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The Neighborhood Gardener – August

Happy gardening!

Master Gardener volunteers, don't forget to register for the 34th Annual State Master Gardener Conference to be held this October.

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Square Foot Gardening

raised bed divided into sixteen squaresAugust is a great time to start planning your fall garden. There are so many ways to grow edible plants in your landscape. While many people are familiar with traditional rows of edible plants, square-foot gardening offers something a little different. Square-foot gardening allows you to make your vegetable garden more of a landscape feature. More

Wendy's Wanderings

Wendy WilberI have often joked with new Master Gardener classes that the MG program is a support group for plant addicts. We love trying new plants and seeing what boundaries we can push with them. I find myself going to the nursery just to see what is new to try. On a recent visit to a nursery in St. Johns County I bought a plant that is meant for zone 9B and I live in 8B. I guess like many gardeners I have "zone envy." More

UF Leader Writes About Wendy Wilber

Dr. Jack PayneRecently, Jack Payne wrote a great piece about our new State Master Gardener Volunteer Coordinator, Wendy Wilber for an industry publication. Jack Payne is the Senior Vice President for Agriculture and Natural Resources and the administrative head of the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) at the University of Florida. You can follow him on Twitter at @JackPayneIFAS, where he shares horticulture news, his thoughts on the state's agriculture industry, photos of Florida's natural resources, and more. More

Plant of the Month: Watermelon

GardeniaWith winding vines and large ripe fruits, watermelon can take up quite a bit of room in the garden. If you have the space, it can be well worth the opportunity to have these delicious fruit treats right in your own back yard. If you missed planting your watermelon at the beginning of the year, August gives gardeners across the state another chance. Those in South Florida can even continue to plant through September. More

August in Your Garden

Keep track of rainfall and be sure to adjust your irrigation accordingly. UF/IFAS even has an app to help you figure out how much water your lawn really needs.

For more month-by-month gardening tips, check out the Florida Gardening Calendar. Three different editions of the calendar provide specific tips for each of Florida's gardening regions—North, Central, and South.

Friend or Foe? Neither: Moles

Spittlebug mass on turfMoles are really more of a nuisance animal than a true garden foe. While their tunneling is unsightly to many gardeners, the damage is usually aesthetic. Moles themselves do not intentionally harm plants. These tiny mammals tunnel through landscapes to find the soil insects and invertebrates that make up their diets. If you can learn to live with their tunnels, moles may actually do you a favor by eating potentially harmful insects like mole crickets, grubs, ants, and slugs. More

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Success Stories

  • We're looking for inspiring, Florida-Friendly success stories from your county. Submit yours today to Wendy Wilber.

Other Resources

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