Lawn, Gardening & Pests
A yard that feels and looks like home. A bountiful harvest. Grow your own and sow something beautiful.
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The WVU Extension Garden Calendar is produced and distributed each year as a service to West Virginia’s many home gardeners and agricultural producers.
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Recent News
Perfect Timing: When to Harvest
Have you ever entered your garden to find a zucchini that went from a petite vegetable to a 2-foot-long giant that could outweigh a small child? If so, you are not alone! Although you might be able to have bragging rights for the largest produce at a county fair, the eating experience is less than desirable. Produce like summer squash and zucchini are best when harvested at about 6 to 8 inches long.
Some people like fried green tomatoes early in the summer. But what if you want your tomatoes to be ripe when you harvest? Tomatoes are the most flavorful if allowed to ripen on the vine; however, if a tomato is picked prior to being fully ripe, it will finish ripening on your kitchen counter.
Read Perfect Timing: When to Harvest
Join the Winter/Spring 2026 Master Gardener Training
WVU Extension Master Gardener training, which used to be offered through in-person courses organized by WVU Extension offices around the state, will once again be available online via Zoom sessions.
WVU Extension will continue offering online Master Gardener training classes for the late winter/spring 2026 term, beginning on January 8 through May 14. Classes will be held every Thursday from 6 to 9 p.m.
A total of 54 hours of training will be delivered through 18 sessions.
Read Join the Winter/Spring 2026 Master Gardener Training
Understanding Insect Control
Insect control can be challenging to gardeners because insect pests have the potential to damage ornamentals, fruits and vegetables. The identification of the insect is the first step in determining whether it should be controlled and the recommended control measures.
Less than 3% of insects are considered pests. Therefore, encountering non-pest insects is highly probable. Misidentifying or treating a non-pest organism as a pest may cause a loss of time and money and increase unnecessary exposure to pesticides.
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Effective Weed Control Methods
Weeds can compete with vegetables, reducing yield or affecting crop quality, and can serve as alternate hosts for diseases. Weed management is easiest to accomplish and most critical when the crop is young and actively growing.
Weeds emerge from seeds present in the soil. Preventing deposits of seeds is key to managing weeds long-term. Sanitize areas adjacent to the garden and ensure that materials, such as manure, composts, mulch and equipment, are free of weed seeds. Keeping the soil covered using a cover crop or mulch material also can help.
Read Effective Weed Control Methods
The Magic of Mulching
Mulch is any material used to cover, protect and enhance the soil around growing plants. Having a good layer of mulch on the garden provides a multitude of benefits for growing vegetation.
Mulching reduces watering needs by preventing evaporation of water from the soil surface. It saves time by providing a weed-preventing barrier, and it can even reduce disease pressure by stopping bacteria in the soil from splashing up on lower leaves during rain or watering.