It’s easy to grow fresh, nutritious and tasty vegetables in your own yard, community garden plot, or even in containers on a deck or patio. The University of Wisconsin – Madison Division of Extension offers home vegetable gardeners a tremendous number of resources to learn how to grow vegetables, as well as how to prevent and control diseases and insects. Browsing our publications and fact sheets will help you be successful in achieving a bountiful harvest.
This free publication describes the importance of bees in pollinating major food crops, how to attract and support native pollinators, and how to construct, place, and maintain nests.
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!
If you’re unable to find the information you need, please submit your gardening question here:
Karen Delahaut, UW-Madison Fresh Market Vegetable Program Revised: 4/26/2004 Item number: XHT1131 Bean leaf beetles (Cerotoma trifurcate) are becoming more of a problem in Wisconsin than they have been in the past. Warmer winters may allow overwintering adults to survive in record numbers. Host plants include snap and lima beans, peas, and soybeans, as well […]
Blossom end rot is a physiological disorder of tomato where the blossom end of the fruit breaks down and rots. It can also affect peppers, eggplants and squash. Learn about control in this factsheet.
The downy mildews are a group of fungal diseases that cause destruction of the leaves, stems, flowers and fruits of many plants, including grapes, cucumbers and roses. Learn symptoms and controls in this factsheet.
Late blight is a destructive disease of tomatoes and potatoes that can quickly kill mature plants and make tomato fruits and potato tubers inedible. This factsheet covers symptoms and management.
Live in an apartment or condo? You can still raise a garden’s worth of flowers or vegetables in pots and other containers by mastering the methods described in this publication.
Black walnut trees produce a toxic substance (called juglone) that prevents many plants from growing under or near them. Learn more about this compound and how to work around it in this factsheet.
Aster Yellows is a chronic, systemic disease that affects flowers in the aster family as well as some vegetables. Symptoms vary, and include unusual growth and colors. Learn more in this factsheet.
Damping off is a common and fatal disease of all types of plant seedlings, infecting them near the soil line causing them to collapse quickly. Learn how to avoid damping off here.
There are all kinds of flies in the Midwest. One interesting species is a medium-sized black and orange tachinid fly that develops in a number of true bugs, including squash bug. Although not really common, you may have this in your garden and not even know it! To learn more about this parasitoid, read this article…
Manures are a good source of organic matter that can also be used as a fertilizer. To learn more about using manure in the home garden, read this article…
In late summer and fall, cucumber beetles are common visitors to squash and cucumber flowers. They eat the petals, and sometimes the plant foliage. To learn more about these beetles, read this article…
While most leafy greens wither or go to seed in the heat of summer, hot weather is when Malabar spinach shines. To learn more about this interesting plant, read this article…
