Care and How-To articles are now easily found on the website. Click on "Care and How-To" in the menu bar at the top of the homepage to browse dozens of comprehensive and up-to-date articles on a wide variety of topics, with new articles being added every week!
Learn more about edible mushrooms at the 2023 Wild-Harvested Mushroom Certification workshops! These workshops are held to provide certification opportunities to individuals who wish to legally sell any of eight different types of wild-harvested mushrooms. Workshop dates are March 25 and April 15.
Make sure to check your houseplants for any signs of an insect pest infestation! See this article for a few different things to look for on your houseplants.
Germination requirements (light and temperature) vary among the different annuals and vegetables. The various crops also differ in the length of time from seed sowing until the seedlings are planted outdoors. Germination and growing information for commonly grown annual flowers, herbs, and vegetables can be found here.
If you’re not a fan of insects and their relatives, colder months can bring a bit of relief from unwanted outdoor encounters. But colder months don’t mean they won’t be present in our spaces. As temperatures cool in the fall and winter, insects, spiders, and other arthropods can seek refuge inside human structures to find warmth and shelter. See this article on how to manage insects in your home in the winter.
All-America Selections has been trialing edible and ornamental plants for over 90 years, presenting awards to entries that will impress home gardeners with their performance regionally or nationally. There have been plenty of exciting new winners that merit a place in your garden that will be highlighted in this series.
Layering is a form of propagation where new roots are formed on stems while the propagule is still attached to the parent plant. There are several methods of layering. The method best used depends on the species of plant, and not all species are propagated by layering. Many houseplants are successfully propagated by air layering or simple layering.
False. While most conifers are evergreen (like pine, spruce, fir, yew, juniper, and arborvitae), there are several species of deciduous conifers that lose all their needles each fall. Deciduous conifers that can be grown in Iowa include larch, bald cypress, and dawn redwood. Even evergreen conifers don’t hold their needles forever and will often drop their inner, oldest needles in the fall. Learn more about the amazing world of common and bizarre conifers in this article from the Arnold Arboretum: Beyond Pine Cones: An Introduction to Gymnosperms
