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Master Gardener Volunteer Column
Houseplants Let your poinsettias thrive by placing them near windows that face south, east or west. Be careful of drafts and cold, though, which may cause premature leaf drop. Water when the soil surface feels dry. For care of other holiday...
Master Gardener Volunteer Column
Ease into Your Spring Clean-Up Start with the areas nearest your front door. The prospect of cleaning up the whole yard can be overwhelming, but starting with your most-traveled and viewed area will help relieve some of that pressure. And...
Master Gardener Volunteer Column
Spring Clean-Up and Set-Up Get a jump on weeding. Because weeds can germinate and grow quickly, the sooner they’re pulled, the better. Need help identifying possible weeds? Check out this handy weed ID tool for some ideas. Refresh or expand your...
Master Gardener Volunteer Column
Wait for Warmer Weather Soil temperatures also need to rise a bit before we can get seeds for beans, squash, zinnias and other warm-season plants in the ground. They germinate best when the soil temperature is above 60°F. You can move...
Master Gardener Volunteer Column
In the Garden Consider joining us for two classes to get you growing this month: July 5: Purposeful Pruning: Join Master Gardener Michael Klepp to learn proper pruning techniques to increase food production, reduce disease, help habitat and more...
Master Gardener Volunteer Column
In the Garden Remember to check out the Orleans Community Seed Share, the seed library based at the Orleans County CCE offices in Albion. Speaking of seeds, now is the time to start saving seeds from your favorite edible and ornamental plants...
Master Gardener Volunteer Column
In the Garden Remember to check out the Orleans Community Seed Share, the seed library based at the Orleans County CCE offices in Albion. Speaking of seeds, now is the time to start saving seeds from your favorite edible and ornamental plants...
Survey Your Yard and Garden Check trees and shrubs for dead or damaged branches, and prune those out. For safety, call in an arborist for help with large trees. Likewise, avoid pruning near electrical or utility wires. Contact your municipality...
Master Gardener Volunteer Column
Trees and Shrubs Prune any dead or damaged branches that may fall or cause further injury to the plants. For safety, call in an arborist for help with large trees. Likewise, avoid pruning near electrical or utility wires. Contact your...
Master Gardener Volunteer Column
Garden Practices I often contemplate my garden practices: Are they healthy for the environment, am I being conservative or wasteful? Should I expand the vegetable garden, or do I have enough? This really is the time to journal my thoughts on the...
Master Gardener Volunteer Column
Fall Garden Checklist Some tasks that I do in my garden at this time of year are: Prepare the vegetable garden soil for the future garden. I remove any dead or diseased material. (FYI: don’t throw your diseased trimmings into your compost pile...
Master Gardener Volunteer Column
Step 1 - Draing and Winterize Water Systems Now is the perfect time to winterize your irrigation setup. Drain hoses, hose bibs, and any containers holding water to prevent freezing damage. Clean and sanitize your pots so they’re ready for spring...
Master Gardener Volunteer Column
Lifelong Learning Gardening is a journey of lifelong learning, where every season brings new challenges, discoveries, and opportunities to grow alongside our plants. Fall, in particular, offers us a perfect time to reflect on what we've learned...
Master Gardener Volunteer Column
Choosing Your Seeds You can winter sow any seeds. The difference is when and how you sow them. Some trees and bushes need two (2) years of cold moist stratification. Some species need to be moist for a period but in warm conditions, and some...
Master Gardener Volunteer Column
You might be tempted to just toss your tools in the shed and call it a day, but dirty tools are like a bed and breakfast for plant diseases and fungi. By cleaning them now, you're doing your future garden a huge favor. Plus, there's nothing...
Master Gardener Volunteer Column
Cottage Gardens Settlers in America were limited in their seed choices. Were the best seeds saved from their past garden, or should they trade with a neighbor? Would the European imports grow under new conditions, or did seeds lose viability...
Master Gardener Volunteer Column
Natural Materials Look for rose hips, berries, nuts, pine cones and dried flowers. Use these in their natural state, or you might add a bit of color. Dab puff paint on the tips of a pine cone or an acorn cap to look like a small drift of snow...
Master Gardener Volunteer Column
Rather than adding them to our weekly trash collection, what can be a better choice? Relegating old jack-o-lanterns to a landfill places them in an anaerobic situation. There they can not break down resulting in methane. Here are a few option...
Master Gardener Volunteer Column
Garlic and shallots can go into the ground as late as mid-November for harvest in July. Choose a well-drained site in your garden, and be sure to amend it with compost to give these heavy feeders a solid start. We still have time to plant spring...
Master Gardener Volunteer Column
Before you just blow or rake those leaves into bags or to the street, STOP! There is an alternative that will improve the environment, save you money, beautify your yard, and save pollinators & other important creatures, LEAVE THE LEAVES...
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