University of Illinois Extension

Events (9)

Tomato Troubles

Mon, 07/11/2022 - 12:00

Heirloom Vegetable Gardens

6:00 pm

Tue, 07/19/2022 - 12:00

Kennekuk County Park Bunker Hill Atwood House Garden

Heirloom Vegetable Gardens

Growing Herbs in Containers

Thu, 07/28/2022 - 12:00

Montgomery County Extension, 1 Industrial Park Dr., Hillsboro, IL 62049

Different types of herbs growing in clay pots

Soils 101 for Homeowners

Wed, 08/10/2022 - 12:00

Macoupin County Extension

An older gentleman holding soil in his hand and letting it fall through his hands to a patch of soil underneath.

Insects & Diseases of the Summer Vegetable Garden

Wed, 08/10/2022 - 12:00

U of I Extension office in Winnebago County, 1040 N. Second Street, Rockford

Cool Season Vegetables | Falling Into Autumn Gardening Series

Thu, 08/11/2022 - 12:00

Jo Daviess County Extension Office, 204 Vine St. Elizabeth, IL 61028

Cover Crops and Gardens | Everyday Environment

Thu, 08/11/2022 - 12:00

Online

cover crops

Seed Saving Workshop | Kankakee County

Mon, 09/12/2022 - 12:00

Kankakee County Extension Office

image of tomatoes with orange overlay

Falling Into the Autumn Vegetable Garden | Falling Into Autumn Gardening Series

Thu, 10/13/2022 - 12:00

Jo Daviess County Extension Office, 204 Vine St. Elizabeth, IL 61028

Blog Posts (132)

Use the whole garden and grow a salad in the shade

3 large vegetable leaves

Feed your community by safely donating homegrown fruits and vegetables

Red tomatoes in a black bin

Your patience has paid off, plant tomatoes and peppers now

Tomato plant with yellow flowers

Give your garden a rest; tend to Mom this weekend

Two shovels laying in dirt

Patience is critical for many garden vegetables

Helpful tips for creating a successful container garden

Helpful tips for creating a successful container garden. Pots with yellow, purple and pink flowers.

Decrease your grocery list by planting onions

White onions with green tops growing in a raised bed.

Plan your vegetable garden by season or family

Garden with your kids this summer

A young girl sits in grass with a pile of harvested vegetables

Vegetable Gardening with Raised Beds

Vegetable Gardening with Raised Beds

Try growing potatoes this spring: Boost your storage pantry power

A pile of freshly harvest red potatoes on soil

What’s wrong with my seedlings? Troubleshooting seed starting problems

What’s wrong with my seedlings? Troubleshooting seed starting problems. Leggy plants reaching for light.

When should I sow seeds for my vegetable garden?

Four things to consider when deciding what vegetables to grow

Four things to consider when deciding what vegetables to grow. raised beds with lettuce and beets growing in them.

The Winter Garden Needs Planning Too

Ravaging Rodents and Fall Planted Bulbs

Don't forget about these late fall yard chores

Fall Garlic Planting

Garlic is typically planted in fall by separating bulbs into individual cloves for planting.

Gardening chores don't know summer is over

Garden tips to transition to fall

There is still hope for the vegetable garden

Fall Vegetable Gardening

August is a great time to start a fall garden including cool-season crops, like this lettuce, that will thrive in the milder temperatures of the late growing season.

Crafting the perfect BLT

A side view of a BLT sandwich with bread, mayonnaise, bacon, tomato, and lettuce. Text says 'crafting the perfect BLT'

When to pick your vegetables

Iris for Collecting and Asparagus for Eating - May, 2021

Garden tasks to help get your landscape through the summer

Garden tasks to help get your landscape through the summer. vegetable and flower garden with mulch path in-between.

Want pumpkins for Halloween? Start them now

pumpkins

How and when to water your garden

person watering plants with a purple watering wand

Be wise when watering

Pruning tomatoes and peppers for healthier plants and a stronger harvest

Spring cover crops help start the season weed-free

Oats, Outi Mähönen, via Unsplash

When can I plant my garden?

Seed Viability in Storage

In order to sprout, stored seeds must maintain viability which is dependent on a variety of factors.

5 Tips for a successful second year gardener

garden with fruit and veggies

How to successfully grow asparagus in your garden

How to successfully grow asparagus in your garden. purple-green asparagus spears emerging from soil.

4 Super cool greens to grow in early spring

beet greens and red lettuce. Photo by Kelly Allsup

Spring FAQs: Is it time to plant yet?

Use row cover to protect plants from more than just frost

Row cover protecting some lettuce

How to make homemade seed cards for Valentine’s Day

pink seed cards made for Valentine's Day

Seed starting woes? Ask the pros

seedling under plastic lid. creative commons.

