Seed saving lecture and plant clinic happening in June

OKALOOSA COUNTY, Fla.—Many gardeners have questions about saving seed, such as which seeds can be saved, how to harvest and store seeds, and how long seeds can be saved and still be viable. These and more questions will be answered at our June Lecture Series on Monday, June 17, 2024.

The UF/IFAS Extension Master Gardener volunteers in Okaloosa County will provide a lecture titled ‘Saving.’ Margaret Stewart, UF/IFAS Master Gardener volunteer and Extension Program Assistant in Okaloosa County, will be the speaker.

The approximately one-hour lecture will begin at 10 a.m. and be held at the Okaloosa County Extension Office at 3098 Airport Road in Crestview, Florida.

There is no charge to attend, but seating is limited, and registration is required. Please use this Eventbrite link to register: MG-SeedLecture0617.eventbrite.com.

The June plant clinic will be held on Friday, June 21, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the temporary UF/IFAS Extension Annex, located in the back of the Okaloosa Technical College Campus at 1976 Lewis Turner Boulevard in Fort Walton Beach.

The plant clinic is not a lecture-type program but provides a place for individuals to bring samples of their lawn, landscape, or garden plants for diagnosis, including weeds and insects for identification.

To participate, bring a fresh sample of the weed, plant, insect, etc., to the clinic. This may include a plant stem with several leaves, a four-inch square of grass with roots attached, etc.

Completely dead plants or samples from the middle of a dead lawn area are not helpful for diagnosis. For accurate diagnosis, it’s best to bring samples that exhibit early symptom development and have plant parts that are still partially alive.

You may also bring a soil sample from your lawn, landscape, or garden for pH testing.

Use a clean shovel, trowel, or soil probe to collect a representative sample by taking thin slices or cores of soil to a depth of six to eight inches from 10 different spots throughout the plant bed, lawn, or garden.

Thoroughly mix all the small soil slices/cores together in a clean bucket. Place one to two cups of this mixture in a closable plastic bag or small throwaway plastic container and bring it to the clinic for testing. Attach a slip of paper with your name, phone number, and where the sample was taken (e.g., lawn, vegetable garden, flowerbed, etc.).

Call the UF/IFAS Extension Office at 850-689-5850 for more info about these events.

The University of Florida is committed to providing universal access to all of our events. For disability accommodations, such as alternate formats of written material, please contact Larry Williams, llw5479@ufl.edu, 850-689-5850, at least one week in advance.

Larry Williams is the Extension Horticulture Agent with the Okaloosa County Cooperative Extension Service, University of Florida. You can contact Larry at 689-5850 or email lwilliams@myokaloosa.com.

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