College of Agricultural, Consumer & Environmental Sciences Illinois Extension

Blog Archive

close-up of a persimmon

Diversify your orchard: Grow persimmons for a holiday season harvest

December 15, 2023

Flowers, Fruits, and Frass

Beat the winter blues with visions of gardening Around the time of the Winter Solstice, our family dreams of spring planting to cope with shorter days and long winter nights. Visions of a garden filled with tried-and-true crops (tomatoes, peppers, and sunflowers) coalesce with my family’s tenacity...

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Jersey cows grazing under a sunny blue sky in a green pasture.

Central Illinois rotational grazing benefits land, cows, milk, people

November 24, 2023

Flowers, Fruits, and Frass

Milk is so synonymous with a grocery store visit; it is permanently printed on your shopping list notepad. With an entire industry supporting this staple item, there are tens of thousands of farms across the country that feed into it. However, few consumers rarely give credit to the work vested in...

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a candy cane stripped amarylis flower

Grow or gift an amaryllis for a winter gardening experience

December 1, 2023

Flowers, Fruits, and Frass

The gift of gardening is an experience anyone can appreciate this holiday season. Take the stress out of shopping this holiday season and give a blooming amaryllis kit that brings the beauty of nature indoors. Poinsettias are beautiful, popular holiday plants, but the gift of an amaryllis bulb kit...

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a cat looks out a brightly lit home at two carved and glowing pumpkins

Turn orange goo into black 'gold;' compost your pumpkins

October 31, 2023

Flowers, Fruits, and Frass

Keep that pumpkin out of the trash. Halloween night may be filled with frights, but garbage day is where the real horror lurks. Every year, discarded pumpkins and decaying jack-o-lanterns are hauled off to landfills by the thousands. The masses of orange flesh piling up in landfills produce...

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Squash and pumpkins piled in mums

Pumpkins, gourds, and squash, oh my!

October 27, 2023

Flowers, Fruits, and Frass

In falls fading light, toothy grins glow from neighborhood porches filled with pumpkins, squash, and gourds, festively displayed. All members of one family (Cucurbitaceae), cucurbits (pumpkin, squash, and gourds) are very functional fruits. Not only are they flavorful; the source of food usually...

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pears on a paper tray

Add pears to your home orchard for their complex flavor and history

October 6, 2023

Flowers, Fruits, and Frass

A gift-wrapped pear, something rich, delicious, and luxurious. Have you ever received an ornate paper-ply box filled with this special fruit? Have you ever considered gifting yourself the rooted source? Discover the luxury of growing European pear varieties; they gift a floral show in spring and...

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dormant tulip bulbs in black trays

Plant spring bulbs now for early spring beauty

September 22, 2023

Flowers, Fruits, and Frass

Give it a rest. With outside temperatures cooling, many gardeners are ready to give their tools (and their body) a rest. Although your gardening enthusiasm may be fading, preparation has just begun for another season of color: planting spring bulbs. After a cold snowy winter, you will be...

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a person handles seeds in one bottle and four jars that sit on a black table

Cherish favorite flowers and challenge your green thumb with seed-saving

September 1, 2023

Flowers, Fruits, and Frass

Saving Seeds preserves heritage Saving seeds from the garden is much like passing down a family heirloom: a prized possession lives on from year to year or from generation to generation. In the world of seeds, there are so many shapes and sizes, but they share one thing in common—they hold the...

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close up of a raised garden bed soil with seedlings and spinach growing

Fill a fall vegetable garden with variety – the cold-hardy choices may surprise you

August 25, 2023

Flowers, Fruits, and Frass

A fall vegetable garden offers a fresh start. Cool-season vegetables like leafy greens, root crops, broccoli, and cabbage—commonly grown in spring—get a jumpstart when planted in the warm soils of late August. Plant cool-season crops in a sunny area with well-draining soil. With regular...

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two children walk on a mulch path under trees

Ideas for youth to explore and connect with nature

August 11, 2023

Flowers, Fruits, and Frass

Spending time in nature is beneficial to our health and well-being. It can improve our mood, make us feel more relaxed, help us be more active, and even connect us with our community. For children, time playing in nature is needed for healthy development. Don’t let the benefits of time outdoors...

