Crop rotation is an important and beneficial factor when planning a vegetable garden. Problems with diseases, insect pests, and soil fertility can increase when the same crop is planted in the same area in successive years. With careful planning and consideration, crop rotation can reduce issues with diseases and pests and balance the soil's nutrients. Learn how to best rotate your vegetable crops at home.
Garden Trivia
True or False? All vegetables will see frost or cold damage when temperatures get below freezing (32°F).
Rhubarb is a favorite for many Iowa gardeners. The rhubarb leaf stalk (botanically called a petiole) is used in pies, tarts, sauces, jams, jellies, puddings, and punch. Although categorized as a vegetable, rhubarb is used as a fruit because its high acidity gives it a tart flavor. Find more information about rhubarb including cultivars, growing conditions, fertilization, harvesting, care, and disease and insect management.
This podcast is for you if you want to understand the weather better! Every week during the main growing season Dan Fillius, Iowa State University Extension Horticulture Field Specialist, and Dr. Justin Glisan, Iowa’s State Climatologist, discuss recent weather, its impacts on fruits and vegetables, and provide a climate outlook for the coming week in Iowa.
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.
The Plant and Insect Diagnostic Clinic (PIDC) receives images of insects and arthropods for identification, and images of plants that accompany physical sample submissions. They have opened a new text line to send images directly from your smartphone or mobile device.
The Plant and Insect Diagnostic Clinic is introducing a new Sample Tracker for clients of the clinic to check the status of their sample(s). The plan is to update the sample trackers daily at 5pm.
April showers truly bring May flowers. May is often the peak bloom time for spring blooming plants in Iowa. While crabapple and lilac flowers often garner considerable attention in May, there are several perennials that produce an equally impressive display of spring blooms.
Other Items of Interest
Garden Trivia Answer
False.The vegetables we grow can be divided into two major groups – warm-season and cool-season. Warm-season vegetables include some of the most frequently grown vegetables like tomatoes, peppers, green beans, and squash. These vegetables often see damage when temperatures drop below 32°F. Cool-season vegetables, however, tolerate cold temperatures very well. Some can even survive down to the mid to low 20s with little to no damage! Popular cool-season vegetables include lettuce, spinach, and all of the cole crops like broccoli, kale, and Brussels sprouts.
