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Vegetable Gardening

A basket full of red tomatoes.

Maximizing Tomato Production

Based on our updated frost-free dates, most of the risk of spring frost has nearly passed, and it's time to start thinking about planting cold-sensitive vegetable crops.  Tomatoes are perhaps one of the most popular warm-loving plants in the home vegetable garden.  With their time in the...
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A blank checklist on a clipboard next to a pen.

Making a fall gardening checklist

Fall is nearly upon us, and while many gardeners lament the end of the growing season, plenty of work remains to be done before winter sets in. I actually enjoy fall gardening tasks as they are a way to end the year with a bang and get all set to hit the ground running in spring. Here is a short...
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A ripe tomato on a tomato plant.

Tomato Problems and Solutions

Tomatoes are one of the most planted garden crops in the US and remain a staple of most vegetable gardens across central Illinois. Illinois Extension receives many questions about these plants and their care each year, with most questions centering on controlling some common ailments.  From...
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Bindweed on top of straw in a garden

Managing Bindweed a difficult task

Occasionally, a weed pops up that commands attention due to its aggressive habit.  Action must be taken quickly to avoid its establishment in the landscape, or years of control efforts will ensue.  Knowing when a tiny invading plant should be taken seriously can be difficult for a...
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Kale and kohlrabi seedlings in a garden center.

Frost dates and spring vegetable planting

The past few weeks, we’ve had spectacular weather for gardening, which has really ramped up efforts across central Illinois in preparation for the growing season to come.  This early spring warmth combined with garden centers packed full of new plants creates the irresistible impulse to plant...
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Vegetable Garden Planning

It’s that time of year again – time to start planning for the vegetable gardening season.  The explosion of enticing seed catalogs hitting my mailbox these days has started to get me in gear by dusting off all the tools, looking at our empty garden beds and dreaming of the growing season to...
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Growing Loofa Gourds

Most gardeners who have planted a summer squash in their vegetable garden can attest to the prolific growth of healthy squash vines.  And in good years, many can also recount the bountiful harvest, with fruits ripening faster than you can pick them at times.  I think we’ve all found those...
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Lunar Influence on Gardening

Our sun has special significance in the gardening world.  It offers sunlight, which plants use to generate energy and directly influences plant lifecycles in a variety of ways.  Have you ever considered the role of the moon in plant growth?  Historically, many agricultural and...
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Vegetable Gardening with Raised Beds

Vegetable Gardening with Raised Beds

The spring-like weather this past week has been phenomenal.  Although we may see a return to cooler weather since March is known to “come in like a lion”, it was certainly a sign of things to come.  I’m really looking forward to March’s exit as it “goes out like a lamb” and the 2022...
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Garlic is typically planted in fall by separating bulbs into individual cloves for planting.

Fall Garlic Planting

As the vegetable growing season quickly approaches fall frosts when production screeches to a halt, there is actually one crop that can be planted now in anticipation of next year’s growing season.  Garlic (Allium sativum) is an easy-to-grow bulb crop that does best when planted now for a...
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August is a great time to start a fall garden including cool-season crops, like this lettuce, that will thrive in the milder temperatures of the late growing season.

Fall Vegetable Gardening

In the heat of July, it seems out of place to consider fall frost, but it is an important detail for vegetable gardeners planning a fall garden.  There are a variety of garden crops that can be planted in July and August for fall production, many of which are cool-season crops that actually...
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In order to sprout, stored seeds must maintain viability which is dependent on a variety of factors.

Seed Viability in Storage

Anyone who has gardened long enough likely has a pile of seed packets squirrelled away with intentions of using those seeds someday.  Many times, I keep seed packets in my collection because I just can’t stand to throw things away, especially seeds that may have some viability.  However,...
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Delicious and sweet ‘Sungold’ tomatoes were hard to find in 2020 since an unusually large number of homebound gardeners bought up seeds and plants at unprecedented numbers.

2021 Garden Planning

What will your 2021 vegetable garden look like?  Where will you source seeds or plants?  What new crops are you interested in planting this year?  All these questions are on the minds of many gardeners this time of year. In 2020, there was an unprecedented interest in all types of...
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This bumble bee dangles from a flower of crimson clover, which is an attractive and valuable soil-building cover crop that can be easily hand-seeded into vegetable garden beds.

Cover Crops for Home Gardening

Cover cropping is a practice we often associated with larger scale farming, but they have the same great benefits in our home vegetable gardens.  A cover crop is a crop that is grown for protection and enrichment of the soil rather than for harvest.  Since they are not harvested for use...
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New Vegetable Garden Maintenance

New Vegetable Garden Maintenance – Weed and Watering

Vegetable gardening takes some forethought and planning to ensure your garden space is ready, select the best crops, and get everything planted while working around spring rains.  Our enthusiasm and planning in early spring typically culminates in the planted garden and often wanes as the work...
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Beets are a cool-season vegetable that can be direct seeded into the garden now.

