Garden Prep & Care
How to Avoid Problems When Gardening on your Deck
Gardening on your deck or patio provides a number of benefits. It enables those in a multi-unit building an opportunity to grow plants outdoors. It provides an opportunity for those with physical limitations to garden. Growing plants on your deck or patio is a strategy for adding beauty and it might provide an opportunity to grow edibles near your kitchen. But gardening on a deck or patio does present its own potential problems. Read this article to learn how to avoid problems and how to deal with them if they occur.
How to Share Your Plants Safely
Sharing plants from our gardens is a common and gratifying practice among gardeners. But in these times, we must know how to share plants safely. Safe from what? Jumping worms have become a significant and difficult problem for Minnesota gardens. This particular type of worm has the ability to ravage your garden soil and weaken or kill your plants. This article will help you learn more about this pest and show you how you can still share your plants safe from the spread of jumping worms.
Imagining Your Garden’s Possibilities
January is a month of fresh starts, a time to renew and begin again. Whether you were pleased or frustrated with your garden in 2021, the new year is a great time to dream about your 2022 garden’s possibilities. Valerie Rogotzke shares some thoughts about how to reimagine your garden.
Master Gardeners Answer Your Questions
One of the most important services that the Master Gardeners in Dakota County provide to the community, is answering garden and environmental related questions. This article explains some of the ways that you can have your gardening questions answered by a certified Master Gardener in Dakota County. In particular, at Farmers Markets around the county, you can find MGs at their “Ask a Master Gardener” table, ready to answer your gardening questions
Our State Soil: Lester
If you have ever planted anything in the ground, or even just dug a hole, you know how our soil can vary depending on where we live. As a gardener, it is likely you have had your soil tested and amended your soil to provide optimal growing conditions for your plants. Here in Minnesota, mother nature amended some soil on a very large scale and deposited about 400,000 acres of it across 17 counties, perfect for growing crops like corn, soybeans, and alfalfa, right in the heart of our state. Click here to get the dirt on Lester, our state soil.
Planning Your Garden for Next Year Begins Now!
The active, outdoor gardening season is coming to a close. After you clean up your garden and put your clean tools away, take some time to reflect on how your garden performed this season. Aren’t there always some improvements to be made? What sort of corrective or preventive strategies might you implement to make next year even better? Read this article for a reminder of some gardening fundamentals that may help you attain gardening success next year.
Planning for a Sunny Garden for all Types of Conditions
If you are looking to start growing flowering plants or vegetables in a sunny area of your garden, read Margie Blare’s articles on starting a new garden. Then, take a look at this article which provides lots of ideas for plants in various kinds of sunny gardens. There are a seemingly endless number of plants that will flourish in a sunny garden. This article helps you narrow the choices down to some super stars.
Planning to Promote Success in Your 2022 Vegetable Garden
March is a great time to start to plan for your summer vegetable garden.
Whether you’re planning your first vegetable garden or you’re an experienced vegetable gardener, there are things you can be doing to enhance the probability of a successful growing season.
Planting for a Fall Harvest
Late summer doesn’t always come to mind as planting time. But Late July and early August are great times to plant vegetables that grow quickly and mature better in cooler temperatures. Read on to discover which plants you can plant now that will grow successfully well into fall.
Putting Your Garden to Bed
If it’s yellow or brown, cut it down. If it’s green, leave it alone. This long-standing rule-of-thumb means you can’t just wake up one day and decide to put your garden to bed for the winter. It’s a gradual process because plants die back at different rates depending on when they transition energy to the roots. Cutting off green leaves can weaken a plant and affect its vigor and bloom next year. Besides, there are lots of reasons to avoid cutting shrubs, stems and perennials – for winter interest and for wildlife. Here are some ways to ready your gardens for cold and snow ahead.