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Beginning gardening

It could be a desire for fragrant flowers. It could be as simple as wanting to shave a bit off your food bill. Whatever the reason, you’ve decided to plant your first-ever garden. Listen to the audio.

How does your garden grow?

MU Extension can help you produce a bounty of fruits, vegetables and flowers. Read our latest information.

Clay soil: A mixed blessing, but easily corrected

If your garden is more clay than loam, not all is lost. You can improve clay soil. Listen to the audio.

Gardening is healthy for people of all ages

Growing a garden provides your body with a good physical workout. Make gardening a family affair and all will harvest the benefits.

Top 10 tips for long-living trees

Trees, like people, have a life span. They live, they flourish, they die.

The battle to protect fruit from fungi, diseases and insects

Growing fruit is a true labor of love because there are so many pests waiting to deny you the fruits of your labor.

New app helps you name that weed

University of Missouri Extension has released a free app for iPhones, iPads and Android devices to help people easily identify weeds in the field, lawn or garden. Watch the video.

Germination 101

Cut open a seed and you'll see a miracle. A tiny, embryonic plant waits inside, ready to break free of its seed coat, grow roots and push up through the soil.

Tips for a healthy lawn

Homeowners looking forward to a lush, green lawn this spring and summer should take care not to overdo it. Watch the video.

Does that plant fill in quickly or is it invasive?

It pays to do a little research, ask some questions and check with other gardeners before purchasing plants.

Top 10 horticulture tips

During her 23 years as an extension agronomy specialist, Pat Miller has answered a lot of questions and looked at a lot of plants.

USDA updates plant hardiness zones

In the first overhaul of the map in more than 20 years, many areas are finding that warmer winters now allow plants that formerly only neighbors to the south could enjoy.

