Category: In the Garden

Coastal Region Rob Last reports, “Following a few days of warmer conditions, crops are moving on strongly. Flowering and fruit set is occurring in strawberry crops. At present, spider mites in...

Lichens There are about 3,600 described species of lichens in North America. Lichens are symbiotic partnerships between multiple organisms (a fungus and a green alga or cyanobacteria (blue-green...

Gardeners may think of white mold mainly as a disease on snap bean, cabbage, and other spring vegetables. In mild, rainy winters like 2019-2020, however, white mold is already active. The fungus can...

Have you ever been working in your garden and been interrupted? This has happened to me many times. I left my tools, thinking I would come back to finish the job but get sidetracked. Hours or days...

Coastal Region Zack Snipes reports, “Another rainy, wet, and cold week last week.  Some sunshine and warmer temperatures are coming this week.  All of our fruit crops have received their chill...

Smilax spp. Smilax vines go by the common names greenbrier or catbrier due to the thorns covering their stems. There are 300 to 350 smilax species worldwide. Approximately twenty-four species are...

Eyed click beetle, Alaus oculatus (Coleoptera: Elateridae) Eyed click beetle, Alaus oculatus, is a relatively large beetle found throughout eastern North America. The Entomological Society of...

Between now and the end of March is a great time to plant potatoes. If you ask, “why should I plant potatoes” then obviously, you have never eaten a potato that was dug from the ground the day you...

When landscape trees are stressed and declining, folks commonly notice a greenish/grey, frilly growth on the bark. This growth is an organism known as a lichen and is frequently blamed for the...

The majority of the weeds in the landscape now are winter annuals and will die back in early summer due to warmer weather. These weed seeds germinate in fall and early winter. As weeds mature, they...

Chinese Mantid Ootheca “Ootheca” is a Latinized term that comes from oo-, meaning “egg” and theca, meaning “cover”/”container”. An ootheca is an egg...