Lynn Barber, Hillsborough County Extension
The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences has an excellent tool for gardeners. It is the Central Florida Gardening Calendar. This resource contains the information you need on what to plant and what to do, such as landscape maintenance, pest management and much more. Let’s focus on the month of September.
Under the category of What to Plant, the headings include: Annuals/Bedding plants, Bulbs, Herbs and Vegetables. Each of the categories includes a link to another University of Florida publication on that specific topic. For example, under Herbs, while several are listed in the Gardening Calendar, such as Mexican tarragon, mint, rosemary and basil, many more are showcased in the separate, herb specific publication.
Under the category of What to Do, the headings include: Lawn problems, Perennials and bulbs, Irrigation, Citrus and Vegetable Gardens. Under Irrigation, during September, you should check your inground irrigation system to be sure it is working properly because our rainy season will end soon. September or October is the time to fertilize citrus. Scout for insects in your turfgrass or landscape beds and divide your perennials, which you can transplant in another area of your landscape or share with your friends and neighbors. You can prepare your vegetable garden area and plant plants versus seeds to produce a crop more quickly. Seeds work well too, but take more time. Hopefully, the temperatures will decrease soon so we can spend more time outside.
For more information on What to Plant and What to Do, you can access the Central Florida Gardening Calendar at: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ep450. It will save you time and money by planting plants, fertilizing and pruning at the right time of year.
Lisa Meredith said, “This is one of my favorite UF/IFAS Extension tools. I keep a copy at home and one in my car. You never know when you might visit a gardening center and purchase a few more plants.”
For assistance with horticultural questions, call 744-5519 or visit the UF/IFAS Extension Hillsborough County, 5339 CR 579 in Seffner. More gardening and workshop information is available at: hillsborough.ifas.ufl.edu.
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