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green oat plants with light green seedheads

Harness the power of nature: Winter-kill cover crops

August 4, 2023

Flowers, Fruits, and Frass

A hidden gem lies in the late season soil—cover crops. Their transformative power benefits farm operations large and small. And now, vegetable and flower gardeners are discovering their value in the home garden. No matter how small a gardening space you have, the effects of incorporating cover...

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Two Master Gardeners use pruners to trim leaves off a houseplant

Help others learn to grow through the Master Gardener program

July 21, 2023

Flowers, Fruits, and Frass

Plants are all around us. We are connected to plants through nearly every aspect of our lives. From the fresh vegetables we eat to the trees that shade our homes and give us cleaner air, the gifts of plants – whether bundled, potted, or growing in the ground – provide us with the qualities of a...

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a close up of carrots growing in soil

Embrace the heat, midsummer planting grows a fall root crop

July 14, 2023

Flowers, Fruits, and Frass

Avoid the guilty feeling of an empty garden bed by planting root crops. Whether your garden has achieved timely crop succession, or the hustle and bustle of the growing season has led to an empty plot, there is always an opportunity to sow a few seeds in the vegetable garden. Early August planting...

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small-leaved green sedum grows into pink stalked green-leaved sedum

Grow a showy garden with less water: Plant drought-tolerant plants

July 7, 2023

Flowers, Fruits, and Frass

Summer water stress in the garden happens. Scorching temperatures combined with little to no water can be tough on plants. Grow a stunning landscape and conserve water by selecting plants that are drought-tolerant. Suited for harsh, dry summers, these plants do not require daily watering or care....

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red strawberries with green tops laying on more red strawberries with green tops

Unveiling the diverse world of strawberries: June-bearing, ever-bearing, and day-neutral

June 23, 2023

Flowers, Fruits, and Frass

When it comes to fruits that evoke feelings of summer, strawberries are undoubtedly at the top of the list. These delicious red berries have been a staple in many gardens and kitchens for centuries, and their popularity continues. Although we find it easy to love eating strawberries, growing them...

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a monarch sips nectar from a purple liatris bloom

Celebrate National Pollinators Week with practices that support pollinators all season

June 16, 2023

Flowers, Fruits, and Frass

It is no secret; pollinators are in decline. Did you know, pollinators provide 1 out of 3 bites of food you eat? Over 80% of flowering plants are pollinated by small, but busy animals, like bees and butterflies. They are essential to life on Earth – for plants and humans. With such an important...

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white currant cluster hanging in foliage with white outlines of currants

Plant a piece of history that tastes delicious

June 9, 2023

Flowers, Fruits, and Frass

Gardening enthusiasts on the lookout for unique garden additions should make space for red and white currant shrubs. Incorporation of perennial fruits in the garden is trendy and smart – they provide both ornamental value and food. With the addition of white currant (Ribes sativum) and red currant...

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a longview of a gardenbed filled with chives that is in focus close-up and blurred in the distance

Perennial herbs are easy to grow and good for the pocketbook

May 26, 2023

Flowers, Fruits, and Frass

Adding new plants to a garden every year is hard on the back, and the pocketbook. Perennial herbs make great additions to any garden or landscape. Serving a dual purpose—beauty in the landscape and culinary uses in the kitchen— perennial herbs can save you money and labor. When added to existing...

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two small pies with full pastry tops and a large pie with a lattice work top cooling on a wire rack

Celebrate pie all summer long: Plant a pie garden

May 19, 2023

Flowers, Fruits, and Frass

From tried-and-true favorites to exciting new possibilities, the season of pie has begun. There are few things tastier than a freshly baked pie. As the seasons advance, each month brings new “pies-sobilities.” Savor a tasty slice of pie this season and consider growing next year’s pie filling at...

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squash seedlings in peat pots against a blurred background of green chives

Get a jump start on gardening: Plan now for a season of success

May 5, 2023

Flowers, Fruits, and Frass

With chilly spring mornings nearly in the rearview, it is time to get busy in the garden.As the weather warms, satisfy the garden itch by preparing the ground for planting, creating a garden plan, and planting a crop of cool-season vegetables on Mother’s Day weekend. Preparing the groundClear...

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College of Agricultural, Consumer & Environmental Sciences Illinois Extension

101 Mumford Hall (MC-710)

1301 W. Gregory Dr.

Urbana, IL 61801

Email: extension@illinois.edu

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