The uncertainty of weather makes winter gardening a challenge in panhandle Florida. It is too cold for the summer vegetables, and the ups and downs of the temperature can make cool season crops a challenge. If it is warm too long the leafy, cool season vegetables will bolt, putting up flowers to produce seeds. When…Read more
By the time this post is read, the Christmas gifts so carefully wrapped with care and love will be shredded beyond recognition. At least the list of seasonal activities and social engagements will have been somewhat reduced. The current five-week holiday period ends with New Year’s Eve and the start of 2024. Luckily this is…Read more
Christmas decorating traditions reflect the culture where the holiday is celebrated. The use of red and green as the colors for the celebration arrived with the European settlers centuries ago. Without the readily available accessories which could be delivered to home porches with the click of a button, the newcomers had to innovate. Local foliage…Read more
The winter weather has finally arrived. The temperatures have retreated to the seasonal averages and, fortunately, the rain has been sufficient to ensure good growing conditions. There are currently plenty of cool season leafy garden crops in production among panhandle Florida’s gardeners, but one vegetable offers a variety of uses and taste selections. Garlic planted…Read more
An often-heard refrain is “I hope it gets cold enough to kill all the bugs.” While the thought is understandable from some perspectives, it is totally impractical. Most bugs and other tiny critters, be they insects, arachnids or worms, are beneficial to human habitation of the planet. They provide a myriad of important, but often…Read more
One common complaint about vegetable gardening is it takes so long for the end product to be ready for harvest. In most cases the average is 90 days, but some can extend out to 180 or more. Another is the seasonal limitations of plants. The range of acceptable temperatures is relatively narrow for most, but…Read more
The cool days and cooler nights of December have removed home gardening from the minds of many suburban residents recently arrived in panhandle Florida. Much of the region’s commercial vegetable production has moved to warmer counties in the extreme southern parts of the state. However, the holiday season has refocused the attention of many to…Read more
Notoriety can be a positive attribute when events go as planned (or hoped). Such is the case with the much-heralded Monarch Butterflies’ recent departure. These colorful insects have garnered the interest and concern of tens of thousands, if not millions, of people who are worried an age-old annual pilgrimage to winter grounds in Mexico may…Read more
The traditional season of harvest and the gatherings of families and friends is at hand. A celebratory holdover from past generations who were completely dependent upon the land for food and other critical resources, in November one counted their blessings collectively or tightened their belt individually for a long and dismal winter. Today’s residents of…Read more
Many of the native wildflowers in north Florida are a reflection of the season’s changing light levels, no matter what the thermometer reads. They are providing numerous fall colors and hues. One of the most common in panhandle Florida is Bidens alba. It is known by an assortment of common names including Spanish needles, Beggar’s-tick…Read more
