Recently, I checked the soil temperature in my raised vegetable garden beds. The results were not encouraging. The temperature averaged a little short of 40 degrees; a level that is too low to sprout ...

Iowans are finally starting to see some warmer weather after the start to spring included blizzards, high winds and hail. Temperatures have finally made it into the 50s to end March, leaving those ...

While many folks begin planting and doing spring lawn work when the daytime temperatures warm up, it’s the nighttime lows they should be watching, because the temperature of the soil is the best ...

Your potted plants are little heat islands that need cooling down in the summer. They're one of the things needing attention in the garden during August. Just like developed urban areas where the ...

CORVALLIS – Adding organic matter is the best way to improve nearly all kinds of soils. If you’re unsure if your soil needs amendments, take note if it dries and cracks in summer, drains slowly or is ...

When I sit down to write these articles in the fall, I always get the feeling that what I write about needs to be inspirational. Then, as I wrote that, it seems a bit dramatic. Now I am asking myself, ...

The conventional way that gardeners solve bad-soil trouble is by adding organic matter such as compost, leaves, grass clippings, and/or rotted manure – or bypassing in-ground planting altogether with ...

The good news is that the prolonged cool weather of May has slowed plant development and allowed us to enjoy the blossoms of spring flowering bulbs, wildflowers, and ornamental trees and shrubs for a ...

Many longtime gardeners consider canna lilies the workhorse of the flower garden. That’s because they are available in such a wide range of flower colors, sizes and foliage color. Canna lilies — or ...

Growing plants that are well-suited to your soil pH makes gardening a whole lot easier. While plants like potatoes flourish in acidic gardens, most veggies prefer slightly acidic to neutral soils, ...