Yard & Garden Line News
Volume 7 Number 5                                                               April 15, 2005
Features this issue:

Wines and Vines: Hardy Wine Grape Research
Spring Garden Prescriptions
Carpenter Ant Review and Update
April Garden Calendar
Editorial Notes

Wines and Vines: Hardy Wine Grape Research
Beth Jarvis, Yard & Garden Line


'Frontenac' and 'Frontenac gris'

'La Crescent'
Photo Credits:
Dave Hansen
When the first Minnesota winery began selling wine, the winery's motto appeared on the label: "where the grapes can suffer". That was 1978 when the Alexis Bailly vineyard released its first wine from Minnesota-grown grapes.

Since then, Minnesota's commercial wine producers have increased in number, with more starting every year. In Minnesota there are 16 bonded wineries, including three or four that make wine from fruit, such as berries and wild fruit, and even rhubarb.

Table grapes have been grown in Minnesota since before 1900. The U released several table grape cultivars in 1944. (Of those, 'Bluebell' is still available.) Table grapes 'Edelweiss' and 'Swenson Red', both jointly released with Elmer Swenson in 1977, are also still available. 'Frontenac', a 1996 release, was the first hardy wine grape introduction.

The wine grape breeding program began in the mid-1970s, and since 1985 has been led by Peter Hemstad, grape breeder and commercial vintner. Over 10 acres are devoted to grape breeding at the Horticulture Research Center, in Chaska. In August 2001, the U hired its first enologist. (Enology deals with the science of wine and wine making.)

Anna Katharine Mansfield was selected. Originally from North Carolina, Mansfield was completing a bachelor's degree in English when she took a summer internship at a winery. She was smitten. She opted to get a MS in Food Science specializing in wine flavor from Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA.

Mansfield hadn't been planning to move to Minnesota. After graduation, she was looking for an industry job on the east coast when the U's position opened. But, she's acclimated. She's working on her PhD. in flavor chemistry, through the U's Department of Food Science, characterizing flavor compounds in Hemstad's grape hybrids. The transplantation of our enologist seems to be successful. She's taken root and is now married to a Minnesota native.


Anna Katherine Mansfield evaluates a wine.
Breeding for Hardiness
Minnesota now has the largest cold hardy grape breeding program in the US. Vineyards in New England, particularly upstate New York and Vermont are very excited about forthcoming cultivars. "The Québécois love us!" Mansfield said with a grin. Canadians have been planting Frontenac and are anxiously awaiting the release of La Crescent and Frontenac gris from Canada's plant quarantine where they have been examined for the past 3 years.

This fall the Grape Breeding and Enology Program will be hosting the North American Grape Breeders Conference. They expect dozens of researchers from around the U.S., Canada, and Europe.


Covered vines, in April.
Photo Credits: Beth Jarvis

Peter Hemstad examines grapes. Photo Credit: Dave Hansen
Mansfield doesn't see Minnesota becoming competition for California. The grapes they grow there are classic European Vitis vinifera varieties like Cabernet, Merlot, and Chardonnay. Here, V. vinifera must be buried overwinter due to our extreme cold. Minnesota grape crosses include other varieties that will eventually make winter protection a thing of the past for grape producers in our area.

That can't come a moment too soon because the industry is growing. Someday we will have "wine trails" along the Minnesota River and the Mississippi/St. Croix areas. Many wineries are open for tours, tasting, grape stomps and other activities starting in April or May.

Interest and pride in Minnesota-grown products plays a role. The Food and Wine Experience now has a Minnesota-grown area. Schumacher's restaurant serves Minnesota wines at the State Fair. And, of course, State Fair also has a home wine category.

Mansfield doesn't envision Minnesota wineries exporting wines anytime soon but notes it's a very nice niche market. Minnesota wines are sometimes produced in such limited quantities that they're not distributed through commercial channels or the distributors might not take the wineries seriously. The problem is, they need more grape growers and more hardy grapes to grow. Bottom line, is if you tour a winery and like what you taste, buy it then, and enjoy it.

Grape Breeding

Varied hues of Minnesota wines.
Photo Credit: Beth Jarvis
Like so many breeding programs, getting a new cultivar from seedling to production can take more than 10 years. Hardy grapes start with seedlings grown outdoors to eliminate tender plants or those highly susceptible to disease. The survivors go on to a second round grown in a vineyard where they are again subjected to cold winters, diseases and insects but are also evaluated for fruit production. Then, the fruit is harvested, wine is made and bottled. They make up to 150 wines a year in lots ranging from 7 gallons down to about 200 ml (just under a cup).

