In winter, there is usually a stockpile of former plant material that needs to be processed. Acreage owners have 2 options as what to do with it:
Winter Composting Techniques
Benefits of Snow
We’ve had our first taste of winter but while opinions may vary on the desirability of snow - particularly the amount that falls! - snow actually has several benefits for landscapes and gardens. “Blanket of Snow” Image by Pixabay Soil InsulationThe term “blanket of snow” is a good description for snow’s insulating effect for... Continue Reading →
Trench Composting – A Simple Method of Reusing Kitchen Waste
Most gardeners know food scraps contain nutrients that can be used to improve garden soils. The most common way of handling kitchen scraps is adding them to a traditional compost pile, but a less well-known composting method also works very well – pit or trench composting. This method is also called vertical composting and soil... Continue Reading →
Fall Leaves – Put Them to Work in Your Landscape
The ground is still covered with leaves in many neighborhoods, but don’t throw them away - put them to work for you. Even if you only have a few leaves and little time, consider bag composting. Bag Composting Bag composting is perhaps the easiest composting technique. Its a passive method, so leaves break down slowly, but much... Continue Reading →
Right Plant, Right Place – Match plants with their preferred growing site
Lightly shaded areas receive 3-5 hours of direct sun per day
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.
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