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Rotating crops for a more resilient garden

February 28, 2025

As the growing season approaches, final plans are being made for home gardens. What to plant and where to plant are big questions that require multiple levels of consideration. What to plant requires an analysis of the intended use, what the growing space can support, and how the climate will...

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A seed envelope with tomato seeds scattered on it with a plant label with the text "tomatoes"

From seed catalogs to garden: picking the right tomato seeds

January 10, 2025

Good Growing

After a lovely winter break, I returned to the office with a stack of seed catalogs begging me to order more seeds. I already have hundreds of different seed packets that I have accumulated over the years. Many of the seeds are old enough that they likely are not viable anymore, but I just have...

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parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme leaves on brown, burlap fabric

Creating a Thanksgiving herb garden: How to grow herbs for your holiday meals

November 22, 2024

Good Growing

As Thanksgiving approaches, many of us start planning our holiday meals. While turkey, cranberries, and pumpkins may...

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Three mums and in the middle two hands planting spring bulbs.

Fall Gardening To Do's: Celebrating Summer’s End and Planning for Fall

September 6, 2024

Good Growing

Recently, chilly mornings have me grabbing my hoodie before loading the kids into the car for school. Apple orchards are starting to advertise cider and donuts. Mums are starting to adorn front porches. And that smell…could it be? Pumpkin spice! I will continue to lie to myself and proclaim...

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Harvesting Vegetables: When and how to pick your vegetables for best quality

June 28, 2024

Good Growing

There aren’t many things more satisfying than going out to your garden and harvesting your produce. All the digging, watering, and weeding you’ve done in your vegetable garden suddenly become worthwhile when you’ve picked your first tomato. One of the advantages of having a garden is that you can...

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Seedless watermelon: where science and summer sweetness meet

June 21, 2024

Good Growing

Summer officially begins this week and for many, it means melon season. According to the UDSA, in 2022, approximately 21.1 pounds of melon was available per U.S. consumer. Of the melons available and enjoyed by consumers, the three most popular melons ranked, in order of availability:...

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Sow, grow, rotate: how crop rotation promotes gardening success

January 5, 2024

Good Growing

With a new year comes opportunities for a new start… especially in the garden. As we look through seed catalogs, past garden records, and develop plans for next year’s planting, crop rotation in an annual garden bed is an important management method to implement. Crop rotation is a cultural...

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Troublesome lady beetles: Mexican bean and squash beetles

August 18, 2023

Good Growing

Lady beetles are widely considered a gardener’s friend. Sure, multi-colored Asian lady beetles can be a nuisance when they make their way into our homes during the fall (not to mention displacing native lady beetles). But they are all predatory, beneficial insects that feed on various pest insects...

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An abundant harvest: Donating garden crops to food pantries

July 21, 2023

Good Growing

As the summer days pass by, garden harvest becomes a regularly performed task of our Master Gardeners. The demonstration gardens that were so thoughtfully planned, plants or seeds so carefully planted, and growing plants so lovingly tended to for the past few months are producing delicious,...

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To rhubarb or not to rhubarb?

June 8, 2023

Good Growing

I hope I am not the only one with a plant they have always been aware of yet never really paid attention to. For me, that is rhubarb. I recall my grandmother having a stand of rhubarb, and I am sure she made rhubarb pie, but that is where my memory stops. I do not recall eating rhubarb pie or any...

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