Meet Dr. Gary Knox!

Meet Dr. Gary Knox!

Gary Knox is professor of environmental horticulture and Nursery Crops Extension Specialist at the University of Florida/IFAS at the North Florida Research and Education Center (NFREC) in Quincy. Dr. Knox is heavily involved in research and extension on nursery/landscape problems like Rose Rosette Disease, Crapemyrtle Bark Scale, and invasive plants. On a more uplifting note, he also evaluates perennials for their attractiveness to pollinators, and new woody plants for their ornamental qualities and usefulness in Florida landscapes. These plant evaluation activities largely take place in “Gardens of the Big Bend,” a new botanical, teaching and evaluation garden established in 2009 and located on the grounds of NFREC. The Gardens are a collaboration of NFREC with Gardening Friends of the Big Bend, Inc. (GFBB), a nonprofit volunteer group of gardening enthusiasts and Green Industry professionals. Members of GFBB actively volunteer to develop, maintain and fund-raise for the Gardens as well as assist Dr. Knox with research and extension activities.

This 2019 photo shows Gary at the fabulous gardens and fountains of Villa d’Este in Tivoli outside Rome, Italy.

Gary’s current plant passions include magnolia, crapemyrtle, camellia, hydrangea, Southern bulbs, succulents, and palms (so many species, so little time!). It’s no secret that he is particularly fond of magnolias, going so far as to serve four years as president of Magnolia Society International (MSI), the organization supporting magnolia conservation and research. Gary’s roles with UF and MSI have taken him from Cuba to China and England to Ecuador promoting magnolia conservation and research. Furthermore, Gary is a “Johnny Appleseed” of the magnolia world by collecting rare Magnolia species to propagate and share them with botanic gardens in Florida and nationwide to help conserve these species in as many places as possible. The collection of Magnolia species at Gardens of the Big Bend has been named part of the National Collection of Magnolia by the Plant Collections Network, a collaboration of the American Public Gardens Association and USDA.

When not gardening at home, Gary and husband Ken particularly enjoy travel, whether across the country to visit family, or abroad to visit inspirational gardens and historical sites and to meet people from other cultures. Otherwise, you might find Gary meeting friends to play cards and board games, attending civil rights-oriented events, or collecting vintage restaurantware made in his hometown of New Castle, PA. With more than 30 years under his belt at UF/IFAS, Gary is looking forward to retirement, but he’s not quite ready for it yet!

 

New Demonstrations in the UF/IFAS Extension Building at the North Florida Fair

New Demonstrations in the UF/IFAS Extension Building at the North Florida Fair

There are hands-on agricultural crop displays and much more in the UF/IFAS building at the North Florida Fair. Photo by Molly Jameson.

There are hands-on agricultural crop displays and much more in the UF/IFAS building at the North Florida Fair. Photo by Molly Jameson.

New Demonstrations in the UF/IFAS Extension Building at the North Florida Fair

Every year during the North Florida Fair in Tallahassee, extension agents from all over the Florida Panhandle showcase their various programming in the UF/IFAS exhibitor building. This includes educational displays and hands-on activities in areas such as horticulture, agriculture, livestock, 4-H youth, natural resources, and family and consumer sciences.

Once you have your fill of fair rides and funnel cake, see a live educational demonstration at the UF/IFAS building! Photo by Molly Jameson.

Once you have your fill of fair rides and funnel cake, see a live educational demonstration at the UF/IFAS building! Photo by Molly Jameson.

For instance, visitors can view and touch agricultural crops grown in our area, play in a giant tub of actual cotton, match images of song birds with their names, make a 4-H craft, and learn about the importance of wildlife habitat for animals.

This year, Extension is including even more to do and learn in the UF/IFAS building. There will be live demonstrations taking place throughout the fair week, which is November 7 to 17 this year.

Did you know you can convert recycled containers, such as milk jugs and soda bottles into self-watering planters? Or that when saltwater reef fishing, if fish are brought to the surface too quickly, it can rupture their organs? Learn all about these concepts and more during the UF/IFAS Extension Live Demonstrations.

UF/IFAS Live Demonstration Schedule:

Turn all types of containers into self-watering gardens, such as planting a strawberry in a plastic jug using strips of old cloth as a wick. Photo by John Edwards.

Turn all types of containers into self-watering gardens, such as planting a strawberry in a plastic jug using strips of old cloth as a wick. Photo by John Edwards.

Saturday, November 9:

  • 1:00 p.m. – Food Safety with Extension Agent Kendra Zamojski
  • 2:00 p.m. – Avoiding Barotrauma while Deep Sea Fishing with Extension Agent Andrea Albertin

Monday, November 11:

  • 1:00 p.m. & 4:00 p.m.  – Reef Fish Catch and Release Techniques with Extension Agent Laura Tiu

Tuesday, November 12:

  • 6:30 p.m.  – Rose Propagation with Extension Agent Matt Orwat

Thursday, November 14:

  • 6:15 p.m. – Starting Plants in Recycled Newspaper with Extension Agent Paula Davis
  • 7:00 p.m. – Food Safety with Extension Agents Laurie Osgood and Amy Mullins

Saturday, November 16:

  • 3:00 p.m. – Planting with Recycled Containers with Extension Agents Molly Jameson, Mark Tancig, and Allison Leo

Sunday, November 17:

  • 7:00 p.m. & 8:00 p.m.  – Reef Fish Catch and Release Techniques with Extension Agent Erik Lovestrand

For more information about the North Florida Fair, visit the website at http://northfloridafair.com/.

See you at the fair!

