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

Fall is a good time to remove buckthorn

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA EXTENSION - www.extension.umn.edu Common buckthorn. Photo: Leslie J. Mehrhoff, University of Connecticut, Bugwood If you're dealing with invasive buckthorn on your property, now is the perfect time to take action. Mid to late fall is ideal for applying herbicide, as the...

Apple storage disorders and recommendations for four UMN varieties

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA EXTENSION - www.extension.umn.edu Images: A collection of apple disorders caused by or worsened by storage conditions. This includes 1) soft scald and 2) internal flesh browning, which result from storage temperatures that are colder than an apple can tolerate, as well as...

Managing forests to sustain soil biodiversity

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA EXTENSION - www.extension.umn.edu Soil is the foundation of forests. Soils are living, breathing ecosystems! Forest soils provide many essential services: they serve as a place for trees and other plants to grow, store and filter water, cycle nutrients that are essential...

Managing future floods and droughts in Minnesota

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA EXTENSION - www.extension.umn.edu Floodwaters threatened Rapidan Dam in Rapidan, MN in June 2024. Photo: James Napoli Floods and droughts are becoming more common and more severe in Minnesota as our climate warms, posing significant challenges across a variety of...

Putting your garden to bed

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA EXTENSION - www.extension.umn.edu As the growing season comes to an end, it is helpful to clean your garden before putting it to bed for the winter. A good fall cleanup provides multiple benefits for gardeners – it reduces weed populations and disease, minimizes plant...

Gathering seeds, restoring prairie

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA EXTENSION - www.extension.umn.edu Minnesota Master Naturalist volunteers help rebuild native plant communities A field of wild lupines (Lupinus perennis), a native Minnesota plant not to be confused with the large-leafed lupine native to western North America that has...

Beginning Farmer Equipment and Infrastructure Grant program

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA EXTENSION - www.extension.umn.edu If you are seeking funds to help purchase equipment and infrastructure for your farm, the MDA has a new grant program to help with these costs. The Beginning Farmer Equipment and Infrastructure Grant program from the Minnesota Department...

Last fruit update - Sept. 11, 2024

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA EXTENSION - www.extension.umn.edu This fruit update contains information about… Postharvest fruit handling Apples Bitter pit management: Thinking ahead for the next growing season. Grapes Berry bruising from late-season heavy wind, rain, and small-hail. 2024 Fruit...

Last Weekly Vegetable Update - September 11, 2024

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA EXTENSION - www.extension.umn.edu Looking ahead the next two weeks, we are looking at warm (daytime highs in the 80s) and dry (good for harvest!) weather. We are maybe five weeks away from the first frost in the metro area, but we are wrapping up our updates now as we are...

This has been a bad year for apple scab

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA EXTENSION - www.extension.umn.edu When apple scab affects apple leaves, they develop leaf spots and eventually can start to turn yellow and drop off the tree. Apple and scab are two words most people would never associate with each other, but apple scab is one of the...