Gardening

Events

What’s in Your Garden? Invasive, Nuisance Species, and Garden Health

November 18, 2025

Big & Small Gardening

February 3, 2026

County

Lee

Carroll

Whiteside

Blog Posts

Don't Bag Your Fall Leaves, Use Them

October 27, 2025

Fall leaves represent a valuable resource for your lawn and garden. According to Rhonda Ferree, retired University of Illinois Extension...

Creating our blueberry garden bed

October 24, 2025

By Cathy Endress, Extension Master Gardener, serving Fulton, Mason, Peoria, and Tazewell countiesWhat started as a landscaping project,...

Beautyberry: A flashy fall performer with purple pop

October 20, 2025

Each year in late summer and fall, beautyberry (Callicarpa americana) catches my eye and reminds me of its fantastic fruit display. ...

A dense stand of buckwheat emerges in this vegetable gardening bed. Earlier in the season this bed produced lettuce, carrots, raddish and kale. The buckwheat was added as a fall cover crop to boost soil conditions prior to next spring's crop.

Cover crops in the garden

August 29, 2025

Cover crops have been used for ages in agricultural systems, but their use in a garden setting is on the rise as home and commercial vegetable...

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News Releases

October 9, 2025

Recycle your leaves for a better garden and suprising environmental benifits
MATTESON, Ill. – After raking leaves this fall, consider recycling them on your property rather than bagging them for curbside pick-up. For the typical home gardener, fallen leaves are one of the most readily available forms of organic matter. Organic matter aids plant growth and can...

October 6, 2025

Garden of Hope and SNAP-Ed work together on health and gardening classes
PEORIA, Ill. - Gardening is an excellent activity to do for one’s health. It combines healthy nutritious food, with outdoor activity. When you add those to a lovely, peaceful environment you have a recipe for success. University of Illinois Extension’s ...

Small garden shovel sifts soil over a raised bed.

September 29, 2025

Fall soil amendment educational program to take place at Dewey Farm & Greenhouse
ELDORADO, Ill. – Growing a great garden starts with the soil. Fall soil preparation can be the key to a healthy, successful garden next spring! Join Extension educator, Bronwyn Aly, to learn about soil amendments, including cover crops, compost, manure, and more, on Tuesday, October...

Master Gardener Volunteers hold their awards

September 18, 2025

Will County volunteers recognized at 50th Anniversary Master Gardener Conference
JOLIET, Ill. — Local volunteers leading impactful local projects did not go unnoticed at the 2025 University of Illinois Extension Master Gardener Conference, held Sept. 4-5 in Springfield. "Local Master Gardener volunteers are helping others learn to grow and are making a...

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Videos

The Buzz About Bees

What's all the Buzz about Bees? Illinois Extension is here with information

Join University of Illinois Extension and Extension Educator Sreelakshmi Suresh in this info-packed Wilderness Wednesday webinar sponsored by...

Starting a Garden: Seed Starting Basics

Are you new to starting your own vegetable garden seeds? Doing it yourself can save you money and get you involved with the food you eat from seed to harvest. In this video, Illinois Extension horticulture educator Chris Enroth demonstrates seed starting while at home during the...