Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Announces Official Pack Date for 2019 Get those taste buds ready, Vidalia onion lovers, because America’s favorite sweet onion will soon be on the way. The Georgia Department of Agriculture and the Vidalia Onion Committee announced that the pack date for the 2019 Vidalia season is Monday, April 22. “With tremendous consideration after consultation with the Vidalia …
Growing Beans in Your Garden
In planning what vegetables to grow, Cathy Isom has some great reasons for growing beans in your garden. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. If you’ve ever wondered about growing your very own beans at home, one plant can produce ample harvest. The plants are sturdy and low-maintenance. And bean plants are an excellent companion for many other …
Senate Poised to Support Home Vegetables Gardens
The Senate next week could approve a measure aimed at preventing local governments from regulating homeowners’ vegetable gardens. Senators on Thursday took up the bill (SB 82), sponsored by Sen. Rob Bradley, R-Fleming Island, and positioned it for a vote. The issue stems from a legal dispute between homeowners Hermine Ricketts and Laurence Carroll and the Village of Miami Shores …
APHIS Launches Webpage for Pests and Diseases
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is launching a new “Pests and Diseases” webpage. The new page lists all pest and disease programs managed by APHIS as part of its mission to protect American agriculture and natural resources. On the new page, users can search by type (plant, animal), keyword (avian, fruit fly, cotton), …
Growing Your Own Tomatillos
Cathy Isom gives you some great tips about growing your own tomatillos. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Tomatillos look like small green tomatoes, and do belong to the same nightshade family, but they’re slightly different plants. An unripe green tomato, for instance, isn’t the same thing as a tomatillo. Tomatillos don’t turn red and are covered in …
USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant Program Applications Being Accepted
The Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries (ADAI) is accepting grant applications for projects that enhance the competitiveness of U.S. specialty crops in foreign and domestic markets. The application deadline for these specialty crop block grants through the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is April 18, 2019, 5 p.m. CST. Specialty crops are defined by USDA as fruits and …
USDA Provides Funding to Florida to Support Projects that Protect Agriculture and Natural Resources
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is allocating $7.2 million to Florida as part of its effort to strengthen the nation’s infrastructure for pest detection and surveillance, identification, and threat mitigation, and to safeguard the U.S. nursery production system. Overall, USDA is providing $66 million in funding this year to support 407 projects in 49 states, Guam, Puerto Rico, and …
It Could Be Lights Out for Some Diseases and Pests in Strawberries
Natalia Peres envisions a day when light from a machine that resembles a spacecraft helps prevent powdery mildew from causing much damage to strawberries. Peres, a professor of plant pathology at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, works with a global group of scientists studying how to use ultraviolet light to suppress plant pathogens. Powdery mildew …
Growing Kale for Greens Year-round
Cathy Isom gives you a few good tips about growing the low maintenance plant that will give you a continuous supply of greens throughout the year. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Kale has about a dozen varieties and is one of the wonderfully versatile plants that you can transplant or sow nearly anytime during the season. Though …
Mustard Greens-a Good Spring Crop
Cathy Isom fills you in about the raw green with a unique flavor you can continually grow every few weeks. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Mustard greens add just the right amount of zing to dishes, and they’re easy-as-pie to raise. They’re a versatile plant, too. You can grow mustard micro-greens in under a week, or you can …