Welcome to the 34th annual Spring Garden Packet. Put out each year by the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, this edition has 25 feature articles written by 14 CAES faculty members, news editors and graduate and undergraduate students to provide timely, valuable gardening information." /> Welcome to the 34th annual Spring Garden Packet. Put out each year by the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, this edition has 25 feature articles written by 14 CAES faculty members, news editors and graduate and undergraduate students to provide timely, valuable gardening information." />

CAES Newswire

 College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences UGA Cooperative Extension
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Published on 02/26/09

2009 edition of annual UGA Spring Garden Packet

Welcome to the 34th annual Spring Garden Packet from the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. Written by 14 CAES faculty members, editors and graduate and undergraduate students, these 25 feature articles are provided to help you give your readers the timely, valuable gardening information they want. Your UGA Cooperative Extension county agent (call 1-800-ASK-UGA1) can help you localize these features. The stories are available on Georgia FACES at a georgiafaces.com.

This year’s edition is split into sections. First, you’ll find articles on fruits and vegetables, followed by general gardening, gold medal winners, trees and interesting insects.

Fruits and vegetables
1. Homegrown veggies inexpensive, tasty – Sharon Dowdy
2. New life for old tomato varieties – Terry Kelley
3. Start trellising soon after plants start growing – Kelley
4. Is it possible to grow food on your balcony? – Allie Byrd
5. Broccoli, cauliflower do well in Georgia gardens – Kelley
6. Melons provide treats for taste buds – Kelley

General gardening
7. Planting for pollinators – April Sorrow
8. Staying friends with bees in the garden – Paul Thomas
9. Successfully grow indoor plants – Byrd
10. Free advice for home gardeners – Faith Peppers
11. Soil test solves garden mystery – George Boyhan
12. Compost: Recycling at the next level – Geoffrey Brown

Gold medal winners
13. 2009 winners – Stephanie Schupska
14. ‘Hot’ annual receives magazine fame – Bodie Pennisi
15. Arkansas blue star a fall show-stopper – Pennisi
16. Winning vine valued for beautiful leaves – Gary Wade
17. Evergreen shrub a fragrant winner – Wade
18. Lavender twist redbud ‘stops traffic' – Wade

Trees
19. Tree planting tips – Kim Coder
20. Consider tree shapes, sizes – Matthew Chappell
21. Trees honor Georgia heritage – Coder
22. Are your trees boys or girls? – Coder

Interesting insects
23. Wasps aren't all bad – Whitney Boozer
24. Scary-looking insect assassins – Boozer
25. Ant biology – Boozer

Here are all of the annual UGA garden packet articles for the past eight years:

(Stephanie Schupska was principle editor of the 2009 Spring Garden Packet and is a news editor with the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.)

Stephanie Schupska is the communications coordinator with the University of Georgia Honors College.

Experts/Sources:
A student harvests red clover at UGArden. CAES News
UGA horticulture class shows students the science behind herbal remedies 04/16/24 Sameeka Prabath Rajamani
The field of medicine is ever-changing, and the use of herbal medicines may play a bigger role in health care as the value of natural remedies gain recognition in the Western world. Students at the University of Georgia’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences are delving into the field of medicinal remedies through the class “Herbs, Spices and Medicinal Plants.” Offered to undergraduate students through the Department of Horticulture, the class helps students develop a deeper understanding of the connection between nature and health.
Using robotics to help sort onions on Georgia farms CAES News
Using robotics to help sort onions on Georgia farms 04/15/24 David Mitchell
During the pandemic, labor problems became acute on many farms in Georgia and across the country. Farms once staffed by humans to bring produce from the field to stores for purchase were suddenly short-staffed, and the global supply chain was severely impacted. Working with UGA’s Vidalia Onion and Vegetable Research Center and A&M Farms in Lyons, Georgia, a team of researchers led by School of Computing Professor Prashant Doshi is designing collaborative robots to mitigate some of these potential challenges.
2024 honorees are William D. Branch, Georgia Seed Development Professor in Peanut Breeding and Genetics in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, and Elzie Argene Claxton, an agriculture educator and 1980 CAES agricultural education graduate who went on to earn a master’s degree in 1982 and education specialist degree in 1984 from UGA’s College of Education. CAES News
Innovator, educator inducted into the Georgia Agricultural Hall of Fame 04/11/24 Maria M. Lameiras
An innovator in peanut breeding whose research revitalized an industry and an ardent champion of agricultural education were inducted into the Georgia Agricultural Hall of Fame at the 68th University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Alumni Association Awards in Athens. The 2024 honorees are William D. Branch, Georgia Seed Development Professor in Peanut Breeding and Genetics in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, and Elzie Argene Claxton, an agriculture educator and 1980 CAES agricultural education graduate.
Peach growers are looking forward to a fruitful season as the weather this winter and spring have been near-perfect for the sensitive crop. This year is projected to be a much-needed comeback from the disastrous season they experienced after a late freeze in March 2023 took out more than 90% of the state's crop. (Photo by Dorothy Kozlowski/UGA) CAES News
Growers hopeful 2024 peach season will rebound from disastrous 2023 04/10/24 Emily Cabrera
Last year, the peach industry lost $60 million due to the late freeze that hit much of the Southeast in mid-March 2023, said Jeff Cook, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension agent for Peach and Taylor counties. With no freezing temperatures in the forecast and hope for strong pricing during the upcoming season, peach growers are looking forward to a much-needed rebound year.
UGA wheat breeder and geneticist Mohamed Mergoum smells one of several test brews created by Creature Comforts on its annual Get Comfortable collaboration using a variety of wheat Mergoum developed at CAES. CAES News
Creature Comforts partners with UGA wheat breeder to create 2024 Get Comfortable brew 04/09/24 Maria M. Lameiras
Wheat breeders spend years meticulously crossing varieties to coax the best traits out of each species, carefully propagating plant varieties that are healthier, heartier and better suited for the environments where they are grown. Brewmasters are equally painstaking when choosing the components that will give their beers a specific flavor profile. These two exacting professions came together this spring when Athens-based Creature Comforts Brewing Co. reached out to the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences to find a sustainable wheat variety they could use to make a good beer for a great cause.
The Arch seen through the columns of the Holmes Hunter Building. (Photo by Dorothy Kozkowski/UGA) CAES News
UGA celebrates winners of 2024 Public Service & Outreach Faculty Awards 04/08/24
Six University of Georgia faculty and staff members are being honored for their commitment to public service and outreach. These honorees have made significant career-spanning contributions to UGA’s public service mission through scholarship, service-learning opportunities for students and campus leadership. All have created a legacy of extraordinary impact through special projects and long-term achievements to propel a better quality of life for the people of Georgia.