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The Garden Blog


The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year— 4.8 Stars
02/03/25 “I can scroll and worry indoors, or I can step outside and remember how it feels to be part of something larger, something...
Feb 82 min read
35

Cracking Garden Catalog Codes
Shop garden catalogs using these helpful tips. January 2025 More and more catalogs arrive daily. The bright, enhanced colors of the...
Jan 305 min read
50


Forest Walking: Discovering the Trees and Woodlands of North America - 3.0 Stars
12/04/24 “You have the perfect tools to undertake an exciting adventure into the forests right outside your front door.” - Peter...
Dec 12, 20241 min read
77


Winter Markets in Ramsey County 2024-25
11/22/2024 Don't let the cold stop you from enjoying a visit to a local farmers markets! Many of our local farmers markets now hosting...
Nov 22, 20242 min read
193

Garden Advice for Fall 2024
9/08/2024 Ramsey County Master Gardeners share garden advice for Fall 2024 (September – October – November) A walk in the woods in the...
Nov 5, 20244 min read
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5 Dos and Don’ts to Manage Fall Leaves in Minnesota
by Brianna Flavin, Ramsey County Master Gardener 9/22/24 (photo credit: Brianna Flavin) It’s easy to love autumn in Minnesota! Whether...
Oct 21, 20244 min read
450


Protecting Sensitive Plants from Frost
Don’t Let Your Blooms go “BRRR!” 10/11/2024 Battling the winter frost is a frustrating but unavoidable rite of passage for Minnesota...
Oct 11, 20244 min read
74


Nature Obscura: A City’s Hidden Natural World—4.0 Stars
9/24/2024 “Once I notice something and begin to really see it, I then see the organism everywhere.” — Kelly Brenner in Nature Obscura See...
Oct 10, 20242 min read
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Four Minnesota Insects That Move Inside During the Winter
(and What to Do About Them) by Brianna Flavin, Ramsey County Master Gardener 9/23/24 Cooling temperatures are the gardener’s signal to...
Oct 5, 20244 min read
229


Harboring Hibernators
10 Ways to Help Insects During the Winter Months 9/22/24 As the seasons transition and the winter chill arrives, did you know that many...
Sep 30, 20244 min read
108


The Last Garden in England—4.0 Stars
7/31/2024 “Each new garden is like an unread book, its pages brimming with possibility.” — Venetia Smith, 1907, garden designer in The...
Aug 13, 20242 min read
193


High Rise Garden Mentors
When driving past the towering public high-rise buildings that make up the St Paul Public Housing Agency (SPPHA), you may have wondered...
Jul 1, 20242 min read
110


Garden Advice for Summer 2024
6/01/2024 Ramsey County Master Gardeners share garden advice for Summer 2024 (June – July– August) A pollinator in action at Lakewood...
Jun 1, 20244 min read
74


Prairie Up—4.4 Stars
5/28/2024 This book is a complete guide to reducing lawns and moving toward a more sustainable environment in our yards “This book is...
May 28, 20243 min read
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Why Shop at a Local Plant Sale?
When you think of a local plant sale, do you picture a tiny, awkwardly staffed event offering a few dozen plant varieties? If this is...
May 17, 20244 min read
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Turn your Food Scraps into Plant Fuel! Composting for Beginners.
Composting is the process of taking spare organic material from things like food scraps and yard waste and turning it into a useful soil...
May 15, 20245 min read
115


Zucchini, Tomatoes, and Herbs! Oh My!
5/06/2024 Just Say "No!" to Desperation Giving Are you dodging neighbors bearing zucchini? Or are YOU the gardener that your neighbors...
May 6, 20243 min read
134


Comparison: Garden Clubs and Master Gardeners
4/29/2024 Looking to grow as a gardener and meet people with similar interests? You may be interested in joining a local garden club or...
May 2, 20243 min read
212


Want to Grow Better Vegetables in Minnesota? Three Things to Know About Your Soil First
In Minnesota, it so often feels like springtime comes slowly, bolts into summer heat then fades into frost just as the tomato plants...
Apr 17, 20245 min read
307


Cold-hardy Vegetables and Flowers for Minnesota’s Short Spring
If you’re anything like me, I spend much of February and March dreaming about gardening, and I clear out space in my home for my modest...
Apr 10, 20243 min read
364


Plant Partners – 4.8 stars
4/02/2024 This book makes accessible the science of companion planting and fostering biodiversity in the backyard garden. “Companion...
Apr 9, 20243 min read
43


Deicing Salt Damage on Lawns
4/9/2024 How to Care for Turfgrass Damaged by Deicing Salts Have you noticed brown, dead-looking turfgrass along the edges of your...
Apr 9, 20242 min read
22


The Problem with Fungus Gnats
One day your plants are doing well. The next day you see tiny flying insects surrounding your plants. What’s happening? Fungus gnats are...
Apr 1, 20243 min read
679


Garden Advice for Spring 2024
3/09/2024 Ramsey County Master Gardeners share garden advice for Spring 2024 (March – April – May) Photo by RCMG volunteer | Follow us...
Mar 20, 20243 min read
231


Starting Tomatoes from Seed
3/19/2024 🍅🌱 Dreaming of a bumper crop of juicy tomatoes for the summer? It's time to start your journey from seed to garden! 🌱🍅...
Mar 19, 20242 min read
86


