Hot Chocolate Day is January 31, inviting us to appreciate the plants and traditions that make this beverage possible. While hot chocolate feels like a simple winter comfort, its story includes an array of flavorful plants starting with chocolate and adding herbs and spices.Hot cocoa and hot...
By Ella Maxwell, Extension Master Gardener serving Fulton, Mason, Peoria and Tazewell counties
The temperatures this spring have been up and down which forced some of the earliest flowering plants to begin blooming at least two weeks earlier than normal in my garden. My winter aconite and...
The USDA Hardiness Zone Map has been updated to reflect temperature data collected over the last 30 years. This new map version used GIS technology and input from climate, botanical, and horticulture experts to create hardiness zones on a much finer scale.
Updated to Zone 6A
Locally, the...
Join us for the 21st Gardener’s Big Day 9 am to 4:30 pm on April 13, 2024 at Spoon River College in Canton, IL. Registration begins February 1, 2024. go.illinois.edu/GBD24.
Keynote
What do pollinators do for us?
Imagine how much an apple would...
Growing food is not limited to outdoors in the summer.
With some planning, you can grow food indoors throughout the year.
Make a plan
Before starting your indoor kitchen garden, it is essential to think about what you want to gain by growing food indoors. You might wish to have herbs to give...
At first: Why save seeds?
Saving seeds is a great way to save money and be prepared for the following year, but it is also a way to pick out the best of what you have grown and save seeds from that specimen (flower, vegetable, etc.). With each successive year, you...
