In 2021, both the consumer and retail sides of gardening have seen unique challenges due to the pandemic. Since spring 2020, garden centers saw a huge and unexpected increase in demand for seeds, plants of all kinds, and all the associated supplies used in home landscape.
This caught all of us...
Are we still in droughty conditions here in northern Illinois? As of October 5 – the day before we started to get all the rain – we sure were. Are we good now? We are better off, but not “out of the woods.”
The rains we got were most welcome, yet the drought monitoring sites still show DuPage,...
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When it comes to bulbs, it can seem confusing when to do what in which season. In general, you plant spring-flowering bulbs in the fall, and plant summer-flowering...
As autumn progresses, gardeners begin wondering what to do with all the plant parts that need to be pruned off, and later, all the leaves that will fall. A great alternative to those landscape waste bags is to recycle right in your own yard and benefit from all that free organic matter....
Imagine a podium or soapbox and me standing in a town square. Got that image?
Ok, here goes my “sermon.”
As of Sept. 16, the U.S. Drought Monitor reports our area as “abnormally dry.” Have you been watering your...
One activity that seems to get “put off” until the last minute is bringing in the houseplants that have vacationed outside for the summer. It is not uncommon to find ourselves out...
Some of our late summer and early fall garden tasks can take more time than others. Making a “to do” list can help us get them done in a timely manner and not forget anything. (For example, hurrying to get the houseplants in just after dark and before that predicted frost is never fun.)
Here’s a...
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Jumping worm update
Jumping worms continue to be confirmed statewide, and late summer into fall is an easy time to spot those big worms, if...
Many families tend to “give up” the vegetable garden once school starts, yet you do not have to. Vegetables can still be productive for a couple more months, depending on what you have been growing.
Certainly, long season crops like tomatoes and peppers, are there now and will continue to produce...
