Madison County Master Gardener's Association

GARDENING TIPS from The University of Georgia, Cooperative Extension.

Composting: Composting is a practical and convenient way of recycling leaves, lawn clippings and trimmings from the lawnscape. It's also an economical way of producing rich humus that can be added back to your soil. Composting is not just a practice for farmers, rural residents, or serious gardeners. Anyone with a landscape can benefit both the environment and their landscape by composting.

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Dealing with Nuisance Wildlife: Many people enjoy simply watching wildlife. Nest boxes for birds, bats and other wildlife are popular items purchased or constructed by many people. Americans spend large amounts of money feeding wildlife -- primarily birds. In addition, gardening, landscaping and wildlife observation are popular past times for young and old alike. While many people enjoy watching wildlife, sometimes wildlife interferes with other human activities. Wildlife eat our birdseed, dig up our gardens and landscape plants, and eat or damage our fruit, flowers and vegetables. When wildlife populate a place where they are unwanted or cause damage to valuable plants or structures, they are no longer appreciated. Instead they become a nuisance . This paper will discuss some basic principles for dealing humanely with nuisance wildlife.

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Fertilization of Lawns: A good fertilizer program is necessary for a healthy, attractive lawn, but it must be combined with correct mowing, irrigation and pest control practices for best results. Such a program includes the correct type and amount of fertilizer applied at the right time. The first step in establishing a quality lawn is to determine the fertility level of the soil you're working with. A soil test is the best way to do this. The results of a soil test include recommendations for the fertilizer type, amount and application timing for your lawn. You can contact your local county extension office for more information about soil testing. Use the " general" fertilizer recommendations in this publication only as a substitute for such as analysis.

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Lawns in Georgia: An attractive lawn makes an ideal setting for a home and adds beauty to an area. In addition, a lawn reduces dust, glare and heat, muffles noise, helps prevent erosion and surface runoff and provides a good play area. It can also increase the value of your property. Establishing and maintaining an attractive lawn requires time, effort and money. This publication provides you with the information needed to obtain an attractive lawn.

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Soil Testing: Determining the fertility level of a soil through a soil test is the first step in planning a sound lime and fertilization program. This step leads to higher crop yields and quality by following recommended application rates. A soil test provides the means of monitoring the soil so deficiencies, excesses and imbalances can be avoided. Many Georgia soils are low in pH and one or more of the essential plant nutrients. Therefore, to maintain normal plant growth, lime and fertilizer must be supplied in sufficient quantity to meet the crop's requirement. A soil test will determine the soil's contribution to the crop requirement, with lime and fertilizer supplying the remainder. Contact your local county extension office for additional infomation.

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Vegetable Garden Calendar: This calendar is prepared mainly as a reminder and guide for planning your garden work. The following recommendations are based on long-term average dates of the last killing frost in the spring and first killing frost in the fall. Every year does not conform to the " average," so you should use your own judgment about advancing or delaying the time for each job, depending on weather conditions.

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Water Restrictions, Coping with: Residents in many counties throughout Georgia are currently facing restrictions or bans on outdoor water use. When watering restrictions are imposed, there are a number of things homeowners can do to help plants make the best use of water in the landscape.

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