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

Become a Smarter Gardener in 2019: Why so few pumpkins and squash?

September 06, 2019 Squash blossom. Photo: Natalie Hoidal, UMN Extension We’ve heard multiple reports of pumpkin and squash plants not producing well this year. Some plants have no fruit at all, and others produced fewer fruit than usual. If this happened in your garden, there are a few...

Tips for Harvesting and Caring for Beautiful Pumpkins

September 20, 2019 Harvesting and labeling pumpkins for a variety trial at Rod's Berry Farm in Cambridge, MN. Photo: Annie Klodd It's the most wonderful time of the year - pumpkin time! You can buy your 2019 pumpkins or winter squash directly from a local farmer via a roadside pumpkin stand, or ...

Canning apples

Food safety starts with cleaning! Wash hands for 20 seconds Wet hands under hot running water. Add lots of soap. Rub and wash back of hands, wrists, between fingers and under fingernails for 20 seconds. Rinse well under running water. Dry with paper towels. Use paper to turn off the water faucet....

Know when to pick

Ripe Frostbite™ apples To tell if an apple is ripe Look for a change in the background color, the part of the skin not covered with red color. When the background color (also called ground color) begins to change from green to a greenish yellow color, the apple is starting to ripen. Other than...

Fall cleanup: Key to reducing risk for next year's plant diseases

August 31, 2018 https://blog-yard-garden-news.extension.umn.edu/2018/08/fall-cleanup-key-to-reducing-risk-for.html Cool weather is a reminder that fall is not far away and soon gardeners will be preparing the landscape for winter. Many plant pathogens are able to survive winter in gardens in...

New plant disease: Sudden Oak Death Disease

New plant disease: Sudden Oak Death Disease blog-yard-garden-news.extension.umn.edu/2019/08/new-plant-disease-sudden-oak-death.html A reddish brown "bleeding" canker that signals the appearance of Sudden Oak Death Disease. Red liquid seeps out from cracks in the bark.Photo: Bruce Motzan, USDA...

Wildflower of the Month: Wild Thyme

Wild Thyme (Thymus serpyllum) Wild or creeping thyme, Thymus serpyllum, is an easy to grow ground cover plant that is attractive to bees and is now recommended for low maintenance or bee lawns. Although related to cooking thyme, wild thyme has low culinary value, is hardy in USDA Zone 4 and grows...

Still bagging your grass clippings? Let's clear up some of the myths...

https://blog-yard-garden-news.extension.umn.edu/2019/07/bagging-your-grass-clippings-lets-clear.html Do you believe that if you collect clippings from a weedy lawn, it will cut down on the number of weeds next year? What about bagging clippings to cut down on the amount of thatch in your turf? Get...

Planting vegetables in midsummer for fall harvest

Quick facts Know the average first frost date in your area will help you calculate when to plant these late vegetables. Some vegetables will tolerate some frost and keep growing even when temperatures are in the low forties. Others cannot tolerate frost and stop growing in cool weather. Cool-season...

Harvesting and storing home garden vegetables

One of the joys of summer is homegrown sweet corn, picked right outside your back door and plopped straight into a pot of boiling water or onto the grill. The advantage of having a home garden is that you can pick and savor your vegetables when they are at their optimal flavor. But how can you...