Some of the vines might not end up as releases but have a flavor that Peter Hemstad would like to capture. That vine will become a parent in another cross.

The U currently has three wine grape releases, Frontenac, Frontenac gris (gris is French for grey, describing the color of the fruit) and La Crescent. The next variety, now called MN1211, will be released for sale in 2006. It is currently being propagated at nurseries.

Home grape growers may have a hard time finding new releases as they're in short supply and the commercial growers buy early.


Brad Beam runs tests.

Wine particulates settle out.
Photo Credits: Beth Jarvis
I received the grand tour when I visited the Enology lab at the Horticulture Research Center. There's the usual collection of lab instruments to perform chemical analysis. Brad Beam, Assistant Scientist, was busy analyzing phenols in samples and remarked on the beneficial effects of drinking red wine. Mansfield agreed, adding that red wine is a nutraceutical.

We walked into the cold stabilization room. It's kept between 29-32ºF. The cold helps the particulates settle out of the wine. Mansfield explained that the white crystals in the bottom of the bottles are cream of tartar. Cream of tartar, used in cooking, is a by-product of wine. Now it is produced commercially by other means.

In the cool room, 55ºF., the white wines were fermenting. Red wines ferment at 70-72º F.

Our red wines have a high amount of red coloring. Mansfield says it due to the Vitis riparia heritage (wild grapes).

With all the talk of cold hardy vines, I had to ask, what about ice wines? Mansfield laughed and said Peter won't let them freeze the grapes on the vines. But, clearly in the interest of science, ice wine has been made from frozen Frontenac gris and La Crescent juice. The solids and flavors melts first leaving a block of ice. The ice wine is fabulous.

The goals of the grape project include moving Minnesota wine grape production to totally hardy vines that do not need to be taken from the trellises and buried over winter. They will also work on "flavor tweaking" those cultivars that are winter hardy. And they will be releasing more cultivars over the next few years.

Classes

Cream of tartar deposits.
Photo Credit: Beth Jarvis
Mansfield and Jim Luby, fruit breeder, are teaching an undergraduate "Vines and Wines" class on the St. Paul campus this semester. About a quarter of the students are degree-seeking students in the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Science. There are a couple of Ph.D students in Physics, a theater arts major, and others ranging from history to engineering. The course is a broad survey of wine production and includes sensory evaluation so students will become, at least, knowledgeable wine consumers. Students must be 21 before the class starts because tasting is part of the class. This year, for a final project, the 43 students were divided into groups with each researching a wine producing area. At the end of class, they will have a potluck featuring the food and wines of those areas.

The second offering of a home wine makers class is scheduled. It will deal with the chemistry of measuring pH, sugars and other technical aspects of home wine production and is limited to 16 people. (This is the June 11th class on their website. It's almost full. See below.)

A two-part class for commercial folks is also offered. One class deals with issues from harvest to fermentation and the other with issues from fermentation to bottling.

For more information:
To read more about the University of Minnesota Grape Breeding and Enology Program , a list of classes and commercial wineries, see: http://winegrapes.coafes.umn.edu/

Suggested readings: (Top two references have best local info)

The Minnesota Grape Growers offer a beginners manual for $8.50 that is included in the membership fee of $20. Their website is: http://www.mngrapes.com

Northern Winework by Tom Plocher and Bob Parke available from http://www.northernwinework.com for $30

Sunlight into Wine, by Richard Smart and Mike Robinson. This book is based in Australia, but had good information.

Mid Atlantic Grape Growers Guide. You can download the 24 pg. guide for free at: http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/resources/winegrape/.

If you like wine artwork... There are 4 wine grape posters available through Extension Distribution featuring the three wine grape releases. They are 2'x3'and cost $10 each from the Distribution Center 612-6255-8175. To see them, click on the file names:
'Frontenac' item #08300 'Frontenac gris' item #08301 La Crescent item #08302 'Frontenac' item 08303

Spring Garden Prescriptions
Janna Beckerman, Extension Plant Pathologist


Prune out those flagging branches that indicate Cytospora canker.
Photo Credit:
Plant Disease Clinic
Is this early spring making you eager to get out in the garden and start planting? You're not alone! But, before you do anything, let's go over a spring checklist to prevent problems before they begin.

