Master Gardeners of Venango County

You can extend the vegetable gardening season with low tunnels, cold frames, hot beds, and cloches. Learn how to use these tools and about types…

Many experienced gardeners agree that the more you garden, the more there is to learn. This is especially true with growing vegetables. Seed packets and…

As the weather gears up for the summer months, you might be wondering what to do with your garden at the end of the summer…

Congratulations! All your hard work building raised garden beds, planting, watering, and weeding your garden is paying off, and your garden veggies and fruits are…

Extending the harvesting season is the primary method I use to garden year-round. It involves using a variety of methods to harvest fresh food over…

Our gardens aren’t just full of tastes, colors, and smells – they are full of BUGS! Some of them are friends of the garden, and…

Even when the rain stops, these drought-tolerant plants keep going strong. They’ll survive dry conditions while adding color and texture to your garden. 1. Coneflower…

Worm farms are the perfect way for people who don’t have space for a compost system to dispose of their food scraps. In a worm…

Back when I started my first garden, a certain celebrity gardener and his books of gardening concoctions were all the rage. You could tell when…

Cinnamon is a wonderful flavor addition to cookies, cakes, and any number of other foods, but to gardeners, it’s so much more. This versatile spice…

Having your own herb garden is a thing of beauty. There’s nothing better than fresh herbs to enliven even the most bland dish, but not…

Because Pennsylvania includes three U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones and their subzones, the times for planting vegetables vary considerably from Philadelphia, which is…

Meadowscaping is more than planting a seed or planning a garden – it transforms ordinary spaces into a celebration of biodiversity, a habitat for birds…

If you’re starting to plant a garden—or even just buy some plants—you’ve probably come across the terms “annual” and “perennial” at least once or twice….

What grows for 10 years or more, suffers from almost from no pests, and is refreshingly easy to care for? It’s rhubarb! This perennial vegetable…

Despite lingering winter weather conditions and temperatures, it’s still possible and important to get started early on planting your spring vegetables. When is the right…

Proper soil conditions are essential for all stages of crop and plant development. Thus, an understanding of soil and how to manage it is the…

(FineGardening.com) Naturalistic garden design catches all the headlines, but until recently it seemed removed from the reality of most home gardeners. Yet no matter how…

Listing of the major vegetables and the “best” time to plant. Cabbage Indoor growing time prior to transplanting: 5 to 6 weeks Germination time: 10-12…

There is some basic care needed to keep your perennials in their best form and to come back year after year. What Is an Herbaceous…

Proper pruning of landscape trees improves their structural strength, maintains their health, enhances their beauty, and increases their value. Why Prune Trees? Proper pruning of…

The leaves have all been raked up, it’s cold outside, and maybe there’s a layer of snow on the ground. While it seems like your…

It’s January and the seed catalogs are piling up faster than the snow drifts. With all those gorgeous pictures and lush descriptions, how is a…

Many people think all the birds fly south for the winter. They might be very surprised to learn just how many birds live in our…

Your houseplants aren’t immune to life-threatening challenges during the winter, even though they live in a temperature-controlled climate. Indoor plants, whether they are year-round houseplants…

Once Jan. 1 rolls around, you’re probably ready dispose of your Christmas tree. If you purchased a real tree, there are plenty of eco-friendly options…

If you have a lack of outdoor space, you want edible greens even in the winter months, or you just love to surround yourself with…

Are you getting tired of the dreary, long, cold, snowy winter? Then it’s time to break out the seed and plant catalogs and start planning…

Pollinators need our help! Populations of all our pollinators are declining, including native bees, domestic bees, flies, beetles, and butterflies. They are affected by habitat…

In the lull after the holidays, stop and take a few minutes to assess the successes, challenges, and disappointments of the past growing season. Evaluating…

When frost threatens, it’s time to move many of your outside plants indoors. Many tender bulbs, annuals, herbs, and tropical plants will only survive the…

Football season and school have started. Gardeners are harvesting their vegetables and planting their second round of cool-weather crops. These harbingers of fall are subtle…

Before you wrap up the gardening season and head indoors to take a well-deserved rest, make sure that all of your gardening tools are properly…

Follow these three simple steps for learning how to save your own seeds. 1. Know what to grow Start With Open-Pollinated Seeds Open pollinated varieties,…

You can extend the vegetable gardening season with low tunnels, cold frames, hot beds, and cloches. Learn how to use these tools and about types…

More than 14 million households in the United States grow herbs—in vegetable and perennial gardens, in containers, or on windowsills. And with good reason! In…

Before learning about the history of herbs and spices, it is necessary to define these terms. Herbs are the fresh and dried leaves generally of…

Many species of ticks occur in Pennsylvania. The most common are blacklegged (deer) ticks, American dog ticks, lone star ticks, and groundhog ticks. Ticks can…

Not everyone is comfortable using synthetic chemicals and pesticides to ward off bugs. Many people are turning to natural, environmentally friendly remedies for repelling insects,…

Beneficial insects are those that consume or parasitize insect pests. They include wasps, flies, beetles, true bugs, thrips (who knew!), spiders and mites. The good…

Compost is a term for organic matter that has decomposed into a form that plants can use. Compost can be used in potting mixes or…

A gardener has many choices when it comes to mulch. This article covers the pros and cons of various types of organic, non-organic, and living…

Companion planting began as a simple way for Ancient civilizations to improve their crop harvests by planting two or more different plants next to or…

June is the gateway to Summer. With the solstice on June 20, we enter the most active and productive season of the year. That holds…

Have you resolved to start eating better? Growing your own food can be one of the best ways to achieve that goal. Your backyard can…

By ELIZABETH WADDINGTON Most of us now understand that our way of life on this planet has to change if humanity is going to survive…

Efficient water use is especially important during the hot summer months when as much as 50 percent of home water use is for watering lawns…

Rain barrels are the final piece of the puzzle in dealing with stormwater on your property—they capture the rain and store it for later use…

Landscaping for wildlife can restore critically needed habitat and beautify your yard at the same time. Many excellent native trees, shrubs, and vines offer four…