UGA Extension books offer the gift of knowledge

ATHENS — A client came by the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension office last week with a great gift idea for her father. She said, “My dad loves to garden, but he has had a few bad years of luck with getting anything to grow.” She’s been telling her dad for years he needed to get his soil tested and, of course, he never got around to it. So she decided to sneak into his garden and collect a soil sample to have it tested for him.

That scenario created visions of Santa’s elves sneaking into people’s gardens with little soil sample bags and hand trowels.

While the client had chosen the right place to start, the results of the soil test may or may not answer her question about why the garden had failed. There are many reasons why a garden could have a bad year.

Extreme weather events, such as too much rain or not enough rain, have been recurring themes in recent years. Certain insects and plant diseases could also be involved. A better idea is to call the extension office if he had any questions about the soil test report and sign up for a consultation to troubleshoot other potential problems.

The gift of knowledge is one that any farmer or gardener can truly appreciate. Working with plants and animals is both an art and a science — a lifelong learning process. Research is continually finding new and better ways for farmers and gardeners to deal with the many challenges that nature throws at us.

Surely there are many local farmers, hunters with wildlife food plots, and backyard enthusiasts who would appreciate the value of a soil test and the resulting gift of knowledge. Even those with a professional landscaper who provides yard maintenance, a soil test could help you make an informed choice about lawn or garden fertility needs. It might even save money on the amount of fertilizer needed.

There are literally hundreds of UGA Extension publications online that can be accessed for free at extension.uga.edu/publications. Another gift idea could be to download and print all the extension bulletins and circulars on a specific topic — such as gardening, lawn care or pasture management — and compile them into a reference binder. It might take an entire ink cartridge, but it’s definitely worth the cost if it makes the information more accessible to the farmer or gardener.

UGA Extension also has several reference books on the publications website at ugaextensionstore.com that can be purchased as a gift. Some of the more popular books for sale include the “Georgia Pest Management Handbook Home and Garden Edition,” “Georgia Master Gardener Handbook,” “Insect Identification Guide for Southeastern Landscapes,” “Management of Insect Pests in and Around the Home,” “Native Plants of North Georgia,” “Troubleshooting Vegetable Production Problems in the Southeast,” and “Weeds of Southern Turfgrasses.” Each of these books and field guides can be purchased for $20 or less at ugaextensionstore.com.

Orders may be placed online for any of the reference books and include a copy of the purchase confirmation inside a card. These items can be shipped directly to a gift recipient, or would-be growers can order a soil test kit online at soiltest123.com.

The gift of knowledge is priceless — truly the gift that keeps on giving.

Special Photo: John Amis