Thinking of pruning? Put down the shears and slowly step away from the plant, at least until you are sure the plant you are about to prune isn't one that flowers on new wood. If it is, you may be pruning all your new flowers. One of the most common "disease" problem faced by homeowners are flowering shrubs that fail flower due to spring pruning. Plants to not prune in the spring are: forsythia, lilac, spirea, azalea, rhododendron, or flowering almond, all of which should be pruned after flowering.

As bad as losing your yearly crop of flowers, losing entire, mature trees is much, much worse. Don't forget that we are currently under a pruning advisory: Do not prune oaks or elms, as the beetles that vector oak wilt and Dutch elm disease are active.

This doesn't mean all pruning is bad-In fact, new Cytospora cankers on spruce should be fairly obvious, and should be removed before the fungus begins producing spores and infecting nearby branches or even other trees (Fig 1). Examine junipers for galls and remove any if cedar-apple rust is a problem on nearby trees. The same removal applies to Phomopsis gall on hickory, oak, or forsythia.


Cedar-apple rust on juniper. In a few weeks, the galls
will develop telial spore horns and release spores that infect nearby apples. Photo Credit: Janna Beckerman
Mid-April is the typical time to untip any roses or other plants buried over the winter. Be sure to prune out dead canes on roses. These canes can serve as a source of inoculum, and infect new branches. Dispose of any infected canes. Rinse canes with a spray of water, allow to dry, and apply a preventive spray of a fungicide containing the active ingredients of chlorothalonil or thiophanate-methyl, either of which can reduce the number of overwintering pathogens. Do not apply lime-sulfur, or other dormant sprays at this time: Lime-sulfur is extremely caustic and can damage or destroy newly emerging shoots.

Now is a great time to clean up, and cut out any diseased iris leaves, and reduce the number of spores that cause iris leaf spot, or any foliar disease of perennials, that may overwinter in dead leaves. Using garden scissors, clip to the crown, being careful to not remove any newly, emerging shoots. Carefully remove the leaves and dispose of them-do not compost them! As flowering bulbs fade, allow the leaves to turn brown before removal-the plant will reabsorb nutrients from the fading leaves, improving vigor, and next year's bloom. Never yank leaves from fading bulbs, which can leave lesions in the bulb and attract soilborne pathogens.

As tempting as it is, don't remove the mulch just yet. Mulching will keep the soil cool, preventing precocious plants from breaking dormancy too soon. This protects plants in the event of an unanticipated, but very possible frost (A map of spring frost free dates can be found at: http://climate.umn.edu/pdf/frost_dates/spring_frost_free_dates.pdf ). It also saves you the frantic 10 pm rush out the back door in the event a frost alert is given on the evening news! Anyone who has ever tried covering plants in the pitch dark, or owns a gardening hat with a light attached, knows what I'm talking about. That said, some plants are tolerant of a light frost, and are already growing. Mulch can create conditions conducive for crown rot. Plants that should be uncovered include delphinium, chrysanthemum, geraniums, and sedums.

Before planting your garden, consider redesigning it on paper, being sure to rotate your crops. Rotating crops is a great way to prevent disease buildup in the soil, and prevents the possible of depletion of specific nutrients. When rotating plants, make sure members of the same family don't follow each other. This means peas should not be rotated with beans, or tomatoes with peppers, eggplants or potatoes, all of which belong to the nightshade family. Rotation needn't follow any set rules, and contrary to popular gardening lore, carrots don't love tomatoes any more than they love any other vegetable.

Clean up any stakes, trellises, or cages that you are re-using from last year, and remove any attached plant material. A solution of 10% bleach with a few drops of dish soap will adequately destroy any residual plant pathogens. Similar cleanings should be performed on pruners, and other garden tools to prevent the spread of disease.


The Italian edible gourd is tasty-and fun.
Photo Credit: Janna Beckerman
Hold off planting heat-loving annuals. Even short snaps of cold weather will set them back, and predispose them to Pythium and other root rots, and they will fail to thrive even when the weather turns hot. When planting your garden, patience is a virtue with your heat loving annuals! Just because you can't plant your tomatoes doesn't mean that you can't be out there. Now is a great time to plant your beans and peas, lettuces, beets, radishes, and cole crops. If flowers are your thing, start putting in your pansies, violas, sweet peas, and alyssum.

