Gardening ideas & tips for the average gardener.
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From The Ground Up

When does oak wilt season begin?

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA EXTENSION - www.extension.umn.edu After the first couple of warm sunny days in March, we start to get the emails. “Is it still okay to prune my oak trees, or should I be concerned about oak wilt?” I’m always happy to respond to these emails. It shows that the homeowners...

Ask Extension: Will perennials grow well in raised beds?

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA EXTENSION - www.extension.umn.edu Cold hardy perennials perform well in retaining walls. I recently moved to a home with heavy clay soil that does not drain well. I'm thinking my best course of action might be to build some raised beds filled with better draining soil,...

Spring is here! Let's start seeds!

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA EXTENSION - www.extension.umn.edu Spring weather is finally here, and it’s time to start planting seeds. Starting seeds at home doesn’t need to be expensive, fancy or difficult. Serious gardeners who want to start large quantities of seeds will benefit from certain...

U of M Extension Offers Tips on Dealing with Nuisance Insects

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA EXTENSION - www.extension.umn.edu With the recent increase in temperature you may begin to notice insects in your home. These insects include cluster flies, boxelder bugs, sowbugs, multicolored Asian lady beetles and more. Fortunately, these insects are harmless, although...

Agricultural Workers Now Eligible for COVID-19 Vaccine

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA EXTENSION - www.extension.umn.edu Agricultural workers have become eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine. While food processing plant workers will be prioritized (Tier 2) above other agricultural workers (Tier 3), farmers are now eligible to sign up. How do I sign up? ...

What does winter injury look like on your lawn?

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA EXTENSION - www.extension.umn.edu The snowmelt is on and we are starting to see our lawns appear in western Minnesota. Lawns will start greening up as air and soil temperatures continue to rise over the next month. Impacts from winter stresses may become visible and there...

2021 Considerations: Brassica Bonanza

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA EXTENSION - www.extension.umn.edu Our biweekly crop by crop growing season prep series continues. This week we are focusing on brassica crops. The more you know about these likely issues, the better prepared you will be to deal with them. Bolting Brassicas originated...

New webinar and podcast series: The Vegetable Beet

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA EXTENSION - www.extension.umn.edu We're excited to announce a new live web show / podcast for vegetable growers: The Vegetable Beet. If you listened to What's Killing my Kale from UMN Extension or the Great Lakes Vegetable Producers Network series, this new project is an...

Disease resistant bell peppers a good choice for home gardens

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA EXTENSION - www.extension.umn.edu Peppers harvested from seed trials at WCROC The West Central Research and Outreach Center in Morris, Minn. took a look at four common bell pepper varieties and compared them against each other to determine which, if any, variety would...

Now's the time to prune apple trees

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA EXTENSION - www.extension.umn.edu This young apple tree needs some light pruning. Hello there, fruit growers. We know you’re looking for an excuse to break out your pruning shears for the 2021 gardening season. Good news - it is time to prune your fruit trees! The UMN...