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

Planting and trellising raspberries for home and community gardens

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA EXTENSION - www.extension.umn.edu Raspberries are a delightful fruit crop to grow in the home garden, community garden or urban farm. They are relatively easy to grow and maintain and they start producing fruit in the first or second year. They are even more delightful if...

Jumping worms: What do farmers need to know?

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA EXTENSION - www.extension.umn.edu Jumping worms, Amynthas spp., are a genus of invasive earthworms new to Minnesota. Farmers should learn about jumping worms and the conditions that allow them to spread in order to prevent jumping worms from coming on to their farms. These...

2021 Considerations: Optimizing Onions

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA EXTENSION - www.extension.umn.edu Our biweekly crop by crop growing season prep series continues. This week we are focusing on onions. The more you know about these likely issues, the better prepared you will be to deal with them. Seeding time: weighing the risks of a...

Don’t fall into the Japanese beetle trapping trap

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA EXTENSION - www.extension.umn.edu Part of Japanese beetle trapping is disposing of hundreds of smelly, writhing beetles on a regular basis. As we flip through garden catalogs and scroll horticulture supply websites, products new and old advertise the ways they can make...

Garden cover crop pests

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA EXTENSION - www.extension.umn.edu A hornworm parasitized by beneficial wasps While not grown for food, a cover crop can be a powerful ally in maintaining a productive, healthy garden. One of the ways cover crops can help is by suppressing weeds and breaking up pest...

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? ...