Fruits & Vegetables

Overview

Fruits and vegetables are Georgia's number-two cash crop, but the popularity of commodities like peaches, tomatoes, blueberries, and fresh greens is not limited to commercial producers. Interest in home gardening continues to grow as people realize the nutritional and economic benefits of home-grown produce, and learn that it's relatively easy to augment your family's food selection right from your own backyard. On this page, visitors can find publications and web resources to help them have the best gardens possible — with the least amount of labor!

Publications

Extension Publications

• Forest Farming - Forest Gardening Growing Alternative Crops Under a Forest Canopy
• Organic Vidalia Onion Production
• Home Garden Eggplant
• Mulching Vegetables
• Commercial Blueberry Inventory and Prospectus, Georgia, 2002
• Commercial Watermelon Production
• School Gardens: Planning an Edible Garden
• School Gardens: Less Expensive Sources of Plant Material, Amendments and Tools
• Growing Fruits
• Carrot Production and Processing in Georgia
• 2012 Peanut, Cotton and Tobacco Performance Tests
• Home Garden Asparagus
• Winemaking at Home
• Home Gardening
• Southern Highbush Blueberry Marketing and Economics
• Peanut Response to Liberty
• Growing Home Garden Sweet Corn
• Experiments and Observations on Growing Mayhaws as a Crop in South Georgia and North Florida
• Home Garden Muscadines
• Home Garden Broccoli

To see an expanded list of these pubs , go to the CAES Publications site or the FACS Publications listing.

News

For the latest news about Extension, visit Georgia FACES. News you can use about Georgia family, agricultural, consumer and enviromental sciences.

• Tomato yellow leaf curl virus threat to tomato crop
• Adding mulch to vegetable plants increases yields, saves water
• Keep garden rows wide enough to cultivate, narrow enough to shadow out weeds
• UGA-Tifton Campus holds annual Agricultural and Environmental Awareness Day
• Auto-steer driving peanut farmers to success
• UGA plant produces blueberries up to four times the size of average berries
• USAID grant to fund global UGA peanut research
• Blueberry breeder Scott NeSmith wins UGA Inventor's Award
• AgrAbility helping farmers get back to work
• Fluctuating weather patterns reduces Vidalia onion crop yields

Websites

UGA-affiliated

• Department of Horticulture
  Describes the department's academic degree and research programs. Includes calendar of educational events as well as educational resources.
• Georgia Master Gardener
  Gives an overview of the program to train and certify individuals in horticulture and includes extensive links.
• Home & Garden Drought
  Resources to help home owners and gardeners respond to drought.

External sites

• State Botanical Garden of Georgia
  Site detailing the attractions, programs, research, and events at this "living laboratory" for learning about gardening and nature.
• Walter Reeves
  A wealth of gardening resources and tips from this well-known Extension garden specialist.
• Your Southern Garden
  The South's best source of educational and entertaining gardening information. A co-production of the University of Florida/IFAS and the University of Georgia, with sponsorship from the Scotts Company.

Training

Cooperative Extension offers training within local communities on a wide array of topics. To see if there are training events in your area, please visit our calendar.

• Master Gardener Volunteer Training
  Individuals are trained and certified in horticulture and related areas, then volunteer their expertise and services, under the direction of their Cooperative Extension Agent, to help educate others through horticultural projects that benefit the community.