Recently I presented a program with a colleague about using edibles in the landscape. Eating out of your landscape can challenge your definition of "ornamental" versus "edible" plant. One of my favorite ways is to use plants traditionally relegated to the vegetable garden as members of the...
Ever had funny looking produce show up in your garden? Did you eat the harvest even though it wasn't pristine? I'm going to guess that most of you did because you tended that misshapen little fruit. I'm also going to guess that it probably tasted just fine and maybe even delicious because it was...
June 21 marks the first annual "Bee Blitz". All nature lovers and concerned citizens in Illinois, Missouri, and Ohio are invited to get outside, snap pictures of honey & bumble bees on Sunday, June 21st, and upload their findings to BeeSpotter, the citizen...
If you are a seasoned gardener or are just starting out with a new hobby, one way to glean numerous new ideas in a short time is by talking to other gardeners. You can share ideas, talk about lessons they have learned – the good & the bad, and ask some of those questions you've been wondering...
You know your dentist. You know your doctor. Do you know your farmer? Farmer's markets are an excellent opportunity to get to know your farmer and pick up some tasty, nutritious foods. Local farmers can offer a lot more varieties than a supermarket. Purple carrots are cool to find. Ever seen...
The weeds are beginning to sprout between the rows of my vegetables out in the garden, so I need to get busy weeding. First thing to remember when controlling weeds in the garden is that the younger and smaller they are, the easier they are to control. The second important thing to remember is a...
It's a bucket, a former vessel for pounds of icing, waiting to make the next birthday celebration a sugary delight. That same bucket can bring similar merriment to those who once had a garden but because of life events, aging bodies, various health situations or limited amounts of sun in their...
Have you wondered the aisles of your local garden center and had that same rush of adrenaline you get while looking through seed catalogs in the winter? Walking through a greenhouse in the spring is like going to the grocery store hungry – bring a list! If you are new to the vegetable gardening...
In the past ten days, the number of Avian Influenza infected flocks in the Midwest has increased dramatically. No Avian Influenza has been confirmed in Illinois, but it has been confirmed in the bordering states of Missouri, Iowa, and Wisconsin. This disease does not affect human health but can be...
Last spring we set out to try a number of different container growing methods for vegetables. We demonstrated a few at the Piatt County Extension office, both commercially available and repurposed containers were featured. I planted a few different containers of tomatoes and peppers at my house as...
