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Gardening by the Month

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September - Seed Saving

Seed saving is a fun and rewarding experience—especially when you see the fruits of your labor the following year! We are approaching harvest time in Minnesota, so now is the perfect time to think about harvesting seeds. Read this article for some tips to help make your seed saving productive!

September - Seed Saving

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Canadian Milkvetch (Astragalus canadensis):
A Premier Plant for Pollinators

Few plants attract summer pollinators with the abandon of Canadian milkvetch. Sitting in a lawn chair on a sunny summer afternoon, it is pure pleasure to lean back and watch the show as proverbial busy bees slurp up nectar and pollen. In addition to its starring role as a great pollinator, Canadian milkvetch offers summer color and ecological benefits. Read on to learn more.

Canadian Milkvetch (Astragalus canadensis):
A Premier Plant for Pollinators

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Autumn Abundance: Fall Porch Pots

As your summer plants dwindle and spindle, fall is the perfect time to refresh your front porch with a fun fall planter. The best part? You can create a beautiful autumn display by salvaging some of your existing plants and adding a few fall-friendly plants. In this article, learn how to use your existing plants and new fall plants to add some cheer and beauty to your garden.

Autumn Abundance: Fall Porch Pots

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Pumpkin Power: Creative Uses for October’s Harvest

Pumpkins, a late season squash, have become a commonplace symbol of fall. You’ll know it's that time of year again once supermarkets and farmers markets start to showcase the iconic orange fruit. This autumnal squash is known for its utility as not just a fun DIY arts and craft, but as an ingredient for savory and sweet fall-based recipes and a great natural fertilizer! Read this article for more information about how to use the familiar and fun pumpkin.

Pumpkin Power: Creative Uses for October’s Harvest

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Picking the Perfect Jack-O-Lantern Pumpkin

Picking out and carving pumpkins is a favorite family activity in October. Read on for tips about how to choose and carve your pumpkins and what to do with all those seeds.

Picking the Perfect Jack-O-Lantern Pumpkin

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Don’t Let the Snow (or Lack of) Determine Next Year’s Blooms

It’s October and soon the winter snow will be here, or will it be? We all remember the “lost winter of 2023-2024” when Minnesota received record warmth and lack of snow. Just as a super cold winter can damage your plants, so can a super warm, snowless winter. This article explains why these extreme temperature variations can harm your plants and what you can do to protect them. October is the time to prepare your plants for the winter!

Don’t Let the Snow (or Lack of) Determine Next Year’s Blooms

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Making Something Lovely After the Blooms Have Faded

It’s October in Minnesota and most of your plants are no longer blooming. It’s always a bit sad to see your colorful garden fade for the season. But many of these flowers leave behind lovely seed pods or lovely flowers heads. This article shows you how you can take dried plants from your garden and turn them into a beautiful wreath to enjoy inside.

Making Something Lovely After the Blooms Have Faded

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October - “Fall”ing for Compost

Composting - an important word and process we want to teach our children, but how do we do this in a fun and educational way? Composting is a natural way of recycling so let’s invite the children in our life to not only continue recycling the paper, cans and acceptable plastic items, but also begin learning about and “recycling” the natural items we see all around into a rich compost we can use to make our plants grow. What an incredible way to teach children to care for our environment! Let’s get started on creating a child’s very own compost container, which then can be turned into a bigger composting container in the future.

October - “Fall”ing for Compost

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Wander the Winter Wonderlands of Minnesota

As we embark into our Minnesota winter, let’s wander into the many winter wonderlands in our state. The landscape is transforming into a quiet, snow-covered land, where nature’s beauty takes on a serene and magical existence. Many Minnesota outdoor and indoor garden sights are offered in the winter with opportunities of quiet meditation, reconnection with nature and new interaction with our environment. Let’s explore the winter garden possibilities available to us in Minnesota in this article.

Wander the Winter Wonderlands of Minnesota

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November - Creative Uses for Plants Beyond their Prime

When we put our Northern gardens to bed for winter, sometimes we just want to be done: move our growing indoors for the winter, or even take a break from growing entirely! But there are fun and useful things we can do instead of just cutting, pulling and tossing into the compost. Plants can provide us with usefulness and beauty even when they are no longer growing.

November - Creative Uses for Plants Beyond their Prime

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You Fall Garden Clean Up Check List

The garden growing season may be over but before you put your feet up and sip your hot cider, there are a few things you should do to clean up and prepare your garden for winter. Fall garden clean up provides multiple benefits for both you and your garden. Here are twelve tasks you should consider to tuck your garden in for the winter.

You Fall Garden Clean Up Check List

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Holiday Gift Plants

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Holiday Gift Plants
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