Articles
Gardening Articles
Research-based horticulture information to help keep your plants and gardens thriving.
Mulches for Home Gardens and Plantings
Boost your garden’s production with mulches. This publication shows when to use organic mulches, like bark or leaves, and synthetic mulches, like plastic sheets, and teaches how to apply them.
Homegrown Tomatoes for Wisconsin
Tomatoes are one of the most nutritionally rich of all vegetables, and grown easily in the home garden. Here’s how to get started and care for tomatoes from planting to harvest.
Squash Bug
Squash bugs cause damage to vine crops, especially pumpkins and squash, in both home gardens and commercial fields. Learn about their life cycle, damage, and management in this factsheet.
Squash Vine Borer
Squash vine borer is an annual pest of pumpkins and squash, and can cause major losses in home gardens. Learn about the life cycle and management of this pest in this factsheet.
Safely Using Manure in the Garden
Manure can be a valuable soil additive, but can also contain bacteria that can contaminate vegetables and cause human disease if not composted properly. Learn how to use manure safely here.
Home Turf Insecticides
The need for insecticides on home lawns in Wisconsin is rare. Learn what is available to homeowners to control specific pests that may occur in this factsheet.
Using Cover Crops and Green Manures in the Home Vegetable Garden
Cover crops are plants grown to improve soil structure and fertility, reduce weeds, and provide habitat for beneficial insects. Learn about growing cover crops in your garden in this factsheet.
Making and Using Compost in the Garden
Making your own compost is an easy, practical, and satisfying way to make use of yard waste and table scraps. With this publication, designed for the home gardener, you’ll be composting like a pro in no time!
Woodpecker Ecology & Damage Management
Woodpeckers are attractive visitors to bird feeders and an integral part of the ecosystem, but can sometimes cause damage. Learn about the habits and management of these interesting birds.
Using Crop Rotation in Home Vegetable Garden
Crop rotation involves changing the planting location of vegetables each season to reduce damage from insect pests, limit diseases, and manage soil fertility. Learn the basics in this factsheet.
Lily Leaf Beetle
Lily Leaf Beetle, also known as red or scarlet lily beetle, can cause significant damage to native and cultivated true lilies. Learn how to identify and manage this insect in this factsheet.
Poison Ivy
Poison Ivy is a perennial woody plant that grows as either a low shrub or a climbing vine. Poison ivy is native to North America and is common in Wisconsin, growing in pastures, roadside ditches, fence rows, wooded forests, beaches and parks. Contact with poison ivy causes skin rashes, blisters and other allergic reactions. Learn identification and control in this factsheet.
