Produce prices too high? Grow your own
Food prices are climbing. But gardeners can cut costs by turning a corner of their yard into a personal produce stand, says a University of Georgia expert.

Get sod ready on next “Gardening in Georgia”
Learn how to prepare the yard for sod instillation and to “clone” plants on “Gardening in Georgia with Walter Reeves” on May 21 and 24.

Water efficiency workshop May 21 in Atlanta
Anyone who wants to learn how to turn water efficiency into a financially sound investment should attend a water efficiency workshop May 21-22 at the Georgia International Convention Center in Atlanta.

Capture rain May 20 in Watkinsville
The Rain Harvesting Workshop and Accreditation Program will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 20 at the Oconee County Civic Center in Watkinsville, Ga.

Insect scouting reveals pests
If you want to control insects in your landscape, a University of Georgia expert says you have to be a good scout. But remember, a little damage won’t hurt.

Community gardens popular in metro Atlanta
Whether their motivation is feeding their families or beefing up their wallets, more than ever Atlantans are coming together to plant community gardens, says a University of Georgia garden expert.

Composting can conserve water in gardens, landscape
Composting not only saves water in landscapes and gardens, it creates plant food from trash, says a University of Georgia expert.

UGA experts share composting recipes May 6
As part of National Composting Week, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension agents and Athens Clarke-County Recycling will teach citizens about composting at the State Botanical Garden on May 6 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Stop veggie pests before they stop garden
Warm weather is a welcome sight for gardeners. But the problems it brings with insects and disease are not. Fortunately, there are several things we can do to help prevent and control them.

Termite control not for novices
You can try and control the insects inside and around your house yourself. But leave the termites to the professionals, says a University of Georgia expert.

UGA students learn to protect U.S. food supply
Dead pigeons don’t usually attract much attention. But a few hundred of them infected with avian influenza and mysteriously found in several U.S. cities would cause, at the least, a media storm.

UGA center helps build Georgia co-ops
Jerry Adams knows growing chestnuts has its ups and downs. Pilar Quintero says owning and managing a horse farm is no easy venture alone. That’s why they turned to the University of Georgia to help them form cooperatives with others in their respective industries.

UGA researchers help papaya take genetic spotlight
University of Georgia researchers are not looking to pull sweet fruit from the papaya tree branches. They’re peering deeper to study its genes and see how they compare to other plants.

Peach field day May 22 in Attapulgus
Peaches come in many varieties. Anyone who wants to see the latest and best to grow in the Southeast should go to the Florida-Georgia Twilight Peach Field Day May 22 at 5 p.m.at the University of Georgia Research and Education Center in Attapulgus, Ga.

Drought lingers across north Georgia
If Georgia has normal weather this summer, we can expect the soils to continue to dry out and groundwater levels, stream flows and reservoir levels to drop across the entire state.

Well owners responsible for their water safety
When Frank Hancock was called to the house of a mother with two children sickened by E. coli bacteria, he discovered that the water from their well was the source. He found other wells in the county with problems, too.

Reproducing black flies helps research effort
When it comes to black flies, most people would prefer them destroyed. In the U.S., their bites cause pain and welts. In Africa, they can cause blindness. But to help find ways to control the tiny pests, University of Georgia scientists maintain the world’s only research colony.

In global business, right words may translate to wrong message
The “Got Milk?” campaign slogan translates into something much different in Spanish. To be successful on the world stage, agricultural business managers and college students need to know this and the language of global markets.

Be picky about soil on “Gardening in Georgia”
Pick potting soil, prune maples and whip worms on the next “Gardening in Georgia with Walter Reeves” April 30 and May 3 on Georgia Public Broadcasting.

Locally grown food better tasting, better for you
With increasing worries about the safety of imported foods, there is an alternative, says a University of Georgia expert. Buy food grown locally.