The Insect Crisis – 4.75 stars
1/31/2024 Beautifully written, well-researched, a bit terrifying, but leaves you with some hope for the future and ideas for change. The...
Feb 19, 20242 min read
89


RCMG Honored with the Capitol Region Watershed Partner Award
Ramsey County Master Gardeners received the Capitol Region Watershed District’s 2023 Watershed Partner Award.
Feb 19, 20243 min read
86


Soil Testing Lab's New Forms & Prices for 2024
Updated 1/12/2024 Just a quick note from our friends at the University of Minnesota Soil Testing Laboratory: There are new submissions...
Jan 12, 20242 min read
213


Fen, Bog & Swamp – 4.00 stars
11/28/2023 An interesting combination of myth and science The RCMG Book Club read and discussed Fen, Bog & Swamp: a Short History of...
Nov 29, 20231 min read
43


Winter Markets in Ramsey County 2023-24
11/27/2023 Don't let the cold stop you from enjoying a visit to a local farmers markets! Many of our local farmers markets now hosting...
Nov 27, 20232 min read
162


Master Gardeners Get Growing
Volunteers grow more than two tons of vegetables, fruits and herbs to support local food security efforts 11/06/2023 The past summer's...
Nov 6, 20233 min read
150


Clean Your Garden Tools
10/03/2023 Now’s the Time to Get Your Garden Tools Ready for Spring Raking leaves and cleaning out the garden are part of most gardeners’...
Oct 3, 20233 min read
133


The Plant Hunter – 4.00 stars
9/27/2023 The story is very compelling and the last few chapters are excellent and inspiring The RCMG Book Club read and discussed The...
Sep 27, 20231 min read
10


Day-campers learn about food at Gopher Adventures
9/10/2023 Extension Master Gardener volunteers welcome University of Minnesota day campers to Goldy's Garden to learn more about where...
Sep 12, 20231 min read
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My Little Green Friends Serves New Inpatient Mental Health unit
9/12/2023 Every Monday and Thursday year-round, Master Gardener volunteers plant with patients at St. Paul Children’s Hospital as part of...
Sep 12, 20232 min read
82


Bringing Your Plants Indoors for the Winter
9/09/2023 Consider some of the following tips for overwintering your favorite plants indoors Gardeners in Minnesota know all too well...
Sep 9, 20235 min read
253


The Children’s Gardening Program at the Aurora-St. Anthony Peace Sanctuary Garden
8/24/2023 The Children’s Gardening Program welcomes everyone ages 5-105 The beloved Aurora-St. Anthony Peace Sanctuary Garden is nestled...
Aug 24, 20232 min read
368

Spring-Flowering Bulbs: A Primer
Create showstopping displays in your spring garden by adding flowering bulbs to your autumn planting. Hardy, spring-flowering bulbs...
Aug 21, 20234 min read
111


Buzz from the Frogtown Bee-Line
The Pierce Butler Route Bee Line offers an alternative model for roadway maintenance 7/27/2023 The Bee Line got its start a year ago in...
Aug 8, 20232 min read
98


Getting ready for the State Fair
Designed to peak during the State Fair, this garden highlights a collection of edible plants and hardy, low-maintenance perennial plants...
Aug 5, 20232 min read
126


Lakewood Hills Park Native Garden
Master Gardener volunteers help a popular park in White Bear Lake expand its native prairie 7/30/2023 Lakewood Hills Park is a popular...
Aug 4, 20232 min read
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The Nature Fix – 4.5 stars
7/26/2023 Good choice for a book club! Ramsey County Master Gardener volunteers read and discussed The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes Us...
Jul 26, 20232 min read
26


Growing the Arts-Us Gardens
7/01/2023 Master Gardeners support Arts-Us Center for the African Diaspora Ride the bike path through Dunning Park in Saint Paul and...
Jul 1, 20232 min read
143


Round Lake Restoration Project
6/17/2023 Huge kudos to the Ramsey County Master Gardener volunteers for their contribution to the Round Lake Restoration Project This...
Jun 17, 20234 min read
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The Lifelong Gardener – 3.25 stars
5/30/2023 Very practical information for gardening as we age The Ramsey County Master Gardener volunteers read and discussed The Lifelong...
Jun 12, 20232 min read
66


Will My Tree Make It? Assessing and Preventing Damage From Winter’s Snow and Ice
Photo credit: Melissa Andersen When I returned home after a weekend away at the start of April, I not only heard all about the big April...
May 5, 20234 min read
253


Home Garden Study
4/03/2023 Master Gardener volunteers contributed to a 5-year Extension research study 2018-2022 The Home Garden Productivity Project was...
Apr 3, 20233 min read
183


In Winter's Kitchen – 3.75 stars
3/30/2023 This got me thinking about how to connect to my community of food producers The Ramsey County Master Gardener volunteers read...
Mar 31, 20232 min read
41


Raising Air Plants
Air plants are fun, easy-to-grow plants that don’t need soil to grow or much light to thrive 2/03/2023 How to Grow, Care For and Display...
Feb 4, 20233 min read
299


How We Eat – 4.0 stars
2/02/2023 This book opened my eyes to the immense challenge of supplying food to the world The Ramsey County Master Gardener volunteers...
Feb 2, 20233 min read
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