Yard and Garden Information

Local News

Spring 2008 Horticulture Programs
(Posted on 2/19/2008)
There are several Horticulture Programs coming up. Groundcover and Shrubs, Nursery Hop Bus Trip, Miniature Plants for all Gardens, and Garden Tour/Plant Exchange Lottery.

Resources you might find useful in the months to come
(Posted on 9/17/2007)
Another season is upon us, and you will have questions that accompany fall. Here are some resources to use when answering those questions.

flowers

Yard and Garden Publications
(Posted on 4/5/2007)
There are publications for all of your gardening needs. You can order off the web, print off the web or come in to the Extension office for the publications.

Morel Mushrooms
(Posted on 3/30/2007)
These are wild mushrooms that people pick in April and May. The season usually lasts 3-4 weeks; the mushrooms' growth depends upon spring rains and warm temperatures. The safe morels are those that have the hollow steam. The first pickings of mushrooms are usually the gray ones and later ones become more yellow. The tops all look like a sponge, very "holey".

asian beetle

Horticulture & Home Pest News
(Posted on 10/4/2006)
Horticulture & Home Pest News is filled with articles on current horticulture, plant care, pest management, and common household pests written by Iowa State University Extension specialists in the Departments of Entomology, Horticulture and Plant Pathology.

News from Iowa State University Extension

Ask the ISU Extension Gardening Experts
(Posted on 7/23/2008)
Turfgrass performance in shady areas, cucumber varieties, and how to keep raccoons out of sweet corn plantings are topics for this week.
Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) Not Found in Iowa Yet, Residents Asked to Prepare
(Posted on 7/23/2008)
Update on the status of Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) in Iowa including what is being done to track the insect and slow its spread. What citizens can do to help prepare.
Redheaded Ash Borer Also a Threat to Ash Trees
(Posted on 7/21/2008)
Red Headed Ash BorerEmerald ash borer has been getting attention lately as a threat to ash trees, but there's also a redheaded borer that can attack weak specimens.
Ask the ISU Extension Gardening Experts
(Posted on 7/18/2008)
Controlling Japanese beetles, watering raspberries and selecting perennials for wet soils are the topics for this week's questions.
ISU Extension Audio: Interviews for the Week of July 14
(Posted on 7/16/2008)
Listen to interviews about soybean yields and disease, weather and crop conditions, the Beginning Farmer Center, floods and plant disease, community development conference and more.
Hard Times for Iowa Conifers
(Posted on 7/14/2008)
Wet weather in 2008 has caused drowning symptoms for many trees that do not like wet feet.
Ask the ISU Extension Gardening Experts
(Posted on 7/11/2008)
Transplanting sumacs, identification of the Osage orange and what to do about a Sunburst Locust that is not thriving are the topics for this week's questions.
Now Is Time to Renovate June-bearing Strawberries
(Posted on 7/7/2008)
Taking care of your strawberry bed after harvest will help ensure a good crop for several more years.
Ask the ISU Extension Gardening Experts
(Posted on 7/3/2008)
Chinese cabbage, growths on grape leaves and summer squash are topics for this week's questions answered by ISU horticulture experts.
Should You Sell Your Extra Produce at a Farmers’ Market?
(Posted on 7/2/2008)
The answer about selling your produce may not be as simple as you think. ISU Extension's small farms specialist, Andy Larson, provides many options to consider.
Upcoming ISU Field Days Highlight Fruits and Vegetables
(Posted on 7/2/2008)
Events scheduled for July 21 in Mitchell and Howard Counties and for July 24 in Shelby County.
ISU Extension Audio: Interviews for the Week of June 30
(Posted on 6/30/2008)
Listen to interviews about crops and weather, mosquitoes, tomatoes and salmonella, community leadership and more.
The Not So Sweet Pest of Sweet Corn
(Posted on 6/30/2008)
One of the pure pleasures of summertime in Iowa is eating sweet corn fresh from the garden or farmers market. But one pest can make the joy of eating corn rather unsavory.
Ask the ISU Extension Gardening Experts
(Posted on 6/26/2008)
This week the experts offer advice on controllling white clover in a lawn, whether cucumbers will cross-pollinate with other vine crops, when to deadhead peonies and how to grow tree peonies in Iowa.

Staff

Leroy Jensen-County Extension Education Director
Phone: (515) 532-3453
Fax: (515) 532-3415
Email: lhjensen@iastate.edu

Yvonne Nilles-Extension Horticulturalist
Phone: (515) 832-9597
Fax: (515) 832-9599
Email: ynilles@iastate.edu

Resources from ISU Extension