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:
This handy chart lists pesticides that are most effective against common greenhouse pests such as aphids, scales, leafminers, spider mites, and thrips. Formulation, effectiveness, cautions, and other details are provided.
Bacterial soft rots are diseases that damage succulent plant parts including fruits, tubers, stems and bulbs. Learn how to identify and avoid problems with bacterial soft rot in this factsheet.
Common corn smut is a fungal disease that affects field, pop and sweet corn, and forms swellings (galls) on ears, kernels, tassels, husks, leaves, stalks, buds and even aerial roots of the plant. Learn more here.
When it comes to digging in the garden or pruning trees and shrubs, having high quality tools that are cleaned, lubricated, sharpened and otherwise properly maintained, makes any outdoor job simpler and more efficient. Learn how to maintain your garden tools in this useful factsheet.
This mushroom-like mass found on the ears of corn and corn relatives can be a problem for corn growers (i.e., “corn smut”), but is also often a culinary delicacy! Learn more in this factsheet.
Black rot is a serious bacterial disease of cruciferous plants including broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, rutabaga and turnip. Learn about identification and management here.
While cultural methods are the preferred options for disease management in home vegetable gardens, fungicides may occassionally be warranted. Learn about options here.
Learn how to determine what type of community garden to build, identify resources and tools, manage volunteers, educate gardeners and forge community connections in this publication.
Black cutworm larvae are active nighttime feeders, clipping seedlings at or below the soil line. Find out when to monitor and control this pest to limit damage in this publication.
This factsheet covers the imported cabbageworm, the cabbage looper, and the diamondback moth. Scouting tips and effective means of control are highlighted.
Corn earworm can cause serious economic damage to commercial and home-grown sweet corn and hybrid dent seed corn, as well as tomatoes, lettuce, peppers and beans. Learn more in this factsheet.
Spotted and striped cucumber beetles damage vine crops, including cucumbers, squash, melons and pumpkins. This factsheet details the lifecycle, damage, and controls of these beetles.