When You Seed Vegetable Transplants Matters - February, 2021

2021 Garden Planning

Delicious and sweet ‘Sungold’ tomatoes were hard to find in 2020 since an unusually large number of homebound gardeners bought up seeds and plants at unprecedented numbers.

Do you know when to plant in Illinois?

Seedlings growing in paper eggshell cartons

Edibles or ornamentals? Container trends for 2021

growing crops in bags

Vermicomposting: A Composting Option for the Winter

worms feeding on food waste creating compost

Ordering seeds from garden catalogs

New plants for a new year - try growing something new in 2021

2021 All-American Selections winners

Get your seeds early in 2021

Gardening grew in 2020

Garlic goes in the ground now for a savory summer

garlic harvest. photo by Bill Davison.

Ornamental Brassicas

Strategic Garden Plantings

2019 Gardening Goals

Home Composting

American Ginseng

Garlic Planting

Cabbageworms

Wild Ramps

Vegetable Gardening in the Midwest

Planting Potatoes

Thyme

High Tunnels

The History of Squash

Cover Crops

Plant Your Fall Garden Now!

French intensive gardens root well in Central Illinois

full season french intensive garden

Cover Crops for Home Gardening

This bumble bee dangles from a flower of crimson clover, which is an attractive and valuable soil-building cover crop that can be easily hand-seeded into vegetable garden beds.

Landscaping Fiction (Part 2): Eggshells, railroad ties, and organics

tomado demonstrating blossom end rot

Growing and Harvesting Okra

The okra plant produces cream colored flowers. Once pollinated, these will produce the okra pods to harvest and cook.

Hornworm caterpillars on tomatoes

a large tobacco hornworm feeding on a tomato leaf

Tomato Care

Tomatoes are one of the most planted garden crops in the US, with several common problems here in central Illinois that can be managed through fairly simple cultural practices.

It's Time to Plant a Fall Garden

Bag of potting soil with planer next to it

Start your fall garden

cool season crops

Garden in a bucket

basil and pepper sharing a five gallon bucket

Sow seeds for comfortable fall gardening

kohlrabi fall season garden delight

The history of tomatoes: How a tropical became a global crop

Domestication of the tomato was long believed to have happened from plants with cherry-sized fruits, but recent genetic research indicates otherwise.

Vegetable garden tips for after a rain

Harvesting garden vegetables

close up of a person holding freshly harvested onions

Hot weather in the vegetable garden

Handling your fresh-picked produce

Freshly harvested cucumbers, eggplant, beans, potatoes, pumpkins, squash, beets, & turnips.

Watering tips for hot weather

Top 5 early summer topics for gardeners

Garlic: So easy even I can grow it!

Growing Garlic

Tropical Tuber Thrives in Illinois Heat

sweet potato held in black containers

Garden Journal: A helpful gardening tool

Garden journal info graphic

Growing tender and warm-loving vegetables

How to Grow Sweet Corn

Sweet corn

Plan for Summer's Tomato Harvest Now

tomato trellised on straw bale garden

How to Grow Peppers

green, yellow, and red habanero peppers

The New Victory Garden

Tomato and Basil plants growing in a homemade container. Be sure to allow for drainage from any container.

Read and heed the seed packet

Trouble(s) with Cucurbits

squash bug nymphs feeding on pumpkin vines

Welcome to My Jungle - May, 2020

The Many Different Types of Cucurbits

The Many Different Types of Cucurbits

How to Grow Cucurbits

bright yellow flower

Trouble(s) with Tomatoes

a green tobacco hornworm on a tomato stem

Different Types of Tomatoes

different types, sizes, and colors of tomatoes

New Vegetable Garden Maintenance – Weed and Watering

New Vegetable Garden Maintenance

How to Grow Tomatoes

How to Grow Tomatoes

Planting the first-time vegetable garden

Even Gardeners Have Their First Days

LEGO art in the garden. Photo by Kelly Allsup.

How to Grow Lettuce

three lettuce varieties

How to Grow Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potato harvest

How to Grow Carrots

orange, white, purple, red, and orange circles arranged in a circle. Carrots still have leaves attached.

Selecting Plants for the Vegetable Garden

Beets are a cool-season vegetable that can be direct seeded into the garden now.

Starting a Garden: Irrigation

Sprinkler head

Starting a Garden: Fertilization

corn seedlings with fertilizer

Advantages of early vegetable gardening and other spring notes

Starting a Garden: Season Extension

Cold frame with vegetables growing inside in the fall.