Regardless of what you by, and when you buy it, be sure to purchase only healthy, high quality plants. Plants should be clear green--not dark green, which can indicate too much fertilizer, nor yellow-green, which may suggest nutrient deficiency. Avoid cells with missing plants, and always check for healthy, white roots. Avoid any plants with spots or ring spots-although only a leaf or two may show symptoms, virus diseases are systemic, meaning the entire plant is infected, and should be destroyed. Many viruses have very broad host ranges, and any infected plant you bring to your garden can serve as a reservoir of virus that can be spread by vectors-insects, nematodes, or even human hands that spread disease.

If planting summer bulbs, corms, rhizomes, or tubers, avoid any that feel mushy, have damage, or mold on them. Inspect dahlia tubers to make certain they have "eyes" on them, and indicate a developing plant-just don't plant them in the ground just yet!

A final prescription: Have fun, and try something new. Gardening should be fun, and you should enjoy the fruits of your labor. In addition to the Italian edible gourd pictured, I grew the "Wonder Egg." Little did I know that a four- year old neighbor would "discover" where chickens came from! If that isn't wonder, I don't know what is.

Please check out the new diagnostics web pages at
http://www.extension.umn.edu/projects/yardandgarden/diagnostics/

Carpenter Ant Review and Update
Jeffrey Hahn, Assist. Extension Entomologist

Foraging carpenter ant
Photo credit: Jeff Hahn
Carpenter ants are arguably the most common home-infesting ant species in Minnesota. While most ants found in and around homes are just nuisances, carpenter ants have the potential to structurally damage wood in homes and other buildings. Fortunately, this damage occurs fairly slowly and significant damage typically takes years to occur.

There are several carpenter ant species that can be found infesting homes. The most common is the black carpenter ant, Camponotus pennsylvanicus. This is the typical ‘big and black' ant with which people are familiar. Workers range is size from 1/4 inch in length to as large as 1/2 inch long. This species is completely black. Other species can be smaller and even vary in color (some are black and red), but you can recognize a carpenter ant by its evenly convex shaped thorax.

Carpenter ants nest in wood where they excavate tunnels and galleries. Despite popular belief, they don't eat wood, but just tunnel through it. They prefer to eat insects, sweets, meats, and honeydew (a sweet excretion from aphids and scale insects). Carpenter ants are found nesting in many places, including but not limited to trees, wall voids, attics, subfloor voids, under and behind dishwashers, hollow wood doors, columns, and ceiling beams, tree stumps, fence posts, and landscape timbers.

There are two types of carpenter ant colonies: parent colonies and satellite colonies. Parent colonies are composed of all ant castes and stages, i.e. a queen, workers, males, eggs, larvae, and pupae. Parent colonies are established in moisture-damaged wood to help protect the eggs from drying out.

A satellite colony is a collection of ants from the parent colony composed primarily of workers, older larvae, and pupae. A satellite colony lack a queen as well as eggs or young larvae. They establish a nesting site outside the main colony and since they do not require moisture damaged wood can colonize dry, sound wood. One parent colony can have several satellite colonies with each satellite colony maintaining contact with the parent colony. It is believed that most carpenter ant problems in homes and other buildings are due to satellite nests.

Carpenter ant thorax
Photo credit: Jeff Hahn
There are several steps you can take to minimize the chance of a carpenter ant problem in your home. First, repair any moisture problems, e.g. plumbing leaks, and repair any damaged wood. Avoid stacking firewood against your house while keeping it as far from your home as possible. Keep trees and shrubs pruned so their branches do not come in contact with the building or touch utility wires that run to buildings. Be aware of the proper time to prune trees, e.g. do not prune oak between April 15 (actually April 4 this year) and September 15 because of the risk of oak wilt.

If you see some carpenter ants, it is important to determine whether they are nesting in your home or somewhere outside. The traditional control of carpenter ants is an application of an insecticidal dust into the nest. The actual pesticide application is often difficult for a homeowner to do correctly and should generally be left to a pest management professional. However, a homeowner can provide valuable information to help the technician narrow down the areas where the nest can be found.

