By Dawn Pettinelli – Extension Instructor Plant Science & Landscape Architecture Saves Money & The Environment! A soil test is an inexpensive and valuable tool to help determine what will grow best in your soil, and what it might need to boost its fertility. It’s a smart decision to test the soil every three to […]
Gardens
Create a Worm Farm
Photo and article by Carol Quish for UConn Extension The basics of keeping a worm farm are easy. Explaining why you would want to have one is a little harder to justify to people, particularly family members. Having been a worm farmer for over twenty years, my family finally just accepts and then ignores the fact […]
10 Tips for the April Gardener
1. Choose planting areas based on exposure to sun, shade, wind and distance from water source. 2. Purchase onion sets for planting and set 1 inch deep and 4 to 5 inches apart when soil can be worked. 3. Get the jump on weeds in garden beds by pulling out any that overwinter and applying […]
Is It Time for a Rain Garden?
Jen McGuinness who blogs at Frau Zinnie wrote an excellent blog post about the rain garden presentation Dr. Mike Dietz of UConn Extension presented at the Master Gardener Symposium in March. In Jen’s words: MANCHESTER, Conn. – With April showers imminent, you’ll soon be reminded of how much stormwater leaves your property. Water rushing through […]
Community Gardens
By Jiff Martin – Extension Educator Sustainable Food Systems All this talk about checking out the latest seed catalogues, de-wintering the garden and predicting the date of the last frost can be frustrating for the land-poor gardener wanna-be. If you are an apartment dweller, a condo resident or simply garden-plot deprived, you may not be […]
Bluebirds
By Julia Cencebaugh Kloth for UConn Extension Beautiful and beneficial the population of the Eastern bluebirds declined in numbers from the late 1800s through the 1980s. One significant contributing factor to this decline was the lack of suitable nesting cavities. Competition for nesting cavities from introduced European starlings and house sparrows, the loss of open field […]
Eat Like A Bird
As a life-long New Englander I find that one of the most enjoyable parts of the winter season is watching birds at the feeder. We all know the importance of providing easily available food sources for the many avian species that remain in the area during the cold winter months but there are also species […]
Eat locally grown, even in winter….
By Diane Wright Hirsch, MPH, RD UConn Extension Educator, Food Safety Photo: Tomatoes at Bishop’s Orchards in Guilford. Credit: Jude Boucher, UConn Extension After a food-filled holiday season (including, I must confess, raspberries, grown somewhere in South America, in a fruit salad…), it is time that many of us resolve to eat healthier and, perhaps, to attempt […]
10 Tips for the February Gardener
1. Visit our booth at the 2014 CT Flower and Garden Show, Feb 20-23 in Hartford. Bring ½ cup of soil for a free pH test and your garden questions for free advice. 2. When buying houseplants in winter, be sure to wrap them well for the trip home and, if possible warm up the […]
“Shape” Up On Your Winter Woodland Walk
Lori Ann Trovato, a UConn College of Agriculture and Natural Resources student posted these great ideas for enjoying your next winter woodland walk. An unseasonably warm winter day has boosted your energy level and a woodland walk is in the course of events for the day. Surely a hike is great for shaping up, but […]
Bird Feeder Care While You’re Away
Many people enjoy feeding the variety of birds we have in New England and watching them fly around the yard, or sing a song. But what do you do with your bird feeder if you’re planning to be out of town? Keeping bird feeders filled is important. Birds depend on the feeder as a food […]
Ten Tips for the January Gardener
