They’re heeere… As much as I held out hope that the Japanese beetle population had been wiped out by an unusually fortuitous twist of fate, my watch for the invasive insect ended today with the discovery of several beetles on my raspberry bushes. If you have rose bushes, grapes, hollyhock, linden trees, pin oak, willows […]
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Tag: ISU Extension
Pre-Japanese beetle, a berry good year
I know this won’t last long. My raspberry bushes are heaving with berries, but it’s only a matter of time before my sworn enemy, the Japanese beetle, emerges to create havoc. Generally, there are several days between the time the berries start to ripen and when I spot the first foreign invader.
Planting potatoes on Good Friday and con...
I can’t imagine that too many Iowa gardeners will be planting potatoes in accordance with the Good Friday tradition this year. The ground currently is too cold and soggy to plant potatoes or much of anything else and Good Friday falls on March 29 this year – the earliest it’s been in five years.
Linn County ISU Extension & Outreach cel
You never know what you might learn when you run into a master gardener. Linn County Master Gardener, Debbie Main, said she will be replacing some of her perennials that didn’t survive last year’s drought with edible plants later this spring.
Book review: “Getting Your Hands Dirty a
In reviewing their new book, I first have to admit a certain bias for Linn County Master Gardeners, who have been longtime contributors to Homegrown. At the same time, it’s those qualities I admire about this group of experts – their down-to-earth advice, practical experience and willingness to share their knowledge – that makes “Getting […]
Homegrown Lifestyle 12-week course begin...
Besides an awesome name, I’ve heard good things about Iowa State University Extension’s Homegrown Lifestyle course. Homegrown Lifestyle is a 12-week spring short course for folks who want to reconnect with the land, grow food for their own use and create a sustainable landscape. Find out more about the program and how you can get […]
Master gardener classes open at Winter G...
UPDATE (Feb. 14, 2013): Kirkwood has closed the online enrollments so they can send confirmations to the enrollees. However, people can walk in on Saturday and register for the classes. There will be a registration desk with a Kirkwood representative to help. One of the biggest gardening events of the year happens this Saturday, Feb. […]
Compost Happens
Compost is one of those miracles of the garden: the transformation of kitchen scraps, leaves and grass clippings into a highly valued organic material that also keeps items out of the landfill. Every winter, I make a path through the snow to my compost pile in the backyard, as I add eggshells, banana peels, peanut […]