Here in the dead of winter, a valuable service to hire to maintain a residential property is a snow removal company. No more aching back, slipping and falling and shivering in the cold. Of course all of that comes at a price, so you have to determine if it’s worth it. As well, as their…
Category: Insects
Reflection
Every year seems to go by a little faster and this year was no exception. To share with you what the Extension Master Gardener program did in the Douglas-Sarpy counties in 2018: The Horticulture Helpline answered 8,094 questions starting in March and wrapping up in November. We had a team of over 40 volunteers manning…
How to Become a Nebraska Extension Master Gardener
(Part 3 of 3) Nebraska Extension Master Gardeners are Extension-educated volunteers who make a difference in their communities, reaching people from all backgrounds and ethnicities about research-based gardening information. Knowing lots about gardening before joining the program is not a requirement. Becoming a Master Gardener involves a love of learning and the ability to volunteer…
Powdery Mildew
Powdery mildew is an obligate parasite. Huh? In short, powdery mildew doesn’t want to kill your plants – but it sometimes happens, by accident of course. We most often see this disease on plants outdoors where there is poor air circulation. You probably have seen peony bushes around town or even your own that ended…
Saving Seeds
Long before the advent of seed catalogs, gardeners saved seed from their prettiest, tastiest and most promising flowers and vegetables of the gardening season, discarding the seeds from the blah, the unattractive and the poor producers. In essence, gardeners have helped mold the shape of gardening selections, making them some of the earliest purveyors of…
Fall Garden Clean Up
When cleaning up the fall garden, it’s hard to know what should be cleared away and what should stay. Gurus of tidiness opt for removing everything now in order to start with a clean slate in the spring. But is there such a thing as too much tidiness? It turns out that, yes indeed, that…
Cleaning up the Garden
Cleaning up the garden, aka “garden sanitation” is not a sexy topic, but an important one in terms of future pest control and productivity. So, what are the things to clean and to leave alone? After all, you’re not going to advise us to scrub the dirt with a scouring pad are you? Good…
The Picnic Beetle
Picnic beetles are small black insects with yellowish spots on their wing covers. This nuisance insect feeds on over-ripe and decaying fruits and vegetables. Its common name comes from its annoying habit of showing up in your potato salad at outdoor events. While it can damage fruits and vegetables, picnic beetles take advantage of over-ripe…