plots where the weeds have not overtaken the remaining vegetable plants. Granted, the choice of crops is limited to a few stalwarts able to handle the 90-degree plus temperatures, the high humidity and the intermittent rains, some of which have been brutal in their…Read more
Late summer is the time for enjoying panhandle Florida’s great outdoors. There is gardening, boating, cycling, hiking and numerous other leisure time activities which enhance the area’s pleasant natural environment. It is easy to forget that not all nature has to offer is an enjoyable experience. One consideration before tromping off into unfamiliar forests, and other…Read more
