By Nadie VanZandt Editor’s note: Nadie VanZandt is a UVM Extension Master Gardener from Panton. Before taking a rest from gardening for the season, have you thought of direct sowing seeds to grow a minimal-care garden next spring? Like spring bulbs, many seeds require a natural freezing and thawing before awakening in the spring. Seeds…

By Deborah J. Benoit Editor’s note: Deborah J. Benoit is a UVM Extension master gardener from North Adams, Massachusetts, who is part of Vermont’s Bennington County Chapter. With snow on its way, are you wondering what else you can do to prevent winter damage to your garden? The first thing is to be sure your…

By Laura Johnson, extension pollinator support specialist, UVM Wild bees are important pollinators for our crops, gardens and wild plants. In Vermont there are over 350 types of wild bees, including 17 different species of bumblebees. Bumblebees are efficient pollinators that are especially important for spring crops, such as early blooming berries and tree fruits.…

By Vern Grubinger Editor’s note: Vern Grubinger, who is based in the University of Vermont Extension office in Brattleboro, is the extension vegetable and berry specialist. The pumpkin is an odd vegetable. The more popular pumpkins get, the less people eat them. Everyone wants to carve a jackolantern, but few people make pumpkin pie anymore.…

With heating fuel prices at their highest level in years and winter just around the corner, Button Up Vermont is getting the word out: The best time to weatherize your home is right now. The annual Button Up Vermont campaign, supported by a partnership of energy services providers and clean energy champions, works each fall…

By Deborah J. Benoit Editor’s note: Deborah J. Benoit is a UVM Extension master gardener from North Adams, Massachusetts, who is part of Vermont’s Bennington County chapter. Just because the growing season is over doesn’t mean work in the garden has come to an end. Almost, but not quite. There are still a number of…

By Andrea Knepper Editor's note: Andrea Knepper is a University of Vermont Extension Master Gardener from Bolton. It’s the time of year when strangely-shaped, multi-colored, warty gourds begin to appear in gardens, markets, CSA boxes and on front porches. If you planted any type of gourds in your garden this year, peek under leaves now…

By Deborah J. Benoit Editor’s note: Deborah J. Benoit is a UVM Extension Master Gardener from North Adams, Massachusetts, who is part of Vermont’s Bennington County Chapter. Summer ends and all those lovely annuals we’ve grown so fond of will soon come to an end, too. But it doesn’t have to be. Some of those…

By Bonnie Kirn Donahue Editor’s note: By Bonnie Kirn Donahue is a UVM Extension master gardener. It’s September, and to many gardeners, that means it’s time for end-of-the-year garden maintenance. This includes cutting back plants, clearing out leaves and composting most of the vegetation that grew this season. Before continuing the normal routine, it’s a…

By Bonnie Kirn Donahue Squash is one of the easiest types of vegetables to grow. Plant a seed in some soil, give it water and a lot of space and before long you have more than you know what to do with. However easy to grow, cucurbits are threatened by a number of pests that…

By Bonnie Kirn Donahue Editor's note: Bonnie Kirn Donahue is a UVM Extension master gardener and landscape designer from central Vermont. While summer provides a bounty of fruits, veggies and flowers, it also brings invasive species. Common invasive species that you might find in your garden or landscape often started out as decorative landscape plants.…

By Bonnie Kirn DonahueEditor’s note: Bonnie Kirn Donahue is a UVM Extension master gardener and landscape designer from central Vermont. When daylilies are blooming, it officially feels like summer. Daylilies have a celebratory appearance, looking almost like stationary fireworks, reaching for the sun. These flowering fireworks come in many sizes, bloom shapes and colors. The…

By Bonnie Kirn Donahue Editor’s note: Bonnie Kirn Donahue is a UVM Extension master gardener and landscape designer from central Vermont. Strawberry season is reaching its end, which means that blueberry season is on the horizon. Blueberries typically ripen starting in July. Depending on the variety, they can even ripen into September. At this point…

Homeowners choose plants for their properties based on a number of variables. Some may be into growing their own foods, while others desire their gardens to be an awe-inspiring mélange of bright colors and alluring scents. There’s no wrong reason to plant a fresh garden, but some plants offer extra benefits, such as repelling insects.…

According to the Consumer Products Safety Commission, roughly 25,000 home fires causing more than 300 deaths occur in the United States each year. Homeowners can keep themselves and their families safe by being aware of the dangers around a home that can contribute to house fires and the preventive measures that can reduce the risk…