Flowers, Fruits, and Frass

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Plants with a spooky side

October 23, 2026

Halloween is right around the corner, and festive décor is lining streets and front yards. Talking skeletons, glowing pumpkins, giant spiders, and ghostly figures transform neighborhoods into spooky scenes. But some of the creepiest sights may already be growing in the landscape. Plants with eerie...

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a waving stand of cereal rye cover crop in the garden just before termination

Plant cereal rye this fall and prepare garden soil for success in 2027

September 22, 2026

Plant cereal rye this fall and prepare garden soil for success in 2027October signals harvest time across Central Illinois, with some fields already picked by late September. In years where corn harvest is early enough, farmers have ample time to plant a cover crop before soybeans...

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A Budget-Friendly Beginner Food Plot for Central Illinois Whitetail Deer Season

August 25, 2026

A Budget-Friendly Beginner Food Plot for Central Illinois Whitetail Deer SeasonThe October 1st whitetail deer season opener is just a few months away for avid Illinois bowhunters. For those like me that are fortunate to manage and hunt a few private acres together with friends or...

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an established stand of summer cover crop plants creating a carpet of green on the soil

Plant summer cover crops for garden and personal well-being

August 24, 2026

Occasionally, even for the most experienced vegetable or cut flower gardener, some summers shape up to be so busy that it’s hard to make time for growing things – except maybe weeds. Between things like kids’ summer sports commitments, family medical issues, or once-in-a-lifetime...

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a bunch of carrots on a farmers market table

Mid-August is Prime Planting Time for Fall Garden Crop of Carrots and Beets

July 24, 2026

Mid-August is Prime Planting Time for Fall Garden Crop of Carrots and BeetsMid-August is one of my favorite times to plant things in the vegetable garden. August is a great time to plant carrots and beets because they are typically ready in time for October or November soups, stews...

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Give Pollinators a Boost This National Pollinator Week

June 26, 2026

National Pollinator Week, June 22–28, is the perfect time to evaluate how pollinator-friendly your backyard is and to explore ways to support these essential creatures. Why should we care? Pollinators are responsible for one out of every three bites of food we take by transferring pollen between...

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a well-aerated, thinned, and summer-pruned grapevine

Spring shoot thinning and summer hedging of grape vines – a journey of learning

June 17, 2026

The thing I love most about fruit tree and small fruits management is that there is always more to learn. For example, regarding fresh eating grapes or wine grapes, I am very familiar with selection of varieties of grape vines for our area, best practices of dormant season pruning, and some (not...

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a bunch of light blue serviceberries on a bush ready to be picked

Serviceberry Success - new fruit bushes at the Refuge Food Forest will increase food access

May 22, 2026

Serviceberry Success – new fruiting bushes at Refuge Food Forest will increase food accessIt was a cold, windy late-winter morning at the southeast corner of the Refuge Food Forest in Normal when three of us gathered to talk about slightly expanding the site’s edible landscaping...

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a close up image of the whip and tongue graft - rootstock and scion joined together

Grafting – an important age-old skill for aspiring orchardists

April 14, 2026

This month, I took on something I’ve only done once before—fruit tree grafting for Extension food access projects across the tri-county area. Last spring, I grafted 24 apple scions onto 24 rootstocks. 23 of those grafts were successful, leaving me a great problem to have – finding homes for 23...

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a cluster of ripened and ripening blackberries on the bush - the photo is called "Blackberries" by jared_smith and is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

Plant a Small Fruits Garden and Increase Perennial Household Food Security

March 17, 2026

Plant a Small Fruits Garden and Increase Perennial Household Food SecurityThe spring thaw is happening albeit in fits and starts. Gardeners across central Illinois are chomping at the bit to plant their annuals. But they should also consider planting certain perennials this year....

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