Every year when I plant my garden, I feel a tinge of doubt. Shaking out lettuce seeds from the packet, they seem hard and lifeless. I drop the seeds into a trench […]
What are seeds made of – and how can they grow into fruitful plants?!
How can you prevent weed seeds from germinating in your garden?
Cover crops differ from ‘regular’ crops in that they are grown solely so the soil is covered, rather than for harvestable things. Cover crops are used by lots of folks – grain […]
How do farmers and agronomists determine which pests need to be managed?
Have you ever looked for insects? Insects are ubiquitous in our environment. For farmers, many types of insects live in their fields. Some are beneficial like pollinators and predators. Others, though, can […]
What do nutrients do for plants?
If a plant decided to go on a diet, you know, to keep its plant-like figure, what do you think it would choose to be as healthy as possible? It turns out […]
How do high tunnels extend the growing season?
Despite cold and snowy winters, farmers in the northern states can grow cool season vegetables year around! The structures that help them do this are referred to as hoop houses or high […]
What is urban ecology and why is it important?
In the summer of 2007, humanity reached a milestone. For the first time in human history, more people were living in cities than in rural areas. Those people need food, clean water […]
How do plant partnerships help sustainability?
We are all familiar with human partnerships of many kinds, both mundane and fictional. In the mundane category is your typical carpool. In the fictional category are superheroes working together to save […]
What are the factors that determine seed germination?
When you buy your packet of squash seeds each spring, you plant them in the ground, and expect plants to sprout! It seems like an easy process, but there’s a lot of […]
How do they make those crazy designs on Major League Baseball outfields?
As you tune into the World Series, you may see some interesting designs in the baseball outfield. Or, perhaps you have seen the dark and light pattern of turfgrass on football fields […]
What’s the difference between hay and straw?
There are a lot of fun sayings out there that involve the word “hay”. “We better make hay while the sun shines.” “It is time to hit the hay,” and so on. […]