Article Archives
Musings on The Garden May 2023
BY DOUG GERAETS In March and April there is snow on the ground … then there isn’t … there is snow on the ground … then there isn’t and so on and so forth. March…
Keep reading
May It’s Thyme to …
BY LINDA SCHREIBER Never mind the 70-degree days Iowans experienced in early April, May signals true spring has arrived with a burst of flowering trees and fragrant shrubs. Gardeners can take advantage of longer days…
Keep reading
Great Grandma’s Sun Dill Pickle Recipe
BY MARILYN KEMPNICH Since I am a HUGE dill pickle fan, I have fond memories of my grandmother and mother making these dill pickles. They made many other types of pickles, but this recipe is…
Keep reading
Healthy Gardening
BY SHARON RUDE Winter is a good time to read and start planning for the upcoming garden year. Following are three books worth the time to read. The Lifelong Gardener by Toni Gattone ($20 Barnes…
Keep reading
April — It’s Thyme to…
BY LINDA SCHREIBER Look into your crystal ball and check the 30-day weather forecast to bring your April gardening activities into focus. Number one on the list is clean or purchase a new rain gauge…
Keep reading
Musings on The Garden March 2023
BY DOUG GERAETS As I write this it’s the end of January and the overnight temperature was minus 4ºF. There is a 2 to 3-inch layer of snow on the ground. That should come as…
Keep reading
JCMG Continuing Education 2023
BY LINDA SCHREIBER Johnson County Master Gardeners is partnering with GreenState Foundation to offer a hybrid Continuing Education 2023 on Sunday, March 5, from 1 – 4:30 p.m., in the Johnson County Extension Office, 3109…
Keep reading
Houseplant benefits: air- purifying, happiness
BY LINDA SCHREIBER In Iowa, gardeners turn their attention to houseplants when the temperatures drop during the long winter months. If you are searching for a new plant, consider those that improve the air quality.…
Keep reading
Musings on the Garden, Part 2
BY DOUG GERAETS In my first installment of Musings on The Garden I wrote about not using traditional composting techniques but instead a method of trench composting. Composting in trenches is little more than digging…
Keep reading
Free Nectar? Don’t Mind If I Do!
BY MELISSA SERENDA Most people are familiar with the mutually beneficial relationship between plants and pollinators: plants offer up nutritious nectar or pollen to entice insects, birds, or small mammals to assist in their (ahem)…
Keep reading
The Plants We Eat: Seeds
BY MARY LOU MAYFIELD Seed: A plant embryo encased in a seed coat and containing an energy source. SNAP educational resource, “Growing Healthy Habits: Parts of the Plant We Eat.” Pg. 67 You can see…
Keep reading
Musings on the Garden
BY DOUG GERAETS Now that the growing season is over, reflecting on the past year in the garden is fun and informative. The calendar said the season started but warm weather and plant growth were…
Keep reading
Learning Opportunities
The new year will bring several opportunities to learn about gardening, both in person and online. ISU Master Gardeners Home Gardening Webinar Series The ISU Master Gardener program is hosting a series of free webinars…
Keep reading
Tubers Highlight Holiday Dinners
BY LINDA SCHREIBER Did you know the two dishes that share a name and a spotlight at Thanksgiving aren’t related? Both are root vegetables, and both are native to Central and South America. Sweet potatoes…
Keep reading
Book Review: Locust
BY MELISSA SERENDA You’ve probably heard of biblical plagues of locusts, and recurring devastation wrought by the supercharged grasshoppers that comprise the arthropod mob, devastating crops in swathes covering huge areas of land. Maybe you’ve…
Keep reading
Hügelkultur: We did it!
BY JOHN WEEG Master Gardeners are a breed apart. What other group could you ask volunteers to dig five tons of compacted soil out of a hole and then put it back—and get all the…
Keep reading
Canna Storage
BY LINDA SCHREIBER As the self-appointed queen of cannas, here are some of my storage tips to ensure you have these tropical-looking plants year-after-year for your garden. It’s actually pretty easy to winter canna rhizomes…
Keep reading
It’s Thyme To – November
BY MELISSA SERENDA AND LINDA SCHREIBER Fall is a great time to clean the garden and dream of spring. If you are lucky enough to have strawberry plants, mulch them with 3 to 5 inches…
Keep reading
It’s Thyme to … October
BY MELISSA SERENDA AND LINDA SCHREIBER As we transition from summer to the cooling days of early fall, it’s time to begin putting our gardens to bed—while also thinking ahead to next year. Tender perennial…
Keep readingLoading…
Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.
Follow JCMG
Get new content delivered directly to your inbox.
Johnson County Master Gardeners of Iowa 