News

Grow

Wet spring puts plants at risk if hot, dry weather arrives
Friday, May 17, 2013
COLUMBIA, Mo. – The excessive spring rains could put plants at risk when Missouri weather turns dry and hot.
April and May set weather records
Thursday, May 16, 2013
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Lots of rain, low temperatures and even snow set weather records in April and May in Missouri.
Media available: audio; photo
Beginning gardening
Monday, May 13, 2013
COLUMBIA, Mo. – It could be the memory of shelling peas with your grandmother or a desire for fragrant flowers. It could be as simple as wanting to shave a bit off your food bill. Whatever the reason, you’ve decided to plant your first-ever garden. Now what do you do?
Media available: audio; photo
Spring comes late to the dance
Friday, May 3, 2013
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Talk about being all dressed up with nowhere to go. Too many Missouri gardeners are watching spring days slip away because of cool, wet weather, which has delayed the gardening season well past the frost-free date.
Media available: audio; photo
Clay soil: A mixed blessing, but easily corrected
Monday, April 29, 2013
KIRKSVILLE, Mo. – You dig your first spadeful of soil in your new garden and discover you have a shovel full of clay.
Media available: audio; photo
Parts of Missouri still facing drought
Monday, April 15, 2013
COLUMBIA, Mo. –While much of Missouri was drought-free at the end of March, other parts are still in moderate to severe hydrological drought, said Pat Guinan, climatologist for the University of Missouri Extension Commercial Agriculture Program.
Media available: audio; photo
Top 10 tips for long-living trees
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
NEVADA, Mo. —Trees, like people, have a life span. They live, they flourish, they die. University of Missouri Extension agronomy specialist Pat Miller offers her Top 10 practices for prolonging the life of your tree.
Start your engines: Mowing season begins
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Winter is finally releasing its grip, so lawns will be greening up and growing. It will soon be time for one of the most basic homeowner rituals: mowing the lawn.
Media available: audio; photos; video
Get ready for cool-season vegetables
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
KIRKSVILLE, Mo. Cool-season vegetables let the well-organized gardener enjoy harvest bounty in the spring and again in the fall.
Media available: audio; photos
Getting ready to grow
Friday, March 29, 2013
KIRKSVILLE, Mo. – Winter is the time when Mother Nature slumbers. Spring is when plants, trees and gardens begin to wake up. So as the greenery rubs the sleep from its eyes and readies for the growing season, there are chores you need to do.
Media available: audio; photo
The battle to protect fruit from fungi, diseases and insects
Friday, March 29, 2013
KIRKSVILLE, Mo. – Growing fruit is a true labor of love because there are so many pests waiting to deny you the fruits of your labor. Fruit growers are in a constant battle against diseases, fungi and insects.
Media available: audio; photos
Free app from MU Extension helps you name that weed
Friday, March 22, 2013
COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension has a free app for iPhones, iPads and Android devices to help people easily identify weeds in the field, lawn or garden.
Media available: photos; video
Edamame: An easy crop to introduce to your vegetable garden
Thursday, March 21, 2013
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Once available to U.S. consumers mainly in Japanese restaurants, edamame is showing up at farmers markets, salad bars and grocery store freezer aisles. If you enjoy the sweet, nutty flavor of these nutrient-rich green soybeans, edamame might even find a place in your garden, said a University of Missouri Extension horticulture specialist.
Media available: photos
Planting wonderful sweet peas
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
MARBLE HILL, Mo. – Most people don’t think about planting flowers until May, but don't wait until then if you want to grow sweet peas, notes a University of Missouri Extension horticulturist.
Drought damage: Which trees will survive?
Monday, March 18, 2013
GALLATIN, Mo. – Last year’s drought left many of Missouri’s trees and shrubs in trouble. As spring arrives, we’ll learn what survived and what did not.
Media available: photos
Caring for snow-damaged trees
Monday, March 18, 2013
COLUMBIA, Mo. – It’s difficult to see a tree that you’ve nurtured for years broken and battered. Trees damaged by recent snowstorms may require some heartbreaking decisions.
New varieties can add spark to flower beds
Friday, March 15, 2013
COLUMBIA, Mo. –Petunias and calibrachoas are colorful garden favorites, but they have a reputation for not tolerating heat very well. However, recent years have seen the development of new varieties that are better equipped to withstand summer in the Show-Me State.
Media available: photo
Using cold frames and hotbeds for a longer growing season
Friday, March 15, 2013
COLUMBIA, Mo. – February played a dirty trick when winter storms dumped a lot of snow on the ground. Green-thumb enthusiasts hoping for an early start on their gardens had to wait for a thaw. But there are ways to help hasten the arrival of the gardening season even when the weather isn’t cooperating.
Media available: photo
Planting, growing and harvesting onions
Friday, March 15, 2013
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Although onions may make you weep, the world would be a sadder place without the flavor and aroma they bring to our meals.
Media available: photos
Winter weather and plant injury
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
KIRKSVILLE, Mo. – Road salt comes in handy when streets, sidewalks and driveways are slippery with ice. It’s not so handy when it splashes onto plants or soaks into the soil.
Media available: photo
Helping your soil be all it can be
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
KIRKSVILLE, Mo. – The earth beneath your feet may seem ordinary and benign. It’s anything but. Good soil can mean the difference between a garden that thrives and one that struggles and dies. Plants depend on soil for water, nutrients, minerals and even physical support.
Media available: photos
Get a jump on spring gardening
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Gardeners willing to put in a bit of effort can jump-start this year’s vegetable or flower garden by starting seeds indoors.
Media available: photo; video
Germination 101
Friday, March 1, 2013
Cut open a seed and you’ll see a miracle. A tiny, embryonic plant waits inside, ready to break free of its seed coat, grow roots and push up through the soil.
Media available: photo
Tips for a healthy lawn
Friday, March 1, 2013
COLUMBIA, Mo.– Homeowners looking forward to a lush, green lawn this spring and summer should take care not to overdo it, says a University of Missouri Extension turfgrass specialist.
Media available: photo; video
Soil tests take the guesswork out of fertilizing your lawn and garden
Friday, March 1, 2013
COLUMBIA, Mo.– Many garden and home-improvement stores offer a seemingly endless selection of fertilizers. What’s the best choice for your lawn or garden? Only your soil knows for sure.
Media available: photo
Container gardening: Thrillers, fillers and spillers
Friday, March 1, 2013
COLUMBIA, Mo.– If you’re yearning to grow flowers or vegetables but are short on space or have limited mobility, University of Missouri Extension horticulturist David Trinklein suggests giving container gardening a try.
Media available: photo
Practice good garden hygiene by sanitizing tools
Friday, March 1, 2013
COLUMBIA, Mo.– Just like surgeons and dentists, gardeners should work with clean tools. Sanitizing garden tools between uses will lower the risk of spreading diseases from one plant to another, says a University of Missouri Extension horticulturist.
Media available: photo
Hostas: Emperors of the Shade
Friday, March 1, 2013
COLUMBIA, Mo. —Few plants adds more interest to shady areas than hostas. Native to the Orient, where they were discovered as early as the eighth century, hostas are low-maintenance, winter-hardy perennials that can grow in the shade. Their leaves come in a variety of sizes, shapes, colors and variegation, according to University of Missouri Extension horticulture specialist David Trinklein.
Media available: photo
Pansy: A flower to welcome spring
Friday, March 1, 2013
COLUMBIA, Mo.–There is no more popular cool-season flower than the delicately fragranced pansy.
Media available: photos
Practice patience when preparing garden soil
Friday, March 1, 2013
COLUMBIA, Mo.– Spring is almost here, but gardeners shouldn’t be too quick to start working the soil, says a University of Missouri Extension horticulturist.
Media available: photo
African violets help chase away winter blues
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
COLUMBIA, Mo. – If you’ve got the winter blues and blahs, there’s a quick, inexpensive cure.
Media available: photo
MU Extension fruit care workshop series begins March 1
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
COLUMBIA, Mo.– The University of Missouri Extension Center in Boone County is hosting a series of workshops on raising and caring for fruit. The two-hour workshops will be held March 1, March 15 and April 5 in Columbia. The fee is $25 per class. Participants can attend one, two or all three.
High tunnel construction tips
Friday, February 8, 2013
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Producers should take care to choose an appropriate site for a high tunnel, according to University of Missouri Extension horticulture specialist David Trinklein. He spoke to agriculture educators recently at MU’s Bradford Research and Extension Center.
Ventilation important in high tunnels
Friday, February 8, 2013
COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension regional horticulture specialist James Quinn talked about side ventilation in high tunnels at a recent workshop at MU’s Bradford Research and Extension Center.
Tomatoes top choice for high tunnels
Friday, February 8, 2013
COLUMBIA, Mo. - University of Missouri Extension regional horticulture specialist James Quinn said tomatoes are a good choice for gardeners using a high tunnel for the first time. Quinn spoke about high tunnels at a recent workshop at MU’s Bradford Research and Extension Center.
Many vegetables grow well in high tunnels
Friday, February 8, 2013
COLUMBIA, Mo. While tomatoes are the most popular choice for high tunnel production, many other vegetables, fruits and flowers flourish in the controlled environment of high tunnels, said University of Missouri Extension regional horticulture specialist James Quinn.
High tunnels increase freshness and cash to producers
Friday, February 8, 2013
COLUMBIA, Mo. – “We are in a food production revolution,” University of Missouri Extension horticulture specialist David Trinklein told agriculture educators recently at MU’s Bradford Research and Extension Center.
Media available: photos
Japanese beetles on the rise in Missouri
Friday, January 18, 2013
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Japanese beetle populations in Missouri are likely to increase exponentially in the coming year, says an entomologist for University of Missouri Extension.
Media available: photos
Major factors for horticulture irrigation are water and time
Friday, January 4, 2013
MARSHFIELD, Mo.– There are a number of things to consider when making decisions on irrigating horticulture crops, but the most important is determining water needs based on the mature crops, says Bob Schultheis, a University of Missouri Extension natural resource engineering specialist in Webster County.
New app helps you name that weed
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension has released a free app for iPhones, iPads and Android devices to help people easily identify weeds in the field, lawn or garden.
Media available: photos; video
Deliver plant nutrients throughout the season with organic matter
Thursday, October 4, 2012
BLUE SPRINGS, Mo. — Increasingly, gardeners are interested in finding out how to grow vegetables without using synthetic fertilizers.
Media available: photo
The secret's in the soil
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
COLUMBIA, Mo. – A healthy garden starts from the ground up.
Japanese beetle scourge hits fields and lawns across Missouri
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
COLUMBIA, Mo. – If the leaves of your roses, shrubs or soybeans look like swiss cheese, the culprit could be Japanese beetles.
Media available: photo; video
Plan to grow enough to preserve
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
BLUE SPRINGS, Mo. – Instead of tending to a garden that will only provide fruits and vegetables during the season, consider growing enough to preserve, suggests a University of Missouri Extension horticulture specialist.
Media available: photo

Websites

The following are general-interest lawn and garden Websites from the University of Missouri. Browse the menu on the left for sites on more specific lawn and garden topics.