Garden in the Minnesota Winter with “Winter Sowing”

Itching to get planting? Even in our cold Minnesota we can start our spring gardens. Winter seed sowing is possible using homemade miniature greenhouses and plenty of snow. Here's how...

Get to Know Your Good and Bad Weeds

We are bringing you a new series this year, “Weed of the Month”. Some months, we’ll highlight a specific weed, show you what it looks like, describe its key characteristics, and methods for managing it. Other months we’ll focus on a special angle about weeds, for example, edible weeds because it turns out that not all weeds are bad! This article provides a very useful set of resources to identify and understand weeds and how you should handle them.

Growing Plants Without Soil

Although the last few winter months hang on, the hours of daylight continue to lengthen and many of us, including the little ones in our lives, are itching to see green. Green grass. Green leaves. Any new green growth. But even with a desire to have living, green plants around us and in our homes, some kids just aren’t excited about gardening. One reason may be that they don’t like the feel of soil or getting dirty. If this sounds like a kiddo in your life, read on to learn how to grow lovely green things while staying warm, and relatively clean, inside.

Have No Doubt, Plant a Garden That Will Resist a Drought

In recent years, Minnesota plants and trees have faced pressures from warmer temperatures and prolonged drought. You can foster a healthy, resilient garden by adding species that adapt well to these changes. Read here to find out the type of plants and garden conditions that optimize a drought-resistant garden.

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.

Incorporate Vertical Gardening into Your Garden Space

Spring has arrived and we can begin to implement the garden plans that we developed during the winter months. As you planned your garden, did you consider how to use vertical as well as horizontal space? Will you have plants requiring support? Do you want to expand your garden space by utilizing vertical as well as the horizontal space available? Vertical plantings can also add visual elements that enhance the beauty of the garden over and above the appearance of the plants themselves. This article provides important information about why you might want to include vertical plantings in your garden and how to do so successfully through various types of trellising.

Indulging in the World of Mulching

Spring has sprung in Minnesota! Are you thinking about putting mulch in your garden or wondering if you should? Resolve to learn more about mulching in your landscape beds this year. As you wander around your gardens and at the local landscape and garden supply stores, you may wonder which type of mulch to use, where to apply it and what time of year is appropriate for such mulch. Read on to find out the answers to these mulching questions.

Manure – A Cautionary Tale

Manure can benefit your garden in many ways but it also has negative consequences if used improperly. Read this article to learn how to use manure to reap its benefits without hurting your soil or plants.

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.