Lawn, Gardening & Pests News

Selecting the right garden site can mean the difference between a rewarding experience with healthy, productive plants or one that brings trouble with stressed plants, diseases and insect problems. Examine your site and assess your abilities in order to best place a garden. Think about how far you will travel to get to the garden and how much time you can invest in maintaining it. It is much more rewarding to have a small productive garden close by, than a large garden out of sight that gets away from you.

Do you want to get the most out of your garden? Try succession planting. Most gardeners believe succession planting means after one crop is harvested, another is planted in the same space immediately. This is true, but combined with careful preparation and planning, succession planting not only will produce more food and extend the amount of time each variety is available for harvest, it also maximizes garden space, improves yield and quality, and provides a continuous supply of fresh vegetables over a longer period of time.

In West Virginia, the first fall frost usually marks the end of the growing season. However, there are many ways to garden almost year-round. One economical method used to extend the season is low tunnel technology.

As interest in growing food and gardening continues to rise, WVU Extension Service is helping new and seasoned gardeners gain tips, educational information and more via the 2019 garden calendar.

Home gardens are typically thought of as an annual project, but perennial gardening allows for a single, one-time planting with a harvest of produce year after year.

Putting the garden to bed in fall is the first step to a successful garden the following spring.

As fall approaches, most people think that harvesting fresh food is coming to an end; however, if you have a high tunnel, that doesn’t have to be the case. 

This time of year not only brings juicy ripe tomatoes and sweet corn bursting with flavor to the dinner table, but it’s also when we come together as communities and celebrate fairs all across the state. The largest of these gatherings in the state, the State Fair of West Virginia, takes place in Fairlea every August. Over 100,000 people come through the gates to take part in the festivities. Many come for the entertainment while others come for their favorite food. One thing is for certain though, the West Virginia University Extension Master Gardeners demonstration garden shouldn’t be missed.