Featured Keynote Speakers

Gary's garden is very unique! Gary and his wife, Katie, are urban homesteaders and operate a “farm” called Heritage Cottage Urban Nano Farm. It is a great example of the modern-day Victory Garden. The Urban Nano Farm (UNF) is designed to be a demonstration garden that highlights how a small footprint garden can yield a plentiful harvest; and can grow an abundance of locally grown, specialty vegetables and produce all year long. With a total of 3,200 square feet, this garden supplied enough produce to our local farmers market 52 weeks a year for five years. Gary's presentation will take us through his backyard gate and show how a small vegetable garden can produce an abundant harvest and promote community through small urban gardens.

A Brief History: Gary spent 13 years with the GTE corporation in Detroit, MI and Westminster, SC. He holds a BS and MS from Clemson University and a PhD., from THE Ohio State University. He previously served on the faculty at Tennessee Tech University and Illinois State University and is currently Extension/Research Professor of Horticulture at the Coastal Research & Extension Center, Mississippi State University.

Most notably, Gary is host of the awarding winning Mississippi State University Extension Service’s Southern Gardening TV, newspaper columns and social media outlets. A Fellow with the American Society for Horticultural Science and Great American Gardener with the American Horticultural Society, Gary is now author of his first book, Southern Gardening All Year Long.

Gary and his wife Katie live in Ocean Springs, MS. They are urban homesteaders prepping for the zombie apocalypse and operate the Heritage Cottage Urban Nano Farm designed to be a demonstration urban farm to grow and preserve an abundance of locally grown specialty vegetables and produce all year long.

Dr. Daniels is a Curator at the Florida Museum of Natural History’s McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity and Professor in the Department of Entomology and Nematology at the University of Florida. His lab specializes in insect ecology and conservation with a focus on at-risk butterflies and native insect pollinators.

He has authored many successful field guides, gardening books, and general interest titles on butterflies, insects, wildflowers, native plants, and wildlife landscaping including Your Florida Guide to Butterfly Gardening, Butterflies of Florida Field Guide, Native Plant Gardening for Birds, Bees & Butterflies: Southeast, Backyard Bugs: An Identification Guide to Common Insects, Spiders, and More, Native Plant Gardening for Birds, Bees & Butterflies: Southeast, Wildflowers of Florida Field Guide, Vibrant Butterflies: Our Favorite Visitors to Flowers and Gardens, and Insects & Bugs for Kids: An Introduction to Entomology. He lives in Gainesville, Florida with his wife Stephanie.

Linda Seals is a Regional Specialized Agent in Community Resource Development for the University of Florida/IFAS Extension Southeast District. Her educational programs focus on teaching Extension faculty and community members how to build community vitality. Linda also provides leadership for the Community Voices, Informed Choices (CIVIC) program, which helps communities address complex issues through deliberative discussions. Linda has a BS and MS in ornamental horticulture from the University of Tennessee.

Ramona Madhosingh-Hector is a Regional Specialized Agent in Urban Sustainability and serves the Southwest District. She develops educational programs that support and advance the district’s commitment to sustainability including programs focused on resource efficiency, community sustainability, and food systems. Ramona has graduate degrees in Urban and Regional Planning and Environmental Science, and a BS in Agriculture from the University of the West Indies, Trinidad, and Tobago.

Dr. Andra Johnson leads the UF/IFAS’ statewide network of more than 650 faculty educators and scientists, whose programs and expertise support economic, environmental and community health. These programs range from field days for new crops to youth leadership experiences. His experience in administration, Extension, teaching, research, and service, at both large land-grant and historically Black universities, his upbringing on a farm and his engagement in national coalitions have contributed to his development as an emerging national leader who will take UF/IFAS Extension to the next level.

Claire Lewis has been with the Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ Program since 2011. Her current title is Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ Program Statewide Florida-Friendly Communities Coordinator for the University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) Extension. Prior to joining the FFL team, she earned a Master of Landscape Architecture degree from the University of Florida and worked 12 years for private landscape architecture firms in Gainesville. Design projects included large scale commercial, institutional, and residential home sites. Claire’s current job responsibilities include educational outreach to local governments, building professionals, and community decision makers across the state to provide educational programing to Floridians about sustainable landscape practices and encourage builders, developers, and HOAs to implement the Florida-Friendly Landscaping principles in their communities to preserve and protect Florida’s water and natural resources.

Dr. Rogers is the Center Director and Professor of the Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC) in Lake Alfred, FL. CREC employs 250 people and is also home to the scientific research staff of the Florida Department of Citrus. It is the largest facility in the world devoted to a single commodity, citrus. Rogers has a doctorate in entomology from the University of Kentucky and specializes in citrus integrated pest management. He has focused on the Asian citrus psyllid, the insect that carries the bacterium that causes citrus greening, which is threatening to destroy the state’s $10.7 billion citrus industry.

Their mission is to spread the word that you don’t have to live with aches and pains from gardening and to demonstrate techniques that enable you to maintain your body while maintaining your garden. Join Madeline and Jeff to explore some of the diverse private gardens they have visited throughout the country, get inspired by the guest gardeners' design approaches, and learn how to treat your body as your most important garden tool.