Lightly shaded areas receive 3-5 hours of direct sun per day
Right Plant, Right Place – Match plants with their preferred growing site
Insect and Disease Control for Organic Vegetable Gardeners
Pest control - insects, diseases and weeds - are challenging for the home organic vegetable gardener. Today we’ll focus on techniques for insect and disease control. Organic gardens may have a higher level of insect and disease damage. Decide how much damage can be tolerated as a threshold for determining when control is needed. Pest Prevention Start... Continue Reading →
Healthy Soil, Healthy Plants
Most gardeners are aware that soil preparation is important in a new landscape with poor or compacted soil, but when spring fever hits it’s easy to start planting as soon as the weather warms up. Putting in the time to ready your soil makes a big impact, though, and will make a difference in the... Continue Reading →
Success With Houseplants – Fertilization
As with overwatering, over fertilization is a common problem, so an important step in winter houseplant care is understanding whether your plant needs fertilization. Houseplants, like most other plants, need fertilizer containing three major plant nutrients: nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K). The amount and frequency of fertilizer required depends on the type of... Continue Reading →
Gifts for Gardeners – Tools to Help Their Garden Grow
Good tools make the work in my landscape much easier. I get the majority of my work done with just five tools, so if you have a gardener on your gift list consider one of these ideas. Hori-Hori - Garden or Soil Knife The tool that is absolutely indispensable to me is a Japanese... Continue Reading →
Master Gardener Volunteers 2021 Master Gardener Program Now Accepting Applications
Winter is a time many people prefer to stay indoors, enjoy a good book, a crackling fire in the fireplace and a hot cup of cocoa, giving little thought to the outdoors or their landscape. But gardeners know winter is a time to dream and plan for next summer’s gardens. For Nebraska Extension Master Gardener (EMG) volunteers, winter... Continue Reading →
Water Your Compost Pile
What? Why should I water something that isn’t growing? Ah, but it is growing…you just can’t see it. A compost pile is a combination of many elements; brown stuff (tree leaves, twigs, coffee grounds), green stuff (kitchen waste, grass clippings) and microscopic animals called microbes.
Leaves on the Lawn Are Gifts From Mother Nature
It’s fall, which means the calendar says October and November, but in a gardening sense it also means falling leaves.
6 Common Composting Questions
Leaves are falling and gardeners will soon have an abundance of organic matter. Why not put these materials to good use this fall and start a home compost pile? Composting is easier than you think and the finished compost is an excellent soil amendment to improve the growth and health of your garden or landscape... Continue Reading →
Wise Water Use Guidelines
In the summer, on an acreage or in town, it’s important to make every drop count.
Winter Care of Indoor Plants
Most plants are energized and invigorated by a summer outdoors. Even delicate plants like ferns have a growth spurt if placed in a shaded location and watered properly. While outside, houseplants require large amounts of water due to increased light levels, heat and wind evaporation. When houseplants are brought back indoors in fall, seasonal light... Continue Reading →
Build a Compost Pile!!
At this point in the fall, leaves are probably dropping all over your yard, and blowing in from the neighbors. What to do with all these leaves?
