News Stories - Page 482

Some new gardeners shop hard for the best gloves, hat or kneeling mat. Some new gardeners in Thomas County gear up by wearing matching outfits and working with whatever tools the warden lets them use for the day.

Rising population and growing nutritional demands will require food production to double by 2050. Where the increase in food production will occur depends upon geopolitics, climate or climate changes and environmental considerations.

What began as a vacant lot of land and one man’s dream has blossomed into a world-renowned research garden, where materials from plant breeders across the world are tested and displayed each year. The public can get a first-hand look at the University of Georgia Trial Gardens at its annual open house July 11 from 8 a.m. until noon.

Thanks to one of the wettest springs in Georgia’s history, the drought that has gripped the state for three years has ended.

Book stores and Web sites are filled with the latest manuals geared for both advanced and novice gardeners. But if buying the newest how-to book doesn’t fit your budget, turn to University of Georgia experts for free information online.

The peanut plant grows a thick canopy of compound leaves close to the ground. This structure provides for good nuts, but makes it hard for farmers to fight diseases that attack near the soil. But the plants do something naturally that can help farmers fight these threats, says a University of Georgia researcher, and the difference can be night and day—literally.

Editor’s note: K.C. Das is an associate professor of engineering with the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, the director of the Biorefining and Carbon Cycling Program and manager of CAES biofuel research. The following is an abridged version of a Q&A on the status of bioenergy research in Georgia and its future. It originally appeared in the 2009 CAES Environmental Report magazine.

Town hall-type meetings will be held across the state to give producers a chance to learn more about the proposed ornamental horticulture commission.

May in Georgia was very wet. Temperatures were normal to 2 degrees Fahrenheit above normal. There were reports of hail or strong winds somewhere in Georgia on at least 16 days.

Growing gigantic award-winning watermelons and pumpkins takes skill, patience and time. Young gardeners across the state are encouraged to plant their seeds now if they plan to win either the annual Georgia 4-H Pumpkin or Watermelon Growing Contest this year.