Growing Vegetables

Not sure where to start? Start here.

Growing your own food can be an incredibly rewarding experience. But there’s more to it than tossing some seeds in the ground. Whether it’s your first-year gardening or you’ve been growing for decades a gardener is always learning. Illinois Extension has done the research for you and presents these easy-to-understand steps for planting, harvesting, cooking, and preserving your garden's harvest. 

Read up on these tips for starting a vegetable garden.

Gardening Events
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Gardening News
Two row tunnels protecting plants in a garden
Tips for extending the garden’s growing season
URBANA, Ill. — Harvest season in a vegetable garden doesn’t have to end so soon. Stretch growth with techniques that extend the typical growing season past the point where crops would normally be grown outdoors. Protection from frosts can happen at either end of the growing season. A...
Group of yellow and purple perennial plants.
Four Seasons Gardening series ushers in the fall season with care
URBANA, Ill. — As seasons shift, take care and fall into gardening with ease. Find healing, growth, and how adding a little planning keeps the mind going and growing. Explore how to keep the season alive with tips for dividing perennials, continuing self-growth, and healing with time...
Ginger rhizome
How to grow tropical ginger for at-home spice
URBANA, Ill. — Growing fresh vegetables, fruits, and herbs in the backyard can seem like a lot of work, but at the end of the season, the bountiful, tasty harvest is worth it. The International Herb Association named ginger (Zingiber officinale) the...
Growing cucumber on vine in the garden.
Want more from your garden? Plant a fall crop of cucumbers
URBANA, Ill. — It’s the middle of summer, and you are looking for a new home project. Did you know it is not too late to plant some vegetable plants? With proper care, many vegetables are easy to grow in a sunny location in your backyard or a container garden on a patio. Take the challenge and...
Two raised bed gardens on top of asphalt lot.
Elevate your expectations with raised bed gardening
URBANA, Ill. — Whether for convenience or accessibility, raised beds are a popular option for growing fruits, vegetables, or ornamental plants. Raised bed structures elevate the soil, and with it comes a variety of advantages for growing plants.  Using raised beds may allow gardening in...
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