1. Protect your young fruit trees from hungry mice, who can chew the bark off at the soil line, weakening and possibly killing the trees Keep mulch several inches from trunks to keep the mice from hiding under it. Also, consider putting wire-screen mouse guards around the trunks of the trees. 2. Bring pruning tools […]
Barnum 4-H School Garden
This was originally posted by Organic Gardening 365. Question: What do you get when you cross the savvy leadership training skills of 4-H with a Bridgeport, CT school that wants to teach kids responsibility through gardening? Answer: The Barnum School 4-H Garden. The Barnum School 4-H Garden is a display of hard work and great […]
Pantry Pests and Their Control
Pantry or kitchen pests infest dry or stored food products in the home. Most are either beetles or moths. Infestations occur when these insects are found in some products, but more commonly when the adults are seen crawling or flying about the kitchen or pantry. The insects live and breed best under warm, humid conditions […]
10 Tips for the December Gardener
This morning’s winter weather reminds us to check in on our gardens and house plants as well. Here are some helpful tips for your winter gardening needs: Tap the evergreen branches gently to remove snow and prevent the branches from breaking. Check fruits, vegetables, corms and tubers that you have in storage. Sort out any […]
Vexing Voles
I’ve always rather liked most rodents. There’s a shy rabbit that we see in the back yard at times and sometimes I find a white-footed mouse or two in the garden shed or in a birdhouse. As both a child and a mom, I was charged with taking care of several guinea pigs and found […]
10 Tips for the November Gardener
1. Be sure not to store apples or pears with vegetables. The fruits give off ethylene gas which speeds up the breakdown of vegetables and will cause them to develop a strange taste. 2. Bring out the bird feeders and stock them with bird seed for the birds. Remember to provide fresh water for them […]
Danbury 4th Graders & Root Vegetables
“1…2…3…crunch!,”was the sound of children at Morris Street school in Danbury as the 4th graders bit into a fresh crispy radish slice followed by a soft sweet sliced beet. Students enthusiastically described the colors, tastes and textures of the root veggies as they explored new flavors this Fall at the Farmers Market. Heather Peracchio, Registered […]
Fall is for Puffballs
Fall is the best time of year to go mushroom and fungus hunting. Among those you’ll find are different types of puffball. The fungi commonly referred to as puffballs fall mostly into three genera, Calvatia, Calbovista and Lycoperdon. When young and before spores begin to form inside, the flesh of a puffball is white and uniform, […]
10 Tips for the October Gardener
1. Use dried herbs to make fragrant fall wreaths and dried flower arrangements. 2. Pick bagworms from evergreen shrubs to eliminate the spring hatch from over-wintered eggs. 3. Cut down stems and foliage of herbaceous perennials after two or three hard frosts or when leaves begin to brown. 4. Squash and pumpkins should be harvested […]
Mulch Volcanoes: A Growing Problem
UConn Extension has noticed a growing problem in Connecticut landscapes – tree volcanoes. A tree volcano occurs when mulch is piled around the base of the tree and climbs up the trunk. The shape of the mulch resembles a cone or a volcano. Mulch volcanoes waste money and damage trees. Mulch is useful at the […]
Praying Mantis
As summer winds down, pay close attention to your garden and other areas of woods and open space – you might see a Praying Mantis. Our Tolland County Extension office has had a lot of praying mantis in the gardens this year. Three more egg cases were found earlier this fall. Each case takes about […]
Fall Soil Testing
Fall is the best time of year for testing your garden or lawn soil. Limestone and organic amendments can be mixed into the soil now, as they need time to breakdown and be incorporated into the soil. Come spring, only a planting fertilizer will be needed and you will have the recommendations in hand. Plus, […]
Where are the Monarchs?
