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Cucumber beetles and squash bugs are two serious insect problems of the cucurbits – cucumber, summer squash, winter squash, pumpkin, watermelon and zucchini. They are both difficult to control, but new research gives an option to reduce their numbers using low-chemical control. The Culprits Cucumber beetles and squash bug adults both cause damage through their feeding.... Continue Reading →
New guidance for farmers market operators was released by the Nebraska Department of Agriculture April 15, 2020. Nebraska farmers markets will be allowed to take place this year if they follow the mandatory guidance requirements, many of which are similar to procedures we are currently seeing in grocery stores. Here are a few excerpts from Guidance... Continue Reading →
The coronavirus COVID-19 has instigated a new normal for us all, affecting almost every aspect of life. We are all aware of the everyday preventive actions the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends. Avoid close contact with others. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands. Clean your hands often, including... Continue Reading →
This year All-America Selections (AAS) announces seven national and two heartland vegetable award winners. To see pictures of these and other great plants visit the All-American Selection Website. Consider trying one of these great cultivars this year by purchasing seeds or transplants. National Winners Cucumber ‘Green Light’ - This little beauty is an excellent mini cucumber,... Continue Reading →
The final plant of the year, promoted by the National Garden Bureau, is sweet corn. Whether picked fresh from the garden or purchased from the farmers market or local produce aisle, sweet corn continues to be among America’s favorite vegetable. Why is it so Popular? Versatility! Eaten straight off the cob or included in side dishes,... Continue Reading →
Planting onions from small bulbs or "sets" is not the best way to grow large onions for storage. Plants grown from sets often begin blooming in mid-summer and stubbornly refuse to stop. Once that happens, onion bulbs don't increase much in size. Onion Sets This happens because onions are biennials. They grow foliage and a bulb the first... Continue Reading →
Thanksgiving pie is a tradition for many families and apple pie is a frequent favorite. Wouldn’t it be great to tell your guests you grew the apples they are enjoying? Unfortunately, many home landscapes are not big enough for even a semi-dwarf fruit tree, let alone two – since most apple trees need a second... Continue Reading →
If you’ve grown garlic before, you know that the cloves for planting are found readily in the spring. What many do not know is that fall planted garlic produces larger cloves than spring-planted ones. Using this opportunity to plant now means it’s not too late to reap the benefits of fall-planted garlic. In selecting a... Continue Reading →
Especially at this time of year, if you do much gardening and yard work, you’ll be carrying things. If it turns out to be a lot of things, then consider a garden cart, tote or wheelbarrow. The kind of work you’ll be doing, how often and how heavy the load is will help you choose.... Continue Reading →
For better or worse, another gardening season is over. This week, we could talk about reviewing your gardening year, selecting disease resistant cultivars, proper pruning, watering or mulching techniques, or keeping garden records of success or failures so next year’s growing season goes better. But sometimes, you just need a little commiseration to lighten your... Continue Reading →
Raspberry crowns live for many years, but their canes are biennial meaning they live for two years. Each year new shoots grow from buds in the crown. Late in that first summer, these new canes develop lateral branches with fruit buds on them. Early the next spring, fruit-bearing shoots grow from these buds. After fruiting,... Continue Reading →
Garden professionals often talk about sanitation as a way to manage insect and disease problems in a garden or landscape. But what exactly is garden sanitation and how does it help with pest problems? Pest Overwintering Strategies Many disease organisms carry over from one season to the next on infected branches, leaves or fruits. Diseased... Continue Reading →
