Horticulture Resources
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Most gardeners realize that they must manipulate the soil in their garden to successfully grow vegetables. Whether by hand, with a shovel, or a mechanical piece of equipment, tilling is an important practice for reducing compaction and mixing organic amendments into the soil. While smaller gardens and most raised beds can be turned with hand tools, larger gardens may require more sizable equipment. One of the home gardener’s most useful tools is a mechanical tiller.
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Red cabbage is a highly nutritious vegetable crop, rich in minerals, vitamins, and several other chemical compounds that are beneficial for human health, including phenols, proteins, glucosinolates and anthocyanins. While red cabbage belongs to the same group as the other cabbage varieties (white and green) widely produced and consumed in the state, red cabbage production and consumption in Georgia is still low. This publication contains basic information on crop management, food safety practices, and biochemical properties of red cabbage.
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Summer squash is one of the most popular warm season vegetables grown in home gardens. Unfortunately, the levels of insect attacks on summer squash have risen dramatically over the last 10 years. Safe and effective controls are needed to help produce this important crop with all of the pressures of insect pests. This publication will discuss both organic and non-organic solutions for homeowners to try in their home garden, including the use of barriers, trap crops and chemical controls.
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C 1179
Fertilizing the Home Garden
This publication covers the basics of how to correctly fertilize the home vegetable garden. It discusses the differences between organic and synthetic fertilizers and the advantages and disadvantages of both. The circular also includes information about the importance of soil testing along with detailed instructions for fertilizing a new garden as well as more established vegetables.
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C 1206
Homegrown Pumpkins
While pumpkins are edible and grown for both their flesh and seeds, they are more commonly used as fall decorations. This member of the cucurbit family can be found in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. While pumpkins are not very difficult to grow, they do require a substantial amount of space for their sprawling vines. Selecting the right cultivar and following good cultural practices are key to successfully growing pumpkins.
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C 1218
Homegrown Cabbage
Cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitate) is a cool-season vegetable that is a member of the cole crop family. There are several types of cabbages available to grow, and they can all be eaten raw or cooked in a variety of ways. This publication covers the basics of how to grow cabbage in the home garden, including selection, planting, and maintenance information for growing this popular vegetable.
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C 1303
Muscadine Grape Management
This phenology-based muscadine grape management poster provides a reference for sound viticultural, disease, and insect management practices in a digestible format. Produced in cooperation with University of Tennessee, North Carolina State University, University of Arkansas, and Auburn University. A publication of the Southern Region Small Fruit Consortium.
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In this video, you will learn how to judge the optimum maturity of strawberries for harvest and how to identify the main quality attributes that are important for maximum postharvest shelf life.
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Additional author: Mengmeng Gu, Professor, Colorado State University Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture.
Biochar has been proposed to be beneficial to the environment and plants. However, many people do not know what biochar is, what can biochar do, or how biochar can be used. In Part 1 of this publication, we provide introductory information on biochar used to partially replace peat moss as a container substrate component.
The International Biochar Initiative defines biochar as a solid material obtained from the carbonization of biomass, which may be added to soil to improve soil functions and reduce emissions from biomass that would otherwise naturally degrade to a greenhouse gas. Other researchers define biochar as a multifunctional material related to carbon sequestration, greenhouse gas reduction, soil contaminant immobilization, soil fertilization, and water filtration.
To simplify things, we’ll adopt the most popular definition: biochar is a black, carbon-enriched solid with a porous structure, mainly used in agriculture and environmental industries. Biochar is normally made from the thermal decomposition of biomass materials at high temperatures (570–2200 °F) in a low-oxygen or no-oxygen environment (this process is also known as pyrolysis). Biochar can be produced from pyrolysis of different materials such as pine bark, sugarcane bagasse, rice hull, and straw.|