The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) has many excellent tools for gardeners. This article speaks to the benefits that the Central Florida Gardening Calendar provides to those of us that like to get our hands dirty. This resource contains the information you need on what to plant and what gardening tasks to perform and when. Those tasks include pruning, fertilizing, managing pests appropriately and much more. Let’s focus on the month of February.
Under the category of ‘What to Plant,’ the headings include: Bedding plants, Bulbs, Azaleas and Vegetables. Each of the categories includes a link to another University of Florida publication on that specific topic. For example, under Vegetables, while several are listed in the Gardening Calendar, such as bean, pepper, cucumber, tomato and squash, many more are showcased in the separate Florida Vegetable Gardening Guide, http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/vh021.
Under the category of What to Do, the headings include: Palms, Citrus, Roses, Shrubs, Lawn and Citrus and other fruit trees. Under Citrus and other fruit trees, advice is to fertilize now if this was not done in January. Under Roses, prune to remove canes that are damaged, then fertilize and mulch.
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.
The Central Florida Gardening Calendar is a great free resource. You can read it online, print it or pick up a copy at our office. Something to ponder: just because you can purchase a plant at a particular time of year does not mean that is the right time of year to plant it in Central Florida. This Gardening Calendar will help you select the right plant for the right time of year.
For assistance with horticultural questions, call 744-5519 or visit us at the UF/IFAS Extension Hillsborough County, 5339 County Rd. 579 in Seffner. More gardening and workshop information is available at http://sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu/hillsborough/lawngarden/.
Remember to reuse, reduce, recycle and repeat.
