Niceville now has lawn, landscape, and garden help

Master Gardeners staff the Niceville Youth Center from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Monday. The Youth Center is located at 200 Campbell Drive.

The University of Florida has offices in all 67 Florida Counties. These Extension offices are part of the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences and they offer you the “front door” to UF experts.

UF/IFAS Extension in Okaloosa County now offers assistance to citizens with lawn, landscape and garden questions at three locations.

UF/IFAS Extension Master Gardener volunteers in Okaloosa County staff the Extension Annex in Fort Walton Beach every Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. to help local residents with their lawn, landscape and garden questions. The Extension Annex is located at 127 West Hollywood Boulevard.

Thanks to the assistance of Niceville’s City Manager, Lannie Corbin, Master Gardener volunteers have recently started staffing a building in Niceville to provide help to local residents with their lawn, landscape and garden questions. Master Gardeners staff the Niceville Youth Center from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Monday. The Youth Center is located at 200 Campbell Drive.

The UF/IFAS Extension Office in Okaloosa County is located at the Gerald R. Edmondson Extension Building, 3098 Airport Road in Crestview. Our office is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. each weekday.

Note: These locations may not be open on holidays.

Each of these three locations can help you with questions related to your lawn, landscape, and garden as well as testing the pH of your soil. Knowing the soil pH can help you do a better job in selecting appropriate plants and provide guidance on what is needed to adjust the soil pH.

In addition to the above, UF/IFAS Extension can help in the following areas.

Agriculture: With an annual statewide impact of well over $100 billion, agriculture is vital to Florida. We provide relevant and timely resources to food producers and others who need information about Florida agriculture.

Family & Consumer Sciences (FCS): Through FCS, we provide information about health nutrition, money management, food, home concerns, relationships and many other topics. Our resources can help you whether you are retired, a first-time parent, a teen or someone in between.

Horticulture: Florida presents unique challenges for growing lawns, landscapes and gardens. So we offer research-based information and advice to assist both the home gardener and the professional horticulture industry.

Natural Resources and Coastal Management: We provide information in the areas of wildlife and forestry management, aquaculture, seafood safety and ecotourism.

4-H: 4-H is the youth development program of the Cooperative Extension System of land-grant universities. Through 4-H, young people from elementary school through high school engage in hands-on learning activities in the areas of agriculture, science, citizenship, leadership and healthy living.

Visit http://solutionsforyourlife.com to learn more about UF/IFAS Extension.

Larry Williams is the Extension horticulture agent with the Okaloosa County Cooperative Extension Service, University of Florida. Contact Larry at 689-5850 or email lwilliams@co.okaloosa.fl.us.