MADISON, Minn. — Ever since Carmen Fernholz stopped raising hogs, he has been searching for another nutrient source for his farm’s 480 organic acres. He thinks he's found it in alfalfa. Fernholz is ...

A recent conversation with Carol Reese took me back, way back to my earliest days as a gardener. Carol, who retired in 2021 from a distinguished career as a horticultural extension specialist in the ...

Organics are the best way to go in your garden. Plenty of organic mulches are available, and they often can be had for free. Right out in your back yard or your neighbor’s you will find one good ...

Organic mulch keeps soil cool, moist, and weed-free while boosting long-term soil health. Great natural mulches include compost, chopped leaves, pine needles, and straw. A thick 3-inch mulch layer, ...

The dictionary says that mulch is anything you lay on top of the soil to protect it. Protect it from what, though? Sun and rain, that's what. Sun beating down on bare soil results in temperatures hot ...

The dictionary says that mulch is anything you lay on top of the soil to protect it. Protect it from what, though? Sun and rain, that's what. Sun beating down on bare soil results in temperatures hot ...

The dictionary says that mulch is anything you lay on top of the soil to protect it. Protect it from what, though? Sun and rain, that's what. Sun beating down on bare soil results in temperatures hot ...

TOMATO FARMER'S BLUES: Bacterial wilt in Leveritt's hoop house landed his annual crop of heirloom tomatoes in blue 5-gallon buckets full of pearlite. I take all winter to spread tons of turkey litter ...

When it comes to mulch, the folks at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum have it covered. Veteran groundsman Ted Pew had this to say about his three decades of experience with mulch: "Some have worked, ...