Gardening ideas & tips for the average gardener.
Please submit photos, tips and ideas to:
Email submissions: business@thedrummer.com   in subject line: From the Ground Up
Mail submissions:
               From the Ground Up
               C/O The Drummer
               PO Box 159
               Buffalo MN 55313

*All photos & Submissions become the property of The WCJP & The Drummer. Your submission gives us the right to publish your information/photos.

From The Ground Up

Giant pumpkin project update: Audrey goes to the Fair!

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA EXTENSION - www.extension.umn.edu Wednesday, Aug. 24, was a big day for our horticulture team involved in the giant pumpkin project. By 4 p.m., Audrey was at the Fair and weighed in at 591.5 pounds. She placed fifth in the Fair’s Giant Pumpkin Adult Division. Not bad for...

Bringing houseplants back inside

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA EXTENSION - www.extension.umn.edu As fall temperatures begin to cool off it is time to consider bringing in the houseplants you may have kept outside this summer. Many houseplants thrive outdoors during Minnesota’s summers but do not perform well or may even die if...

Saving, storing and treating vegetable seeds

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA EXTENSION - www.extension.umn.edu When saving tomato seeds, look for unblemished fruits from healthy, disease-free plants. The recent cool mornings are a reminder that the gardening season is coming to a close. While next spring can seem impossibly far away, if you...

Non-native insect to watch: purple carrot-seed moth

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA EXTENSION - www.extension.umn.edu Purple carrot-seed moth larvae can be found feeding together. They are small, produce webbing, and have white spots. There was a flurry of press earlier this month on a new insect being found in Minnesota, purple carrot-seed moth. As...

Weekly Fruit Update - Sept. 7, 2022

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA EXTENSION - www.extension.umn.edu This is peak season for harvesting fruit crops in Minnesota. Thanks for taking a moment to read this fruit update, which will hopefully help with the harvest. Apples Orchards are harvesting Zestar!, SweeTango, Paula Red, and Chestnut...

Weekly vegetable update 9/1/22

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA EXTENSION - www.extension.umn.edu Summer is officially over! Early September is one of the most exciting times of year on vegetable farms. Pretty much everything is ready to harvest and CSA boxes and farmers market stands are full with a diverse array of crops. We have a...

Protect landscapes from wildlife and more over the winter

Landscapes are vulnerable to the elements during the cold weather months. Everything from de-icing products to hungry animals to the weight of snow can affect trees, shrubs and other plants. Just because certain greenery will go dormant during the winter doesn't mean landscape maintenance ends when...

Weekly Vegetable Update 8/25/22

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA EXTENSION - www.extension.umn.edu My colleague David said something this week along the lines of "at this point in the season, the cake is already baked". This is definitely true to some extent; the finish line is getting closer, and at this point most of what we're seeing...

Weekly Fruit Update - August 24, 2022

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA EXTENSION - www.extension.umn.edu This week's update includes information on: judging apple ripeness, grape harvest parameters and lady beetle management, and day neutral strawberry disease control. Apples Using the starch iodine test on First Kiss apples shows the...

Prepare your garden for winter's onslaught

Individuals who don't live near the equator or in another warm climate know that winter will rear its chilly head this year. Cold temperatures and snowy conditions may be excellent for skiing and sledding, but gardeners recognize these conditions are not ideal for their plants. The inevitable...