Planting Pinellas

Discover how to create beautiful landscapes that support Florida’s native pollinators. This month we're chatting with special guest Dr. Joyce Fassbender about her connection with pollinators and the Xerces Society. From familiar friends like bees and butterflies, to surprising stars like birds and bats, pollinators are all around us. Learn simple, year-round strategies to turn your yard, balcony,...

Sustainable Gardening may seem daunting, but it's ok to start small as long as you start somewhere. Today we’re diving into practical, low-cost techniques that help you capture water, retain moisture, build soil, and reduce maintenance. https://ffl.ifas.ufl.edu/about-ffl/9-principles/ Rain gardens https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/design/types-of-gardens/rain-gardens/ Compost https://gardeni...

From Earth Month to Arbor Day, April is a great time to talk about trees! From selection and placement, to planting and care, we dig into how to get the most out of your trees - including the ones on publicly managed land. Carolyn Cheatham Rhodes from Pinellas Urban Forestry is our guest this month. NOTE: Find your watering schedule and conserve water during drought conditions. SWFWMD Watering Res...

From Friday the 13th, to St. Patrick's Day, March is a month of luck - but not all of it is good! Join us for our 1 year anniversary episode where we dive into the free plants that nobody asked for: harmful invasives. Removing invasive plants https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/care/florida-friendly/clean-out-the-invasives/ SWFWMD/UF-IFAS Invasive plant resources: https://www.sfwmd.gov/sites/d...

Companion planting is not a list of what to plant side by side, it is a concept based on polyculture. It incorporates elements of IPM, crop rotation, soil health management, and plant diversity to reduce pest pressure, improve resilience, and support beneficial organisms. Rather than relying on fixed pairings, it focuses on creating balanced plant communities that use space, nutrients, and timing...

The UF/IFAS Extension in Pinellas County connects residents to practical, research-based expertise from the University of Florida, helping people make informed choices about gardening, environmental stewardship, family wellness, and youth development. Through trusted, non-commercial guidance and community programs tailored to local needs, the Cooperative Extension strengthens quality of life acros...

Florida boasts over 10,000 miles of rivers and streams, about 7,800 lakes, more than 700 freshwater springs, and the U.S.’s second-longest coastline. Establishing low-maintenance zones along the waterfront is an important step to protect Florida's water quality. Please help UF/IFAS serve you better by completing this voluntary brief survey (https://ufl.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bE1cjfce16blIkS). W...

Fertilizers, pesticides, debris, and eroded soil carried in stormwater can wreak havoc on our water quality. Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ seeks to retain and use as much of the rainfall and irrigation water that lands on our home landscapes as possible. Stormwater control features can be a beautiful addition to your landscape. Creating shallow rain gardens or shaping the earth on slopes with berm...

Recycling is more than just sorting metal or plastic out of your garbage. Reclaimed materials in the garden can create beauty while protecting resources. Using yard waste for composting is a sustainable way of creating organic fertilizer. Decomposing organic matter releases nutrients back to the soil in a form that plants can easily use. Recycling yard waste (FFL™) https://ffl.ifas.ufl.edu/about-f...

Healthy and resistant plants are the best defense against garden pests. Follow the "right plant, right place" rule when buying and planting, and use good cultural practices. Early detection and removal of infected plants or plant parts should precede applications of chemicals Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is a strategy that helps gardeners manage pests with as few chemicals as possible. To prev...

Bring Your Yard To Life By Providing Water, Food, And Shelter For Birds, Butterflies, And Other Creatures Florida is a state renowned for its diverse and unique ecosystems. The Great Florida Pollinator Census https://gsepc.org/ https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/sarasotaco/2024/07/19/the-great-southeast-pollinator-census/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gv02xa5JyRg Count event at Florida Botanical Garden...

Mulch helps retain soil moisture, protects plants, and inhibits weed growth. It gives your landscape a neat, uniform appearance and is a great Florida-Friendly choice for hard-to-mow areas and shady spots. Keep a 2- to 3-inch-deep layer of mulch on plant beds. Be sure to choose sustainably harvested mulch like melaleuca, pine straw or eucalyptus. The Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ Program does not...

An efficient irrigation system conserves water and helps to ensure that fertilizer and other pollution doesn’t flow into water bodies. However, even an efficient irrigation system can waste water if not appropriately programmed and regularly maintained. If an irrigation system is present, a rain sensor irrigation shutoff device should be installed and maintained to prevent irrigation after a rain...

This second episode in our series on the 9 Principles of Florida-Friendly Landscaping digs into Principle number 3: Fertilize Appropriately. Plants have varying nutrient needs, depending on the species, the age of the plant, and its location. It’s not always necessary to fertilize your plants or lawns, and too much fertilizer can weaken a plant, promote disease, and invite pests, in addition to wa...

Today's episode begins our series discussing the 9 Principles of Florida-Friendly Landscaping with a closer look at principle number 1: Right Plant, Right Place. Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ (FFL) means using low-maintenance plants and environmentally sustainable practices. Achieving a healthy, low-maintenance home landscape starts with putting the right plant in the right place. In this episode,...

Join us as we share the vision for our new podcast and introduce your hosts, the Master Gardener Volunteer Program, and the Pinellas County Extension Help Desk. Today, we will explore what makes gardening in Florida, and specifically in Pinellas, unique and how to work with our environment to have a successful landscape. Our special guest for this episode is Pinellas Urban Horticulture Agent and M...

Planting Pinellas is a podcast focused on sustainable gardening and landscaping in Pinellas County, Florida. Produced by Master Gardener Volunteers from the Pinellas County Extension Office of the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension. UF/IFAS Website - https://sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu/pinellas/