Month: August 2017

Storing the Harvest

As the end of the warm weather garden season rolls to a close and fall and winter grow closer, many gardeners harvest the last of the summer produce before planting the fall crops or putting the garden to bed.

But how do you store all of the extra produce at the end of the season? Especially those things you don’t freeze or can to preserve?

Nonstructural Carbohydrates—Say Again?

Nonstructural carbohydrates (NSC) are one of those quirks of nature that perplex gardeners when they come across these knobby underground things. They are a part of the plant but not a root per se even if they are underground.   Scientist don’t agree on why NSC exist but one thing that is known is they don’t…

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Iris Clean Up

Bearded iris are a staple in the landscape.  They offer a burst of color when we need it the most in the spring.  Late summer is a great time to rejuvenate your iris beds.  Iris spread by underground stems called rhizomes. As they spread they tend to grow on top of neighboring plants. Before you…

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Defense against summer diseases and pests

The heat of summer, it seems, is not only the time that gardens produce the most, it is also the time when the things that want to eat or destroy your gardens are at their busiest.

So while the heat and humidity may have you wanting to be a couch potato rather than tending your potatoes, you should be out checking on your plants, scouting for diseases and insects, and treating them appropriately.

Ooks! Cukes!

Have you ever been picking cucumbers and you find this massive yellow cuke that looks inedible and is a candidate for going straight into the compost pile? Then you wonder, “How in the world did I miss this the first time!” One easy way around this dilemma is trellising your cucumbers.  It is, after all,…

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Weed or Flower?

“Is this a weed or a flower?” – one of the most commonly asked questions I get here at the Extension Office.  I always answer: is it growing where it supposed to?  If not, then it is a weed.  A coneflower growing in a bluegrass lawn is a weed and bluegrass growing in a coneflower…

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