Watch for one or more of the following signs to help you determine the nest's location. First watch for the presence of moisture-damaged wood. This could include poorly vented wall voids, poorly maintained roofs and/or gutters that expose exterior walls to moisture, or a subfloor subjected to a steady plumbing leak. Remember that only parent colonies require such conditions while satellite colonies can nest in sound wood and dry areas.

During the spring, watch for the presence of a large swarm of winged carpenter ants. These are the reproductives , i.e. females and males. They leave the nest en masse to mate. When a carpenter ant mating swarm is trapped indoors, it not only gives the owner confirmation that there is a nest inside but it also may help indicate the general area in the home where the nest is located.

Workers inside a colony can communicate to each other by rasping their mandibles (jaws) on the wood. This results in an audible sound that resembles rustling leaves or crinkling paper. Tap wood in areas you are suspicious of carpenter ants and listen closely for this sound -- it may lead you to a carpenter ant nest.

If you do not see or hear these signs of a carpenter ant nest, that doesn't mean that one isn't present. But it does make finding its location more challenging. If you are still not sure from where the ants are coming, try following the ants back to their nest. Keep in mind that carpenter ants are most active at night, especially right after sunset and before sunrise. Set out food, especially pieces of freshly killed insects or a bit of tuna so it is easier to watch which ants are returning to the nest.

If it is difficult to find the nest, a pest control company may choose to use another method to eliminate the colony. In fact, they may elect to use these methods even without attempting to find the nest. In recent years, carpenter ant baits have become more popular with pest control services. They are available to them in a variety of formulations, such as granular, gel, and liquid. It is important to determine where the carpenter ants are foraging so the technician can place the baits adjacent to these areas. Carpenter ant food preferences can change so it is important for a pest control technician to carefully monitor the progress of a baiting program. He or she needs to be prepared to adjust their methods if necessary. Although there are baits available to the general public, carpenter ants are not consistently attracted to them.

Another method of carpenter ant control is the application of a non-repellent insecticide (Termidor) around the exterior of the home. As the ants move through the residual pesticide, they bring the insecticide back to the nest. In a fairly short of amount of time, the chemical is spread throughout the nest and it is eliminated. It is important that any branches that touch the building or are in contact with wires that are attached to the structure are pruned to prevent the carpenter ants from circumventing the treatment. This has proven to be a highly successful method of control and many pest control companies now use it. This product is not available to the public.

Get the low down on this month's insect pests at Insects http://www.extension.umn.edu/projects/yardandgarden/EntWeb/Ent.htm

April Garden Calendar
Compiled from conversations with Patrick Weicherding, Bob Mugaas and Nancy Rose, Regional Extension Educators and Jim Luby, Fruit Breeder
Thatch layer is in the middle.
Photo credit:
UofM Extension Svc.
Lawns:
Hold off on the pre-emergence herbicide applications for crabgrass control until the end of April. By then the soil along sidewalks and other hot spots should be warm enough to justify the application. Cool, shady sites with heavy soils won't be warm enough yet. Well drained, sunny sites may need it. You really need to apply it only where crabgrass is a problem. You don't need to apply it over the entire lawn.

For the phenologically oriented: when forsythia flowers begin to drop and lilac buds show color is the time to put down pre-emergence for crabgrasss.

There's still plenty of time to rake debris from the lawn. If you don't rake, before you mow, you should at least walk the lawn with an eye out for rocks or any debris that could become a missile when hit by a lawnmower blade. Mowing sticks dulls the mower blades, anyway.

Now that the snow has melted, you might be seeing dead spots in the lawn. The turf professional's "rule of hand" is if you can place your hand on a bare spot and touch green, the space is small enough that it will fill in without help from you.

Otherwise, now is a great time to repair dead spots. Perennial ryegrass suffered during the open winter, so lawns with a lot of perennial rye might need to be overseeded. Break up the soil surface with a stiff-tined rake so the seed will come in contact with soil.

You really don't need to fertilize in the spring. But, if you skipped a late season (Oct-Nov) fertilizer application last fall and you really want to fertilize, do it after you've mowed the first time. Make a light nitrogen application.

Snow mold is probably not an issue in much of Minnesota. There were not enough periods of sustained snow fall followed by the freeze-thaw cycles necessary for snow mold to flourish.