Starting a Garden: Hardening Off Indoor Seedlings

basil seedlings in seedling flat

Starting a New Vegetable Garden

Starting a New Vegetable Garden

A Beginners Guide To Worm Composting

Fruit and vegetable scraps for composting

Starting a Garden: Weed Management

Weed free tomatoes

Starting Seeds in Spring

kohlrabi at Garden of Giving

Starting a Garden: Soil Management

Spade in garden soil

Starting a Garden: Types of Gardens

lettuce and potatoes in an in-ground garden, vegetables in a raised bed, and herbs in pots

More Early Spring FAQs: Lawns, Trees and Seeds

Starting a Garden: Warm Season Vegetables

basket with tomatoes, peppers and summer squash

Starting a Garden: Cool-Season Vegetables | And my top 5 cool-season crops to grow

Kale

Starting a Garden: Supplemental Lighting for Indoor Seed Starting

Lighting

Starting a Garden: Begin with a Plan

Vegetable garden sketch

Starting a Garden: Seed Starting

blazing star seedlings under grow lights

Beyond 'Yukon Gold': Growing Purple/Blue Potatoes

Don't grow distant from your garden!

beet greens and lettuce greens

Kitchen Scrap Gardening: Regrow Your Fruits and Vegetables!

base of celery stalk sitting in water

Vegetable Variety Recommendations for 2020

close up of cabbage

Answers for Early Spring FAQs

Creating an Edible Landscape

Scarlet runner beans growing on a fence

Illinois Vegetable Planting - Dates, Spacing, and Seeds

How to Achieve Asparagus's Perpetual Harvest

male asparagus ferns on left, female asparagus ferns with seed on the right

Homegrown: DIY Hydroponics for All Gardeners

Green herbs growing out of plastic tub in home hydroponic system

It's hard to beat a good beet

beet growing with title "it's hard to beat a good beet"

News Releases (61)

Time to plant Cool Season Vegetables

Falling Into Autumn Gardening Series

Overwhelmed by garden produce? Pickle it!

Tips to harvest garden vegetables at peak quality, flavor

Feed your community by safely donating homegrown fruits, vegetables

Grow a piece of history with Kane County tomato plant sale

Start your growing season with the annual Kendall County Master Gardener plant sale May 21

Say goodbye to your tomato troubles with free master gardener event

Kendall Master Gardeners host annual plant sale May 21

Plant Sale and Local Vendor Event at Dixon Springs Agricultural Center

Joys Spring Gardening Series

Totally Tomatoes, Perfect Peppers

Plant new fruit, vegetable, and flower varieties with confidence with 2022 All-America Selection Winners

Gardening enthusiasts invited to attend Gardeners’ BIG Day

Be inspired for a great growing season at April in Paris gardening seminar

Prepare for gardening season with free Master Gardener seed sowing event

Attract more butterflies to your garden with tips from an expert

Plant seeds for success with beginner vegetable gardening workshop

Falling into the Autumn Vegetable Garden

Safely store your extra fall produce with these Extension-endorsed tips

Learn about heirloom gardening and native plants at free garden tour

Learn how to grow great tomatoes and tour community garden

Extension Master Gardeners team up with Tazewell County Health Department to grow food for local families

Irrigate gardens to beat summer heat

Tomato gardeners beware; blossom end rot can be prevented

Love fresh salsa? Plant a salsa garden

Double Your Garden Harvest with Succession Gardening

Tour beautiful gardens during the Master Gardener Over the Gate Garden Walk

McHenry County Extension Master Gardeners Grow Produce ‘for Good’

Garden smarter, not harder: Free online Four Seasons Gardening series open

Kitchen Scrap Gardening

Kendall Master Gardeners host plant sale May 15

McHenry County Extension Master Gardeners Launch Seed Library

Become involved with a local community garden

Carroll-Lee-Whiteside Extension to Offer Growing Horticulture in Northwest Illinois Series

Log on to the McHenry County Virtual Gardenfest on April 10

Illinois Extension to Offer Get Growing Webinar Series

Small-batch culinary herbs add flavor to gardening menu

Small-space containers big with new gardeners

The time is right to plant cool season vegetables

Tips for starting your spring garden off strong

Gardening benefits body, mind, wallet

Make way for new award-winning garden plants of 2021

Illinois Extension & Rock Island Public Library offer free online series: Vegetable Gardening Made Easy

Get ready for spring with Gardening in the Air

Gardening interests bloom in 2020

Grow great vegetables with beginner gardening webinar series

Small, but mighty microgreens are easy to grow indoors

Falling into the Autumn Vegetable Garden

Fall Planting: Garlic program coming to Yost House in Pontiac

Harvest abundant squash for food, decoration

Benefit your health and environment by growing your own vegetables

Prolong shelf life of garden-fresh produce with good harvest habits

Color your garden with a rainbow of vegetables

Flavor summer with backyard basil

Vegetable Variety Recommendations

Enjoy home-grown asparagus with backyard gardening webinar

Starting a New Vegetable Garden

Improve your gardens: Four Seasons webinar offers tips

Get Growing webinar series announced for growing vegetables and fruit

The Cook's Garden

Staff (3)

Christopher Enroth

Christopher Enroth

Horticulture Educator

Richard Hentschel

Richard Hentschel

Horticulture Educator

Ken Johnson Staff Photo

Ken Johnson

Horticulture Educator