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Be observant
It’s been a different sort of winter. As gardeners, we need to pay close attention to what is happening in our landscapes as spring arrives.
- Watch for insects (see Marissa Schuh’s article).
- Feel your soil and water it if it's dry, followed by mulching (leaf mulch works great).
- Prune off winter dieback.
- And keep good records on how your plants are performing.
Extension is working with The Nature Conservancy and Minnesota DNR to develop a tree seed collection training program in an effort to reforest one million acres in Minnesota by 2040.
If you are saving seeds, now is the time to start collecting them.
Cover crops can improve the health of your soil. There are several times during the year that you can plant, including now.
There's still plenty to do in the garden before wrapping up the season.
This is the third consecutive year of drought across much of the state, and successive years of drought can compound stress on trees. There are steps you can take to reduce drought stress on your woods.
Extension foresters provide recommended tree and plant lists for east-central Minnesota.
This is the best time of the year to encourage a healthy lawn next year through proper fertilization and weed control.
Thinking of soil testing in the spring? Consider testing this fall when the Soil Testing Lab has a smaller backlog of samples to test, results are just as accurate, and you can be ready for planting as soon as the soil thaws.
Have some of your plants lost color? Are they growing in bizarre shapes? Is the quality of your vegetables poor? You may have an outbreak of aster yellows.
Find climate-resilient, native trees and plants for the St. Louis Moraines and Tamarack Lowlands regions of Minnesota.
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