Good Growing 2025

child planting tree in lawn area with older adult guiding the childl

Autumn is for tree planting

Autumn is a time for apple picking, pumpkin spice everything (yes, I’m on that side of the debate), final garden harvests, and tree planting. While April gets a lot of attention for being Arbor Month, let’s consider autumn as another great time to plant trees.Advantages of autumn planting...
Finish this story
Cottonwood branch against blue sky

Understanding cottonwood

A recent family trip westward to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks offered a chance to observe the changing landscapes of the Midwest. While Iowa’s familiar fields of corn and soybeans resemble much of Illinois, the transformation across Nebraska—from tallgrass to shortgrass prairie—...
Finish this story
Green tomatoes growing in the garden

Stalled Green Tomatoes: Why won’t they turn red?

If you have grown tomatoes, it is likely that at some point in your gardening journey, you have encountered a stubborn tomato plant that refuses to ripen. In the past, there have been a few of my tomatoes that have sat green for a few weeks, but eventually they turned red. However, in the summer of...
Finish this story
a naturalized landscape bed

Nature by design: Naturalistic landscapes

In recent years, landscape design trends have migrated toward naturalistic aesthetics- a style that equally prioritizes ecological function, native plant selection, and beauty. For some, this may seem like an abrupt turn from the more familiar formal landscape design often employed in home...
Finish this story
female keeled treehopper protecting nymphs on a leaf

Keeled treehoppers, the bugs with bodyguards

If you take some time to look closely at a plant, chances are you’ll see a variety of different insects. Take sunflowers, for example: many different pollinators can be seen visiting the flowers, from bees and wasps to beetles, butterflies, and flies. Other insects can be found feeding on the plant...
Finish this story
person standing in strawberry garden in flood water

Flooded gardens: Safety, cleanup, and recovery

Rain, during summer months, is usually a welcome assist when caring for a vegetable garden. But when there is too much of a good thing, a flooded garden can be devastating. Beyond the physical damage to plants and structures, floodwater can introduce biological and chemical contaminants, making...
Finish this story
white flowers of elderberry cluster in an umbel spent flower head is in the background

The wild and wonderful elderberry

Most of the time, I work hard to achieve a desirable outcome in my landscape but, from time to time, a plant comes along that is easy to establish and care for without being too aggressive, is beautiful, and produces food for wildlife and my family…black elderberry is one of those plants....
Finish this story
wool sower gall on an oak tree

Fuzzy growth on oak trees: Wool sower galls

If you spend enough time looking at and working with plants, you'll inevitably come across galls. Galls are abnormal growths and can be caused by a variety of different organisms, including insects (like aphids, flies, wasps) and mites, and occasionally nematodes, fungi, and bacteria. Galls can be...
Finish this story
Garden slug on rock by green plant leaf

Silent, slimy pests of the shade: Slugs

If you have noticed ragged, irregular holes in your hostas or other broad-leaf garden plants, you may be dealing with garden slugs.   These soft-bodied pests can be found in shady, moist gardens, and although small, they can cause significant damage.Identifying SlugsSlugs are members of the...
Finish this story
A drip tape irrigating lettuce

Drip irrigation in the home garden

As demand for water resources and concern for water conservation increase across the U.S., drip irrigation is becoming a popular method to reduce water bills and safeguard water resources. Implementing drip irrigation in a garden or landscape is also a way to streamline watering your plants. With...
Finish this story
Soak it up: rain garden and bioswale curb cut with water flowing into a vegetative swale

Soak it up: rain gardens and bioswales

Homeowners looking to enhance their landscape this year while managing stormwater have options available. Green infrastructure options include permeable pavement, rain barrels, large trees, green roofs, raingardens, bioswales, and more. Each of these systems is designed to utilize technologies or...
Finish this story