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Looking for small, gentle livestock to raise on your farm this fall?  Consider goats!  Goats are the multifaceted livestock of today. There is a booming demand in the United States for goat meat and goat milk and also an interest in using goats as an ecologically safe form of vegetation control. Viewer Tip:  If you want [...]

Fall is the time to reap the rewards of your hard-earned fruit and vegetable crops. However, you can enjoy your produce for months after the harvest through good production practices, harvest handling and postharvest handling and storage. Harvesting fruits and vegetables at their proper stage, size and at peak quality will ensure the best quality [...]

As fall sets in with its cool, wet weather, a fungus called powdery mildew can impact your garden, flowers, and lawn. Powdery mildew and other fungal plant diseases leave produce inedible. The disease can remain dormant in the ground between seasons and crops, so vigilant management practices are essential to keeping your crops free of [...]

Plants already harness the power of the sun for food. Now you can harness that power to help your plants grow. All greenhouses collect solar energy, but solar greenhouses are designed not only to collect solar energy during sunny days but also to store heat for use at night or during periods when it is [...]

A greenhouse in the fall can give you fresh food beyond the typical growing season. To maintain this growing environment, the greenhouse must be warm enough to protect the produce. There are many ways to provide heat to a greenhouse, but one of the most economical and easy option is heating with compost. Viewer Tip: When [...]

You don’t want to say goodbye to your fresh flowers and produce just because the frost has hit. Hoop houses, which are inexpensive plastic-covered greenhouses, are a great way to extend your growing season at a lower cost than green houses. Hoop houses reduce risks and enhance the quality of your harvest, and also typically [...]

Extending the length of time you grow your vegetables and other crops can extend the profits you earn in a year while also giving you more fresh produce for your family. Season extension techniques help both hobby gardeners and commercial farmers prolong their growing season. Viewer Tip: Site selection, soil, windbreaks and plastic structures can [...]

Planting two or more vegetables in close proximity to each other is an easy way to get the most out of your crops. Plants that complement each other, such as carrots and lettuce or beets and onions, can provide cultural benefits to your garden. For example, companion planting can provide protection for sensitive plants, attract [...]

While most crops are planted in the spring, some important produce waits until fall to go into the ground. Due to the sensitivity of the plant, lettuce grows best in the moist, cool fall. And since it only takes 30 days to mature, there is enough time to produce the plant before the weather becomes [...]

Increase the health of your fields by planting a crop and leaving it for an entire season. The benefits of cover crops have been publicized for years. Although they are grown primarily to prevent soil erosion, cover crops can also contribute to nitrogen production, increase soil microbial activity, reduce insect pests and suppress weeds. Viewer [...]

Did you know that it takes 500 to 1,000 years to build just one-inch of soil? Soils form slowly and continuously, thanks to a number of factors, including: Climate: Temperature, wind and water “weather” or break down rocks and minerals that form soils. Life: Burrowing animals, plant roots, tiny bacteria and fungi mix soils and [...]

Some beneficial insects help farmers and gardeners by pollinating crops, while others prey on destructive pests, keeping their numbers so low that they don’t damage valuable crops and gardens. Attracting beneficial insects to your field—and keeping them there—requires the right plants to feed and house them. “Farmscaping” is the use of hedgerows, insect-hosting plants, cover [...]

Good crops of our favorite fruits depend on spring flowers being pollinated. Some plants are pollinated by the wind, but many are dependent on bees and other pollen-carrying insects. Populations of both honeybees and native pollen bees have declined in recent years and low fruit crop yields often blamed on bad weather may actually be [...]

Seed catalogs start arriving while the weather is still chilly. In addition to enticing, colorful pictures, these catalogs usually contain information that can help growers achieve a successful harvest by matching plants to their climate. Viewer tip: Two pieces of information in particular can help growers choose plants that work well in their locations. First, [...]

The official start of spring is just around the corner.  But before you begin spring planting, it is important to give some attention to soils.  The amounts of nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) in soils are constantly changing – plants use up nutrients in the soil and some nutrients may be washed away by rain [...]

The official start of spring is just around the corner. But before you begin spring planting, it is important to give some attention to soils. The amounts of nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) in soils are constantly changing – plants use up nutrients in the soil and some nutrients may be washed away by rain [...]

The official start of spring is just around the corner. But before you begin spring planting, it is important to give some attention to soils. The amounts of nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) in soils are constantly changing – plants use up nutrients in the soil and some nutrients may be washed away by rain [...]

The official start of spring is just around the corner. But before you begin spring planting, it is important to give some attention to soils. The amounts of nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) in soils are constantly changing – plants use up nutrients in the soil and some nutrients may be washed away by rain [...]

The official start of spring is just around the corner. But before you begin spring planting, it is important to give some attention to soils. The amounts of nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) in soils are constantly changing – plants use up nutrients in the soil and some nutrients may be washed away by rain [...]

The official start of spring is just around the corner. But before you begin spring planting, it is important to give some attention to soils. The amounts of nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) in soils are constantly changing – plants use up nutrients in the soil and some nutrients may be washed away by rain [...]