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Gardening

Roll up sleeves and dig in to learning

By MARY COLLISTER
Published December 16, 2005

With all the other activities taking place, it may be difficult to find much time to spend in the yard. Luckily with the little bit of rain and cooler weather we've enjoyed, we can get by with neglecting the landscape for a while.

This might be a good time to seek out a little education.

The Hillsborough County Cooperative Extension Service, part of the University of Florida extension program, offers many benefits.

A lot of information is available on http://hillsborough.extension.ufl.edu/index.htm or call 744-5519.

Here are a few of its programs:

Master gardener. This popular program requires a course in Florida gardening. Once trained, a master gardener helps the extension service educate others. Master gardeners give presentations at libraries, staff phone lines at the extension service office in Seffner, create and maintain the demonstration gardens, and do a host of other things.

The training sessions, usually held in the fall, typically meet once a week for five hoursfor 10 consecutive weeks. A fee of $125 covers the classes and master gardener notebooks. After 50 volunteer hours are completed, $50 is refunded.

The classes include pests and diseases, plant propagation, botany, soils and plant problem diagnosis. The information will, of course, be personally helpful, and after completing the required courses, you will have the opportunity to share your knowledge with gardening fans throughout the county.

Master composter. If you prefer to specialize in only one aspect of gardening, you might be interested in the master composter program.

These volunteers provide information and workshops for county residents interested in recycling as much of our garden waste as possible. This a cooperative effort between the extension service and the County Solid Waste Management Department.

General knowledge. The extension service offers classes each month on topics like ground covers, bulbs, rare fruit, water-wise gardening and herbs. You can check the Web site for the dates and locations, or give the office a call and asked to be put on the mailing list.

Water wise, critter friendly. The Florida Yards & Neighborhoods program educates homeowners about the techniques and benefits of Florida-friendly landscaping.

The Water Wise Program covers xeriscape principles, water conservation and drip irrigation. The Backyard Wildlife Habitat Program teaches you how to landscape with plants that will offer food and habitat for our Florida wildlife.

This is just a bit of what is offered at the extension service. Take a few minutes to look at its Web site and you'll undoubtedly pick up new information on Florida gardening or find a few classes you're interested in taking.

More good sources of information:

Local nurseries. Before the holidays is usually a busy time for them, but if you wait until shortly after the first of the year, you may be lucky and find a knowledgeable source to help you choose one plant for your landscape or help you with an entire design.

If you are looking for design help, take in a sketch of your yard and a list of what you want and don't want in your landscape.

If you catch them with few customers in the nursery, most are more than happy to offer suggestions. The smaller, privately owned nurseries are more likely to have staffers who know what they are doing and can help you choose appropriate plants for the area.

Internet. Go to any search engine and type in "Florida gardening" and you'll be busy for hours looking at sites. When I tried this on Google, the first list of 10 was the beginning of a list of 10,000,000! As I said, there are hours and hours of education and possible entertainment here.

If you stumble upon any of the forums (some you must join), it can be fun to read about other gardeners' exploits (some successful, some not so).

Often you'll run across the same concern you may have in your landscape and be able to pick up a few hints about a solution. The forums are especially enjoyable on days when the weather is not conducive to working in the yard.

Other gardeners are, of course, the best source of information. Check the St. Petersburg Times' Saturday garden section for a calendar of meetings, shows and sales. Going to one of the club meetings specializing in a particular plant (perhaps orchids, natives or ferns) is the best way to garner needed knowledge.

Bookstores, although crowded this time of year, are another place to find information on gardening. Many of the garden books have absolutely beautiful pictures and may be a good place to take a break from a hectic shopping trip. Or you may be able to finish some of your holiday shopping there.

Even you if are taking a short sabbatical from working in your yard during the holidays, you can continue to expand your gardening knowledge and be better prepare to dig and plant once the season passes.

[Last modified December 15, 2005, 10:05:12]