Recently I presented a program with a colleague about using edibles in the landscape. Eating out of your landscape can challenge your definition of "ornamental" versus "edible" plant. One of my favorite ways is to use plants traditionally relegated to the vegetable garden as members of the...

The weeds are beginning to sprout between the rows of my vegetables out in the garden, so I need to get busy weeding. First thing to remember when controlling weeds in the garden is that the younger and smaller they are, the easier they are to control. The second important thing to remember is a...

Did you hear that? It was a very faint buzz but it's there. The gardening bug has officially emerged! A few days of sunshine and 50 degree weather after a cold winter is all it takes for this very special bug to emerge and enter its human host. Once infected, the host may suffer excessive bounce in...

Are you looking for a winter squash that squash bugs do not like? Take a look at the Hopi Orange squash. I have been growing this squash off and on over the past 10 years.  I have never a problem with squash bugs when I plant...

You know your dentist. You know your doctor. Do you know your farmer? Farmer's markets are an excellent opportunity to get to know your farmer and pick up some tasty, nutritious foods. Local farmers can offer a lot more varieties than a supermarket. Purple carrots are cool to find. Ever seen...

At the holidays, it is often easy to forget about the people who produce the food we eat. I understand this can happen, especially here in central Illinois - in the heart of the Corn Belt, where we see a lot of corn and soybeans growing.As I often have to remind my neighbors, we raise a lot more...

Not too long ago, the only winter squash that most people were familiar with were butternut, acorn, and spaghetti squash-- and of course Jack-O'Lantern pumpkins for Halloween. Today, a glance at even your average local grocery store or garden center is likely to reveal a wide variety of unfamiliar...