UGA program boosts environmental, community volunteers
Mary Evans says she fell in love with nature and creation at an early age. When she heard about the adult wildlife education program called Georgia Master Naturalist, she knew it was right up her alley.

Put out welcome mat for springtime hummingbirds
Hummingbirds will soon make their way back to Georgia after wintering in Central America. Welcome them to your house by providing their favorite plants and the right food in the right places.

UGA researcher tracks pollen, resistant trait
Springtime tree pollen covers much of Georgia now. Lynn Sosnoskie plans to track a different kind of pollen this summer, one that has the potential to spread the worst thing to hit Georgia cotton in decades.

Clover Country CD generates funds for 4-H
A new country music CD featuring artists like Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton and Reba McEntire has been released as a fundraiser for the nation’s 4-H program. The megastars on the compilation not only have their musical talents in common, they were all 4-H’ers.

Gear up for spring with “Gardening in Georgia”
Is your garden looking sad and tired after the long winter? Learn how to give your garden a spring makeover on “Gardening in Georgia with Walter Reeves” April 23 and 26.

Landscape trees ready for springtime snack
Whether your landscape has fruit trees, shade trees, ornamentals or a blend, a University of Georgia expert says now is the time to fertilize.

Stay safe during severe weather season
Though Georgia can get bad weather any time, the heart of severe weather season is now until mid-May. To keep you and your family safe, be prepared with a weather radio and a little knowledge, says University of Georgia expert.

UGA workshop helps counties handle animals during disasters
After Hurricane Katrina, Don Hamilton and other University of Georgia employees took care of 3,000 abandoned animals for 10 days at a shelter in Mississippi. The experience sparked them to develop a workshop to help keep Georgia animals and citizens safer during disasters.

Right variety, timing key to backyard pecans
Many people fail to realize the potential problems facing the successful production of pecans in home or backyard orchards. They think that all pecan trees are alike.

Defuse indoor allergy triggers
The usual culprits of an indoor allergy attack are unwanted guests like dust, mold, insects and rodents.

UGA center to fight invasive species
“With global trade, now more than ever, the possibility of invasive species being introduced from any part of the world is high.”

“Gardening In Georgia" On GPB
“Gardening in Georgia with Walter Reeves” returns to GPB stations April 16 and 19.

Saddle up: Cowboy hats back on at UGA
The only rodeo on the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association circuit run completely by students will be back on the University of Georgia Athens campus April 17-19.

Gardening in Georgia returns to the air
"Gardening In Georgia" 2009 season premieres April 9 on Georgia Public Broadcasting stations.

Uncle Sam charges economy with checks
The U.S. government is giving money away this summer. But to be eligible for it, people must file a 2007 tax return.

Goat-A-Rama set for April 12
If you want to know more about goats or the milk or meat they produce, you should attend the eleventh annual Goat-a-Rama at the Washington County Farm Bureau Ag Center in Tennille, Ga., April 12.

UGA horticulture club to hold annual plant sale
Gardeners looking to add a dwarf cedar, a passionflower or other plants to their collections should stop by the annual University of Georgia Horticulture Club’s plant sale starting April 4 in Athens, Ga.

UGA researcher questions carbon-monitoring methods
Monique Leclerc is testing a theory that could turn the science of carbon measuring on its ear. If her theory proves true, it could have far-reaching implications from Wall Street to the rain forests.

Repot pot-bound plants
Spring is here. After months of being cooped up indoors, it’s finally time for gardeners to go dig in the dirt. But they shouldn’t pass by their pot-bound plants on the way, says a Georgia Master Gardener.

Help warm-season turfgrasses green-up
Warm-season turfgrasses such as Bermuda, centipede, zoysia and St. Augustine suffer some common problems with springtime green-up. Here are the ones we see most often.

Monkey grass apes turfgrass
Dwarf mondo grass is a groundcover that can look like turfgrass without a lot of fuss.

