For the last two years, I have been gardening in five-gallon buckets. A team of Extension colleagues from the Horticulture and Nutrition programs are teaching area residents who do not have access to garden space how to grow and their own herbs and veggies. The ‘Garden in a Bucket’ outreach has...
In the heat of summer’s end, vegetable gardeners are often drained by the weeding and watering routine, and ready to put the garden to bed.
But fall provides a more comfortable environment and some of the most productive gardening of the year when vegetables are planted in late summer and mature...
Are you ready to take your butterfly gardening to the next level and allow some of your beautiful plants to be eaten by caterpillars?
Choose the right plants, give them some care, and voila — caterpillars. The most grown caterpillar food in our gardens are milkweeds for monarchs and parsley...
Mosquitoes are out and about ruining people’s picnics, hikes and gardening with their constant swarming and need to obtain blood from innocent Illinois residents.
Adult mosquitoes eat nectar, pollen and honeydew (insect droppings full of sugar). However, the adult female needs the protein from...
Spread love and beautiful flowers! Mix clay, soil, and seeds to create a ball to easily share or you’re your own flowers. Find an area in your garden that could use some color. Toss or place the seed ball directly onto the bare soil. As it is watered (either by hand or by rain) the clay will break...
The grass will germinate and grow quickly to create a lush, green head. Snip or style the “hair” to keep it looking tidy.
Materials:
8 oz white paper cup
Potting soil
Wheat grass seeds
Colored pencils or crayons
1. Poke 3-4 small holes in the bottom of...
While designing a perennial flower bed, remember to add personal favorites, and throw out “garden design rules” that don’t fit your vision. Some of the plants I choose are favorites because they are tough, dependable, and beautiful.
blue false indigo (Baptisia australis)
Native...
Are you ready to take your butterfly gardening status to the next level and allow some of your beautiful plants to be eaten by caterpillars?
Choosing the right plants, some care and voila caterpillars. I am not only altering the habitat of my backyard for the greater good, I will have some more...
Originally published by Kelly Allsup on July 3, 2020.
Last week's high temperatures and our limited amount of rain is making gardeners' number one job watering.
Even though we have gotten some much-needed rain for the flowers and the trees, consistent watering throughout the season is...
URBANA, Ill. – Every garden needs water, but with a container garden’s limited soil volume, proper watering is crucial for plants to stay productive.
“Proper drainage is just as important as the amount of water added to the container,” says Andrew Holsinger,...
