- Master Gardener Volunteers. The solution to many plant problems begins in the soil. The soil your plants grow in is a living system made up of organic matter, minerals, water, air, and billions of microbes. Understanding soil and promoting soil health is one of the most effective ways to keep plants healthy and maximize your harvest.
- Master Gardener Volunteers. Planting seeds, indoors or outdoors, creates the right environment for dormancy to break and new life to begin. Watching a seed sprout feels like magic. Starting seeds indoors is a rewarding, inexpensive way to grow hundreds of healthy transplants and get a head start on the gardening season.
- Master Gardener Volunteers. Many homeowners do not know when or how to prune— so they don’t. Not pruning is a big mistake. We may think it is wrong to remove healthy growth, but just the opposite is true. If you want to minimize disease and insect pressure during the growing season without pesticides, then proper pruning is a must. But what is proper pruning? Let’s explore the when, why, and how of pruning.
- Master Gardener Volunteers. On any random winter day, when our Portage County, Ohio, yards are frozen and barren, I pour my first cup of coffee and prepare myself for the hidden gems ready to fly down from the trees above. I am aware my yard has been awake and alive since daybreak. I’ve learned the birds’ rhythms and routines over time; my yard has become a safe space for them.
- Master Gardener Volunteers. Our family is known for keeping our home fairly cool during the winter months. We say that it’s healthier, but really, it’s to lower our heating bills.
- Master Gardener Volunteers. What is winter sowing, you ask? Winter sowing is the way many plants perpetuate themselves. They grow from seeds, make flowers, set new seeds, then, in the fall, disperse their new seeds by gravity, wind, water, birds, or small mammals to sprout again, somewhere, next spring.
- Master Gardener Volunteers. Bringing home a fresh-cut Christmas tree is a cherished tradition for many people during the holiday season, with 25-30 million live trees sold in the U.S. every year according to the National Christmas Tree Association.
- Master Gardener Volunteers. One of the best parts of the holiday season is finding a gift that brings lasting joy to the recipient. If you have a gardener in your life, there are a number of great options to consider, from tools to plants to garden décor. But how do you find the right gift for that special person? Here are a few tips that might help narrow down the choices.
Is there any better holiday meal than Thanksgiving? A meal made delicious because many of the most popular Thanksgiving dishes contain foods that originate in the Americas.
Would you like to add beauty and restore environmental function to your landscape? Native shrubs are a great place to start. Their extensive root systems reduce storm water runoff and soil erosion while also providing critical habitat for wildlife. Fortunately, many homeowners have already developed a consciousness about the need to add native plants to their landscape.
As autumn temperatures begin to decline, it is essential to prepare for the transition of houseplants that have been kept outdoors during the summer months in Ohio, back indoors. While many houseplants benefit from outdoor conditions, exposure to low temperatures — particularly below 45-50°F — can lead to damage or loss.
With fall upon us and winter just around the corner, we begin to feel the urge to make everything outside neat and tidy so when spring arrives, we are ready.
You may have heard of Spotted Lanternfly. You may have even seen one. What should you do when you see them? Kill by swatting, stomping, scraping, squishing, or contain, trap, vacuum. Read on for details. They may be pretty, but they are dangerous to our plants and trees.
By Michelle Smith, Portage County Master Gardener Volunteer Fall is often a bittersweet time for gardeners. As we enjoy the cooling weather and beautiful color of the autumn leaves, we lament the fact that we will soon be away from our gardens. On the other hand, the end of season also frees us from back-breaking labor and hours of weeding under the hot sun. Like they say, it’s complicated. What shouldn’t be complicated, though, are your fall chores. As we […]
Have you noticed the displays of bulb packages in home stores and garden centers? We see Tulips, Daffodils, and more. Now is a perfect time to prepare your bed and plant those bulbs. It may be hard to imagine as we head deep into fall colors and harvests, but these bulbs will bring you joy when very little is growing. Here are some tips to get started:
- Sandy Engle.
Although we can’t wave a magic wand and change our weather, by gardening smartly we can continue to have resilient and flourishing gardens no matter what the weather may bring.
The joys of summer, walks in the woods, trips to the park, camping, but wait— what are those plants? And now I have an itchy rash! Poison ivy, poison sumac and poison oak: these are three of the common poisonous plants which can cause rashes when we encounter them in the woods and at home.
Every gardener wants to use the best practices for a healthy garden. When we look at a landscape that is in balance, we see diverse variety, a lot of color, and randomness. Pollinators hum, birds sing. We may notice some, but not much, damage. Mixing plants in vegetable gardens helps mimic natural ecosystems, addressing common gardening issues like weeds, insect damage, and moisture retention.