One of my great loves of plants is that we can create new plants from existing. There are a number of houseplants that are easy to propagate and if you're like me you can never seem to have enough of your favorite plants! When propagating houseplants, there are usually three different methods and...

It didn't seem like February would ever end! Too many cloudy days and too many snowy days just didn't sit well with me. I'd much rather endure the cold with sunshine. But spring is on its way (March 20 is the actual date) and the days are lengthening and soon we'll be in the garden planting. Seed...

We've all heard about the next new herbicide technology that will help with control of glyphosate resistant waterhemp and marestail. Both Monsanto and Dow are introducing new products that contain phenoxy herbicides (2,4-D and dicamba) mixed with glyphosate to be applied to genetically modified...

All this wet weather is creating havoc on area gardens. Plants aren't growing or are barely hanging on and the disease situation is escalating. Many people I've spoken to have complained about their tomato plants, and how they're dying from the bottom up. This is caused by two fungal diseases:...

It didn't seem like February would ever end! Too many cloudy days and too many snowy days just didn't sit well with me. I'd much rather endure the cold with sunshine. But spring is on its way (March 20 is the actual date) and the days are lengthening and soon we'll be in the garden planting. Seed...

The constant rains and saturated soils have been causing havoc for many growers. Trying to plant, harvest, control weeds and diseases and just about anything related to plant production has been almost impossible. According to my records, 16 of 31 days in May I recorded precipitation, 16 of 30 days...

In the spring have you ever seen a lilac bush and for some reason maybe there are only blooms at the very top and the sides are barren of flowers or maybe wondered why the poor lilac didn't bloom at all? Maybe the same thing happened to a forsythia bush or any number of other spring blooming shrubs...

This morning I was working with a group of kids and helping them learn how to garden. We planted tomatoes, peppers, acorn squash, and sunflower seeds. When I was showing them how to plant, one of the things I told them was "the greatest thing about gardening is that you can get dirty and no one can...

August 15-21 there will be several restaurants in Quincy that will feature at least one course that consists of locally grown product. Termed "Locavore" Restaurant Week, Bittersweet Confections, BoodaLu Steakhouse, The Maine Course, Thyme Square Café and 2thirty4 have all agreed to participate in...

As 2015 draws to a close, most producers are kind of glad to bid it farewell. It was a difficult year for many. There was simply too much rain for most soils to handle and the result was corn that yielded below average. There is always the exception, and some of those soils that drain well did in...

Earlier today I was presenting to a group about growing plants in containers and one of the things I mentioned was growing herbs in containers. That gave me the perfect article idea and on the drive back I began to think about all the potential there is for growing herbs in containers. For me one...

Spring has sprung! Or at least the temperatures during the first part of the week sure made it appear that Mother Nature was ready to start growing. Some field activity on the better drained soils and 70 degree temperatures made us all somewhat excited for another growing season. If you've not...

Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) has recently been in the local news again. The City of Quincy began having city ash trees treated earlier this month and a comment was made by the applicator that they believed that EAB was already in Quincy. Since that time, I have been in contact with the Illinois...

Wondering what to do with fallen leaves? Consider compost. Some people call it black gold, most call it by its proper name: compost. This material provides so many benefits to the soil that all gardeners should strongly consider its use. The addition of compost can improve the soils ability to...

The days are finally longer and the weather is warming up. Gardens are in bloom and some of our spring blooming bulbs are finishing their displays. I always receive questions about what you should or shouldn't do after your spring blooming bulbs are done blooming – what can you do to help make sure...

Fall is a perfect time for gardening. And considering how the spring weather treated us I think we can be assured that fall has to be much better. The variety of crops is limited for fall planting, simply due to the length of the remaining season. And also due to the fact that unlike spring...

Monday night saw a large storm with extremely damaging winds blow through parts of the counties that I work in. The damage to trees was unbelievable, I saw pictures on Facebook and local media websites – trees ripped up from the ground, trees snapped in half, trees fallen on homes and vehicles,...

For over a century growers have been using steam to heat the soil to help eliminate many pests of soils. Many greenhouses utilized this method of sterilization in the early 1900's and before. Back then there weren't very many alternatives to eliminate pests other than steam heat. Today there are...

Purchasing and consuming locally grown products has been rapidly increasing in popularity recently. From fruit and vegetables to meat and eggs, more people are consuming more locally grown products today than anytime during the past several decades. They're doing it for several reasons; one of the...

All this wet weather is causing issues with many plants, especially the annuals. Root systems aren't able to function in anaerobic soils which cause a variety of issues, including poor growth and reduced nutrient uptake. Leaf diseases have never been higher. Nearly all leaf diseases require...