Mowing at 2", 2 ½" or 3" heights are acceptable. Don't scalp the lawn. Spring grass's growth is fueled by stored carbohydrates. Grass plants neeed to sustain adequate leaves to replenish the carbohydrates used. By mowing the grass at a short height, the plants are stressed because they have to replace the grass blades from the dwindling supply of stored carbs and short grass lacks enough leaf surface to significantly recharge the supply.

Trees/shrubs:
Dormant season pruning ended abruptly earlier this month. Now is the worst time to prune trees and shrubs except for shrubs pruned nearly to the ground. Trees and shrubs are leafing out and relying on stored food reserves.
http://www.extension.umn.edu/yardandgarden/YGLNews/YGLN-Dec0104.html#prune

Do *not* prune oak or elm trees now. The beetles that spread oak wilt have been spotted. Wait until October. Oaks may become infected by oak wilt. For a host of information on oak will, visit: http://www.extension.umn.edu/yardandgarden/OWonestop.html.

For Dutch elm disease information, see: http://www.extension.umn.edu/yardandgarden/DEDonestop.html

Start shopping local garden centers for new trees and shrubs.

Remove tree wrap.

Now is a great time to refresh wood chip mulch around trees and shrubs. Mulch should extend out to the dripline. If the woodchips you use are smaller, finer pieces, no not apply more than 3" deep. Coarser bark chips can be applied 4 inches deep. Pull chips at least 2" away from the trunks. Avoid "volcano" mulching--where mulch is piled up around the trunk.

Vegetables:
Cruciferous (cabbage family) crops can be planted now, providing any seedlings have been hardened off. Cabbage family plants include. cabbage, caulifloer, broccoli, kohlrabi, Brussels sprouts, Chinese cabbage and broccoli raab.

Direct seed peas, lettuce, endive, radishes, turnips, carrots, beets, onions, parsley and potatoes in the garden.

Harden off any home grown seedlings by leaving them outside for increasing periods of time for a week.

Flowers:
If you haven't already, cut back dead perennial tops, if you haven't already. Clear out the mulch.

Uncover roses and prune out obviously dead canes. Wait until the buds have broken before pruning to thin or shapen.

Leave the foliage of tulips, daffodils and other spring flowering bulbs intact until it dies back naturally.

Fruit:
Finish dormant pruning immediately. All apples, blueberries, pears, grapes, etc. should be pruned.

In southern Minnesota, strawberries should be uncovered.

Lime sulfur treatment on raspberries, for cane blight, spur blight and anthracnose, should be completed before budbreak.

Editorial Notes

Powerscourt Garden,
Ireland
Photo credit:
Beth Jarvis
The photo was taken last month at Powerscourt garden in Ireland. If you click on the image, you can see it was pouring rain.

For this issue, I had the chance to talk with some of the fruit science folks. Jim Luby, fruit breeder, told me he's starting work on primocane (first year canes) blackberries. He's evaluating cultivars from the Arkansas breeding program for hardiness here. The raspberry breeding program is gone. Strawberry and blueberry breeding programs are being phased out.

In upcoming issues: Charlie Rohwer, a Horticulture grad student, has written an article entitled "How do those bugs eat?" It will run soon. Julie Weisenhorn who teaches one of the Horticulture Department's landscape design classes will provide us with a step by step report on the latest addition to the teaching garden. She'll cover from comcept to installation. Terry Nennich, Regional Extension Educator-Horticulture, will talk about row covers in an upcoming issue.

Please feel free to cut and paste any of the articles for use in your own newsletters. All we ask is that you give our authors credit.

Back issues Yard & Garden Line News are on the Yard & Garden Line home page at www.extension.umn.edu/yardandgarden/.

Deb Brown answers gardening questions on Minnesota Public Radio's (MPR) "Midmorning" program on the first Thursday of every month at 10 a.m. The program is broadcast on KNOW 91.1 FM, and available state-wide on the MPR news radio stations. (Scroll down for map.)

For plant and insect questions, visit http://www.extension.umn.edu/askmg. Thousands of questions have been answered, so try the search option in the black bar at the top left of the board for the fastest answer.

If you would like to receive an e-mail reminder when the next issue of the Yard & Garden Line News is posted to the web, just send an e-mail to: listserv@lists.umn.edu (note: the second E in listserve is omitted), leave the subject line blank, then in the body of the message, type: sub yglnewslist or to unsubscribe, enter: unsub yglnewslist

Happy gardening!

Beth Jarvis
Yard & Garden Line Project Coordinator


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