The University of Illinois offers the Illinois Vegetable Gardening Guide (https://web.extension.illinois.edu/vegguide/default.cfm) on line and contains several sections on growing high qu

Our growing season has really gotten going finally and with all the good comes some bad from time to time. Gardeners have become much more aware of what we do in our individual home landscapes have a larger impact on the environment especially when you add up the amount of land in our neighborhoods...

Farmers walk their fields, vegetable growers walk their produce fields, have you walked your lawn lately? This time of year is a good time to find out what has been happening to the lawn and what you might want to do yet this season to make your lawn healthier. With all the rain we had earlier in...

Our rains have really been messing with us when it comes to routine yard work. Keeping the weeds under control is a real challenge right now. Every day we are not able to work in the beds, those weeds keep right on growing. Gardeners with smaller garden beds can lean in while staying on the lawn...

Last week we experienced some of that "What did you expect, it's Northern Illinois" kind of weather. This week the forecast is still for cooling night time temperatures and trending up after that. This is that wake up call to remind us that we should be gardening by the weather and not...

Now that the snow is gone and gardeners have left the warm comfort of the house, the impacts of the winter are very evident as we do that "walk about" in yard and begin to formulate early spring gardening plans. Master Gardeners have begun answering questions coming in on the phone, by email and in...

Right now the gardening word for the week is "patience" Gardeners are anxious to get the 2015 gardening season going, yet winter does not look like it is going away any time soon. So while we are impatiently waiting to get out in the yard to tend to our landscape plants and the garden, what can we...

The Extension Office and Master Gardener Help desks receive lots of questions regarding invasive and noxious weeds every year. There are major differences in how these weeds and plants are managed from the already existing regulatory legislation in Illinois. In a recent newsletter from the...

While there is a lot of summer left, now is the time homeowners are discovering nests of a variety of flying, swarming and potentially stinging wasps and hornets in the home landscaping. In nearly all cases, homeowners have been unaware that a nest even exists in the yard until one day when foliage...

Our recent winter weather patterns have caused concern from homeowners especially with our last snow storm. That snow came down quickly and was able to stick to and add a lot of weight to tree canopies and evergreen branches alike. Unless there is a compelling reason to remove the show loads like...

In a normal year, this column in the middle of December would be talking about how to deal with wildlife in the yard that damage our valuable landscape plants from feeding damage. It's a little different this year. As we continue to enjoy the milder weather, so are the field mice. Starting late...

About now homeowners who enjoy the crackling fire outside in the fire pit may be thinking about that transition to the indoor fireplace. Burning questionable quality firewood outside does not take away anything from the joy of sitting around the pit after dark. It can make a difference in the...

The recent issue of the issue of the University of Illinois Extension Home Yard and Garden newsletter states that the growing degree days for our area (recorded at St. Charles) have recorded more days than our 11 year average of 865, at 1056. Gardeners then would have expected better plant growth...

While reviewing the University of Illinois Plant Clinic Newsletter, it became clear that this season has really been about diseases, starting with the usual and expected diseases that come along with the cooler temperatures and rains of spring. Plant diseases continued as our rains continued well...

Our weather up until these past few days has remained primed for lawn diseases. Homeowners who have taken great care of their lawns may actually see more turf diseases that the neighborhood courtyard or cul-de-sac where only mowing gets done. The ever popular textbook disease triangle image has...

The University of Extension will again be sponsoring the First Detector Workshops in 2016, for the third year in a row. These workshops have been well received by Arborists, Master Gardeners, City Arborists, Master Naturalists, Landscaper and Nursery business for their timely and strong...

Fireplace season is here. The First thing typically to do is get it cleaned if you have not cleaned it. This should go to the top of your projects list before you start up the fireplace or wood burner. Creosote buildup can catch fire and chimney fires are common during the winter. The...

Fall is a great time to do clean up in the landscape that seems just like a lot of work with no immediate rewards besides just making the beds look better. The bigger story is when done you are indeed "sanitizing the yard for your own plants protection" Gardeners already know the benefit...

Lawns have been turning green since the rains have shown up and some lawns have already been mowed for the first time. The south and west exposures may need to be mowed before the rest of the yard. As you get ready to mow for the first time in your yard, be sure the mower deck is clear of any grass...

Before we get to the consistent cold of winter, now would be good time to deal with potential future damage to our landscape plants. This is one of those yard activities that will benefit the landscape next spring with more robust growth and less plant damage, and it is one I feel is important to...