By Pamm Cooper Most people who are butterfly aficionados have noticed that the Monarchs are few and far between this year. I have only seen two all year, and I am always out and about on power lines, in meadows, and walking trails where there is plenty of milkweed for the caterpillars to eat and […]
8 More Tips for the September Gardener
1. Now is the time to de-thatch and aerate lawns to promote root growth if necessary. 2. Remove and compost spent annuals and fallen leaves. 3. If frost threatens, bring houseplants indoors. Keep in mind that Sept. 16- 22 is National Indoor Plant Week! 4. Pot up or propagate herbs to bring indoors for winter […]
A New Pear Disease in Connecticut
By Joan Allen Pear trellis rust is a new disease of pear and juniper in Connecticut this season. The fungus that causes pear trellis rust is Gymnosporangium sabinae. It requires two unrelated host plants, pear and juniper, to complete its life cycle. This disease is common in Europe and has been present for some time […]
10 Tips for the September Gardener
Mid to late September is a great time to plant accent plants, like mums and asters, that will provide autumn colors in the landscape. Rake up leaves, twigs, and fruit from crabapple trees and throw them in the garbage to help control apple scab disease. Wood ashes contain potassium and calcium and can be used […]
5 Tips for a Successful Home Canning Season
Start with a research-tested recipe. Just because a recipe is in print, doesn’t mean it’s safe for you and your family. Start with a recipe that has been tested to make sure that the product is safe and high quality. A great place to begin is with the recipes from the National Center for Home […]
Get a Look at Late Summer Tree Fruit
By Carol Quish Most of us know the normal tree fruits we commonly eat this time of year; apple, peaches, plums, even the more unusual quince and pawpaw. Most trees produce seeds to reproduce. Some seeds are housed in unusual wrappings. Take a photo trip through this blog to view uncommon and perhaps under appreciated […]
Wild Morning Glory
The showy white or light pink, funnel-shaped flowers of the wild morning glory are abundant along roadsides right now. Maybe, like me, you think to yourself as you’re driving around or on a walk, “I’d like to find out what kind of wildflower or plant that is when I get home” and then later forget […]
Trees in Bushnell Park
I recently went to Bushnell Park for the first time in my life and was glad I tagged along. My favorite plants since childhood are trees, especially the kinds you can climb up into and take a seat on a limb broad enough to provide a comfortable seat so you can view the world around […]
Double Duty – A Vegetable Garden That Looks as Good as it Tastes!
I will admit, planting zinnias (or any flowers for that matter) in between corn plants is not something I had considered until admiring the attractive combination in the vegetable garden at Tower Hill Botanic Garden, home of the Worcester County Horticultural Society. Last Thursday the MNLA Summer Field Day was held at this 132 acre […]
Ten Tips for the August Gardener
It’s a beautiful weekend – UConn Extension offers these ten tips for all of you working in your gardens: 1. Pick summer squash and zucchini every day or two to keep the plants producing. 2. Keep an eye out for insect, slug and snail damage throughout the garden. 3. Colorful plastic golf tees can be […]
Ten Tips for the July Gardener
Ten Tips for the July Gardener Inspect garden plants regularly for insect and disease problems. Sanitation practices, insecticidal soaps, and insect traps are alternatives to pesticides. Properly placed shade trees will reduce air conditioning costs. Try shade tolerant ground covers in areas where lack of sunlight limits grass growth. Yellow leaves of cucurbits and tomatoes […]
Gardening Quick Tip: Japanese Beetles
Mary Concklin, UConn Extension Educator for Fruit Production and IPM offers this quick tip on dealing with Japanese Beetles: Using the Japanese beetle traps will actually attract the beetles to your planting. Instead, if you have the traps, place them at least 100 feet from the planting to try to draw them away from the […]
Liming Soils
by Dawn Pettinelli, UConn Home & Garden Education Center An incredible number of chemical, biochemical and biological reactions occur in our soils. Through these reactions, nutrients, whether already present in the soil or added by fertilizers, are changed into forms that can be taken up by plant roots. The pH of the soil affects all […]
Rain Got You In A Depression? Put It In One!
With historic amounts of rain falling on our state this month, it is easy to get a little down. It puts a damper on beach days, picnics, and hikes. Not to make things worse, but did you also know that as all that rain runs off roofs, parking lots, driveways, and roads and into storm drains […]
Mulch Molds – What is Growing on my Mulch?
What is growing on my mulch? This is a common question UConn Extension is asked at the UConn Home and Garden Education Center and in our county Master Gardener offices. People are perplexed when they find a yellow foamy mass that looks like the neighbor’s dog vomited in their flower garden. Or when their nice […]
Be on the Lookout for Giant Hogweed, an Invasive Plant in Connecticut
UConn and the Connecticut Invasive Plant Working Group (CIPWG) are asking state residents to be on the lookout for Giant Hogweed, which typically blooms during July. Giant Hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum) is an invasive, non-native plant from Eurasia that was first identified in Connecticut in 2001. This Federal Noxious weed has now been confirmed in 25 towns in […]
Barnum School 4-H Garden
Since 1968, Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) has been funded by he United States Department of Agriculture and is an integral part of the UConn Extension. Currently, it is one of the federal government’s longest running educational outreach programs targeted to low-income families. Specially trained EFNEP Nutrition Assistants, who know their communities well, work with program […]