Selecting Plants for the Vegetable Garden

Although this past week’s weather trended toward more winter-like conditions, we all know that warmer spring weather is just right around the corner and next week looks quite promising.  One of the key factors in knowing when to plant your vegetable garden relates back to weather since some...
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Wild Ramps

As the local food movement has grown in popularity, an interesting subset of “foodies” have emerged that forage in nature for their dinner.  Many native, wild plants are edible and these folks seek them out in our forests, prairies, and sometimes even our yards.  One plant that is often...
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Starting a New Vegetable Garden

Starting a New Vegetable Garden

With an increased amount of time at home these days, there is an increased interest in gardening.  It is such a great way to get outdoors and get some exercise while growing some neat and interesting plants.  For many, the start of a new gardening experience can be stressful. Still, I...
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Ornamental Brassicas

Fall annuals can breathe life into waning gardens late in the growing season, filling in among fading flowers to add beauty and interest.  Mums seem to be the quintessential fall annual, although perennial in our area if established early enough in the season, packing the garden centers with...
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beet growing with title "it's hard to beat a good beet"

It's hard to beat a good beet

Mentioning the ripe beets coming out of the ground this time of year doesn't get much excitement out of my kids, but they are certainly a favorite of mine. I have such fond memories of fresh beets from my grandmother's garden. She served them pretty regularly as a side, fresh when possible,...
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Tomatoes are one of the most planted garden crops in the US, with several common problems here in central Illinois that can be managed through fairly simple cultural practices.

Tomato Care

Nothing beats a homegrown tomato!  Even when in season, the store bought varieties just cannot compare to a fully ripe tomato harvested at its peak from your own garden.  So many gardeners across American choose tomato plants for their garden each year for this reason, making it the most...
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Strategic Garden Plantings

Now that March has went out like a lamb, these warmer days we are really motivating me to get out into the garden and set things in motion for the 2019 growing season.  Right now is a perfect time to direct seed many of our cool-season vegetable crops, but don’t go too wild with planting or...
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2019 Gardening Goals

Winter is an excellent time for reflection on the past year’s growing season and any gardening successes or failures to account for next year.  In this season of multitudes of seed catalog mailings, I have found it to be an ideal time to set gardening goals for the coming year during the down...
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Home Composting

One of the single best things you can do to improve your garden soil is to add organic matter.  By adding significant amounts of organic matter, you are putting fuel back into the nutrient cycle which naturally adds plant nutrients to our soil and lessens (or eliminates) the need for...
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American Ginseng

This week marks the half way point for the 2018 Illinois Ginseng Harvesting Season, which runs from the first Saturday in September through Nov 1.  Did you even know that ginseng grows in Illinois, let alone the fact that there is a regulated harvest of this valuable native plant? ...
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Garlic Planting

Garlic is a long-season, over-winter crop that does best when planted in the fall.  It can then be harvested in the early summer, which allows space for another summer crop.  This is rather unusual timing in the gardening world and it has always interested me for that reason. ...
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Cabbageworms

Recently, my wife, Amanda, noticed that something was chewing on the nice stand of kale she planted in our vegetable garden.  Initially, I brushed it off to the usual, acceptable amount of insect damage kale can withstand and still produce a harvestable crop.  Typically, kale has some...
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Vegetable Gardening in the Midwest

With last week’s Easter snow, it is hard to believe that the frost-free dates for our area are fast approaching.  Hopefully April will follow a more March-like tradition of “in like lion and out like a lamb”.  The “frost-free” date for the Champaign area is around April 15th, which is...
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Planting Potatoes

Potatoes are a cool season vegetable that are among the world’s food staples, ranking number four in the list behind rice, wheat and corn.  This native to the South American Andes was domesticated around 7,000 years ago.  Sixteenth-century Spanish explorers observed indigenous use of the...
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Thyme

In recent years, I have become more interested in landscape plants that provide some type of culinary use while also providing aesthetic value to my yard.  Herbs are a hearty group of plants that can fit into most any landscaping, adding beauty from flowers or foliage, while providing an easy...
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High Tunnels

At this point in fall, most of our vegetable gardens are completely done for the season, with the exception of some kale or a few other cold hardy crops.  Wouldn’t it be great to have a way to extend the growing season for a few months and keep enjoying fresh produce?  Many small farmers...
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The History of Squash

In 1863, Abraham Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a National Holiday and in that move, solidified our national memory of this plant-based holiday.  The original Thanksgiving occurred several hundred years earlier in 1621.  It was a celebration of the plants produced through successful...
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Cover Crops

It’s beginning to be that time of year again, when our vegetables gardens become less productive and most of the season’s bounty has been realized.  Before you begin to look toward next year’s plans, why not consider planting something for the winter season?  A hard-working cover crop is...
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Plant Your Fall Garden Now!

This time of year, when most vegetable gardens are teeming with fresh produce, it is hard to think about starting additional plants.  However, right now is the perfect time to start a fall garden and extend the growing season until the first frosts of the year, or possibly beyond with certain...
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