Good Growing 2015

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...

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...

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...

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...

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,...

Putting Small Acreage to Work will be held on Saturday, Feb. 14th at John Wood Community College, 1301 S. 48th in Quincy. If you're looking for ideas on how to utilize smaller acreages for income producing activities or for fun and leisure, then this program will provide you with a number of...