Governor honors farmers’ environmental stewardship
For more than 40 years, Danny Hogan has cared for the land that has supported his family for four generations. For his efforts, Gov. Sonny Perdue gave Hogan the third annual Governor’s Agricultural Environmental Stewardship Award.

Consumers can expect higher food prices
Americans are paying record prices to fuel their cars. They’re paying more to fuel themselves, too, according to the recently released U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistic Consumer Price Index.

Flavor of Georgia rounds out second year with a beefy winner
Will Harris’s cowboy hat stands out in a room full of bareheaded people. His grass-fed beef stands out, too. The judges took a few juicy bites of his rib eye recipe and awarded him overall winner of the second annual Flavor of Georgia food products contest.

Turfgrass conf. May 5-6 in Tifton
Anyone interested in the latest turfgrass research, varieties or maintenance strategies should attend the 62nd annual Southeastern Turfgrass Conference May 5-6 on the University of Georgia Tifton, Ga., campus.

Mundane studies keep safe, high-quality food on Georgia tables
You may not find research in fruit and vegetable diseases to be intriguing, but if you no longer had high-quality fresh food on your plate, you might change your mind. If federal earmark funding is taken off the table for America’s land-grant universities, the safety of our abundant food supply will suffer.

With planning, diabetics can enjoy Easter goodies
Jelly beans, marshmallow peeps, Cadbury eggs and chocolate bunnies. The signs that Easter is on its way are all around. Just because the holiday has sweet treats doesn’t mean it spells disaster for people with diabetes.

Volunteers lauded by Georgia's governor
Master Gardeners across the state donate their time to help fellow gardeners in their areas. That time is considered priceless by the University of Georgia county agents who rely on them, but you can put a dollar value on it, says the program’s coordinator.

“Gardening in Georgia” premieres April 9
"Gardening In Georgia" returns in April to Georgia Public Broadcasting with another season of hands-on gardening guides just for Georgia gardeners.

Speculators drive cotton prices high
There are no fundamental economic forces of supply and demand driving the current cotton market.

Read plant labels thoroughly
Reading nutritional labels can help you make the best food selections for your body’s needs. Taking the time to read plant labels can help you do the same for them.

UGA, green industry help Georgians conserve water
Drought is predicted for Georgia this summer. To help home gardeners, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension and green industry experts put their heads together and developed tips Georgians can use to keep gardens green while saving water.

UGA, green industry tips for water conservation
The University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and Georgia urban agriculture industry urge citizens to go green. Following are tips they developed to help Georgians do this.

Landscape bidding workshops March 13-14 in Athens
Landscape professionals who want to make sure they make the right bid for the job should attend computer software training workshops March 13 -14 at Conner Hall on the University of Georgia campus in Athens.

Dangerous imports
In 2004, for the first time ever, the United States imported more food than it exported. If this trend continues, a University of Georgia expert predicts cases of foodborne illness will rise in the U.S.

Earth’s original satellite guides good gardening
Farming and gardening by the signs, or phases, of the moon goes back to the days when dinosaur bones were tillage instruments.

Ice cream supports national 4-H program
If you love cupcakes, ice cream and 4-H, you’ll want to try Blue Bell’s latest creation, Centennial Cupcake. While satisfying your sweet tooth, you’ll be supporting the national 4-H program.

Tiny worms are underground root destroyers
Most garden pests can be seen crawling and nibbling their way across plants. But tiny subterranean pests could be attacking your garden without you knowing it.

Don’t let the ‘achoos’ keep you from gardening
About one in five people suffer from allergies, many of them plant related. That doesn’t have to keep you indoors come spring, garden experts say.

Brown named assistant dean of UGA Extension
Steve L. Brown has been named the assistant dean for the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension, said J. Scott Angle, the dean and director the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

2008 edition of annual UGA Spring Garden Packet
Welcome to the 33rd annual Spring Garden Packet. Put out each year by the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, this edition has 27 feature articles written by 14 CAES faculty members and graduate and undergraduate students to provide timely, valuable gardening information.