UF/IFAS Extension in Awe of Volunteers

UF/IFAS Extension in Awe of Volunteers

During my three years working for the Extension Office, I have found that Extension work leaves you extended in many different directions. There are expectations to perform at many different levels and to serve many different constituent groups. From interactions with professional organizations, to assisting with community-wide events, to getting the word out to folks unfamiliar with Extension, it adds up to a lot of potential work out there.

Helping homeowners and/or industry with their specific issues is definitely where the rubber meets the road. Fortunately, in 1973, an extension agent in Washington State came up with a great plan – train interested volunteers in how to properly handle specific requests so they can help get all of this work done. And so was born the Master Gardener Volunteer (MGV) program. In Florida, we are entering the 40th year of the MGV program! Since National Volunteer Week is this week (April 7-13), I thought I would take the opportunity to celebrate the work of MGVs in our area.

In Leon County, one MGV, Janis, has been coordinating the vegetable gardening group, locally known as the VegHeadz, for 8 years. More than once, I’ve heard praises of Janis for her ability to get folks excited about “enter vegetable here”, maybe a Chayote squash, Malabar spinach, food forests, cover crops, soil organic matter, and the list goes on. What makes Janis such a great MGV is her ability to share gardening information, which comes from her pure passion for the topic and her desire to keep learning and experimenting. In addition to sharing information, the VegHeadz also donate much of the produce harvested from our office, approximately 300 pounds a year, to the Second Harvest Food Bank.

Our happy VegHeadz Group after a day of work in the garden. Led by the incredible Janis Piotrowski (center, black shirt). Credit: Mark Tancig

In counties throughout the panhandle, there are other MGVs providing research-based horticulture information to school groups and civic organizations. Many of them spend time helping to teach Floridians of the importance of protecting Florida’s natural resources while creating a beautiful landscape through the use of Florida-Friendly Landscaping principles.

Clearly, volunteers are great because they help UF/IFAS, and other organizations, get more work done without any monetary input. However, many studies have found that it’s not just the organization who benefits. Based on a review of research published by the Corporation for National and Community Service, volunteers not only give, but also receive the following benefits:

  • Lower mortality rates, greater functional ability, and lower rates of depression than those who do not volunteer
  • Physical and social activity and a sense of purpose at a time when their social roles are changing
  • Higher levels of happiness, life-satisfaction, and self-esteem

The same research review found that volunteers have a greater level of trust in their community, greater level of trust in their local government, and are twice as likely to donate to charitable causes. So not only do the organizations and the individuals benefit, but the whole community shares in these volunteers’ selfless donation of expertise and time.

Now, during National Volunteer Week, be sure to thank a volunteer for their work. If you see MGVs at community events, please say thank you for their role in spreading research-based, environmentally-sound horticulture knowledge to the community.

Improve Your Life with Panhandle E-Extension Newsletters and UF/IFAS EDIS Resources

Improve Your Life with Panhandle E-Extension Newsletters and UF/IFAS EDIS Resources

If you are a regular reader of Gardening in the Panhandle, you know that this e-newsletter covers many topics related to ornamental and vegetable gardening, Florida-friendly landscaping, pest management, and lawn and garden fertility.

But did you also know that UF/IFAS Extension in the Florida Panhandle has four other E-newsletters covering topics such as Florida agriculture, wildlife and natural resources, 4-H youth, economic well-being, health and nutrition, and overall life quality for individuals and families?

These other E-Extension in the Panhandle newsletters include Panhandle Agriculture , Panhandle Outdoors,  4-H in the Panhandle, and Living Well in the Panhandle.

[notice]Additionally, UF/IFAS also has an extensive collection of publications on many of these e-newsletter topics. If you haven’t already, check out the Extension Data Information Source (EDIS) website. It is a comprehensive, single-source repository of all current UF/IFAS numbered peer-reviewed publications. Visit EDIS for a complete listing.[/notice]

As a Gardening in the Panhandle enthusiast, here is a list of horticulture and gardening related EDIS publications you might find useful:

Vegetable Gardening

Home Lawns and Landscapes

Soil and Fertility

Pest Management

So You Want to be a Farmer? Workshop Series

So You Want to be a Farmer? Workshop Series

Are you an avid gardener and looking to step it up a notch? Are your gardening eyes bigger than your dinner plate? If you have ever considered selling your bounty for market, you will certainly need to do your homework! One such step you can take is to attend the UF/IFAS Panhandle Extension Team’s So You Want to be a Farmer? Workshop Series.

There’s a lot to know if you want to get into this business! This series aims to introduce new or potential farmers to innovative and environmentally safe production practices, concepts of soil and water management, integrated pest management, how to grow for a farmers’ market, and farm financial management.

Agricultural professionals are actually in high demand. There is an estimated 60,000 highly skilled jobs in agriculture available annually, but only about half of these positions are being filled by graduates in agricultural fields. Additionally, Florida’s farmers are an aging group, and there was an 8% decrease in the number of farms and 26% decrease in acres of cropland from 2002 to 2012.

Fortunately, demand has greatly increased in recent years for locally produced specialty crops, meats, and dairy. There has also been an increase in the number of direct marketing opportunities and small farmers have been able to adopt new technologies, such as season extension techniques and local online marketing, to generate more revenue on small acreages.

The UF/IFAS Extension Panhandle Agriculture Team is hosting the So You Want to be a Farmer? Workshop Series to assist beginning or novice farmers as they navigate the many challenges of getting started.

If you are interested in attending, please register on the So You Want to be a Farmer? Eventbrite page. The cost is $10 per session, with sessions at multiple locations within the east Florida Panhandle.

Please see workshop dates and further details below: