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Pansy: A flower to welcome spring
Pansies bring vibrant color to spring gardens and thrive in cool, sunny conditions with proper care.
Hostas: Emperors of the Shade
Discover hostas, hardy perennials that thrive in shade, offering diverse foliage, fragrant blooms, and easy care for any garden.
Practice patience when preparing garden soil
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. Spring soil is easily damaged and compacted if worked too soon after melting snow or spring rains. Avoid walking on garden spots or, worse yet, driving equipment on it, said David Trinklein.
Container gardening: Thrillers, fillers and spillers
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 gardenin
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Get a jump on spring gardening
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.
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Helping your soil be all it can be
Enhance your garden's health by improving soil structure with organic matter like compost, manure, and peat moss for better plant growth and water retention.
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Winter weather and plant injury
Protect plants from winter damage caused by cold temperatures, snow, and road salt. Learn how to minimize harm and keep plants healthy during the cold season
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Planting, growing and harvesting onions
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.
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Using cold frames and hotbeds for a longer growing season
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.
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New varieties can add spark to flower beds
COLUMBIA, Mo. –Petunias and calibrachoas are colorful garden favorites, but they have a reputation for not tolerating heat very well.
Caring for snow-damaged trees
Learn how to assess and care for snow‑damaged trees safely: when to prune, wait, or call a pro to protect tree health.
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MU weather stations provide real-time data across the state
Explore real-time weather data from Missouri’s statewide network of automated stations to support agriculture, research, and forecasting.
Planting wonderful sweet peas
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.
Snow can present challenges for livestock
NEW LONDON, Mo.– Spring is here, but parts of Missouri still aren’t through with winter weather.A University of Missouri Extension livestock specialist notes that snow makes it harder for animals to find available forage, and cold weather increases their nutrient needs.“They are going to need to be able to consume higher-quality forage to make up for the less available forage they can find,” said Daniel Mallory.
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Edamame: An easy crop to introduce to your vegetable garden
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.
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Getting ready to grow
KIRKSVILLE, Mo. – Winter is the time when Mother Nature slumbers. Spring is when plants, trees and gardens begin to wake up.
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In-between crops
COLUMBIA, Mo. — They have intriguing names such as hairy vetch, pearl millet and birdsfoot trefoil. Collectively known as cover crops or green manure, they've been used for years to increase soil productivity by fixing atmospheric nitrogen into soil, making it available for cash crops such as corn and saving farmers money on input costs.
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Get ready for cool-season vegetables
KIRKSVILLE, Mo. Cool-season vegetables let the well-organized gardener enjoy harvest bounty in the spring and again in the fall.
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Start your engines: Mowing season begins
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. Getting ready for lawn-mowing season means more than just filling the mower with fuel and starting it up. To keep your lawn in good shape, your mower needs to be ready and you need to get a head start on controlling weeds.
Top 10 tips for long-living trees
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. 1. Don’t plant too deep Planting too deeply can cause roots to encircle the tree and eventually girdle and choke it, Miller says. “This invisible killer often doesn’t cause a problem for many years.”
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Watch for farm equipment on roads during planting season
SHELBINA, Mo. – It was like any other day in the 40-plus years that Kent Blades had been farming. A lifelong Monroe County farmer, Blades was driving from one part of the farm to another when a semi-truck passed him and struck his John Deere open-station 5520 tractor as he was making a left turn. Blades counts himself lucky to have survived, though the accident left him with severe brain trauma, multiple broken bones and…
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'Flag the Technology' aids herbicide application
COLUMBIA, Mo. – There is a simple, inexpensive way to reduce errors in herbicide applications and limit off-target chemical drift, says a University of Missouri Extension weed management specialist.Kevin Bradley supports the “Flag the Technology” program by the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service.
Pasture growth needs warm sunshine, good management, MU specialist says
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Cool spring weather delays grass growth this year, forcing cow herd owners to feed hay long past winter.Rob Kallenbach, University of Missouri forage specialist, hears two frequent complaints: The grass is not growing. And there are more weeds than usual.The first is due to a cool spring. The second is due to a hot, dry summer last year.
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Clay soil: A mixed blessing, but easily corrected
KIRKSVILLE, Mo. – You dig your first spadeful of soil in your new garden and discover you have a shovel full of clay.
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Beginning gardening
Learn how to start your first garden with tips on planning, soil preparation, plant choices, tools, and simple maintenance for success.