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

Weekly Fruit Update - June 21, 2022

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA EXTENSION - www.extension.umn.edu Photo: A strawberry field after harvest and before renovation This update discusses: how climate change is impacting berry production; mid-season apple pests; and last call for grape nitrogen applications. Strawberry renovation was...

Weekly vegetable update 7/20/22

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA EXTENSION - www.extension.umn.edu The main story this week is the heat. Keeping yourself and workers safe can be challenging during intense heatwaves, and plants are struggling to keep up. We also experienced the first wildfire smoke related air quality effects this season...

Attack of the zombie flies? More like flies being attacked by fungus.

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA EXTENSION - www.extension.umn.edu No matter where extension educators have been traveling this summer, they have noticed dead flies stuck to stuff. Dead flies stuck to flowers and garlic scapes and asparagus spears and the sides of buildings. What is going on? Dead fly...

Zebra caterpillars: colorful and clustered on Minnesota farms

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA EXTENSION - www.extension.umn.edu Growers are reporting large, colorful caterpillars hanging out in groups on assorted crops. They are most often being seen brassica crops, though they have been spotted feeding on strawberries and tomatoes. Large and colorful, zebra...

Heatwave makes vegetables misbehave

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA EXTENSION - www.extension.umn.edu Hot weather can cause tomato flowers to wither and become brittle, falling off the plant easily. It has been a hot few weeks in Minnesota, and people are reporting disappointing yields in their vegetable gardens. Bushy cucumber plants...

Giant pumpkin project update July 14

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA EXTENSION - www.extension.umn.edu Week of June 27 Noah burying a pumpkin vine. We were lucky to receive some rain this week, which has allowed our pumpkins to get a much needed break from the heat. Several more squash vine borers were spotted, so insecticide was sprayed...

Yes, there are bugs in your garden, but do you need to stress?

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA EXTENSION - www.extension.umn.edu The garden season is in full swing, which means insect season is also upon us. Extension educators from Blue Earth to Cook county (and everywhere in between) are fielding questions about all kinds of bugs on all kinds of plants. Here are...

Weekly Fruit Update - July 13, 2022

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA EXTENSION - www.extension.umn.edu 'Romeo' tart cherries ripening on July 5, 2022. These trees opened for U-pick in Nisswa over the weekend. Photo: Annie Klodd Apples Insects: Japanese beetles, codling moths, and apple maggots are currently active. Continue using...

Noticing herbicide drift in your garden?

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA EXTENSION - www.extension.umn.edu June 27, 2022 A garden with grapevines showing herbicide damage Every summer around this time, I see symptoms of herbicide damage on my peppers, grapevines and tomatoes. The leaves grow in strange shapes, curl inward, and are smaller...

Pepper Meltdown - What’s Actually Happening?

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA EXTENSION - www.extension.umn.edu As peppers set fruit, there are often concerns about mushy spots and alarming black fuzz on fruit. While the first instinct is often that this is caused by a disease, it is often a physiological disorder at the root of the problem....