Resources & Guides
Expert guides, planting tips, and everything you need to grow successfully.
Renovating a Tired Hobby Farm Pasture in One Season
You bought the place in spring and the back pasture looked fine.
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Cover Crops 101: How to Pick Your First Mix Without an Agronomy Degree
It's late August and your field came off last week.
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Multi-Species Cover Crop Mixes Explained: Why Single Species Are Leaving Performance on the Table
You've been putting straight winter rye in the ground for four years.
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Winter Gardening 101: Making and Using Cold Frames
For some of us fall is the time of year we put the garden to rest and take some time off to recuperate. For others this ...
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What Gardening System Should You Follow?
One of the things I have a problem with on social media is when a person treats a particular gardening system as if it i...
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The Use of Ornamental Grass in the Landscape and Garden
I understand that sometimes grass isn’t the most exciting of all subjects. When I tell people I work with grass they thi...
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The Ultimate Guide for Improving Clay Soil for Thriving Plant Growth
The prospect of gardening in thick, back-breaking clay soil is enough to turn away even the most enthusiastic of gardene...
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The Many Faces of Small (Salad) Burnet
Whenever I do a plant blog I like to check a couple of the top listed blogs to get a feel of what has been repeated agai...
Read More about The Many Faces of Small (Salad) BurnetThe Best Grass Seed For South Dakota
South Dakota sits in the northern Great Plains — cold winters, hot and dry summers, and highly variable precipitation fr...
Read More about The Best Grass Seed For South DakotaBest Grass Seed by State: A Complete Guide for Every Climate
Choosing the right grass seed depends almost entirely on where you live. The United States spans three major grass clima...
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Maintaining a Xeriscape Lawn: Year One and Year Two Playbook
A xeriscape lawn doesn't maintain itself in year one — but by year two, it mostly does. Here's what to expect, what to do, and what to stop doing as it establishes.
Read More about Maintaining a Xeriscape Lawn: Year One and Year Two PlaybookHow to Seed and Establish a Xeriscape Lawn (The Right Way)
Xeriscaping's paradox: drought-tolerant plants need consistent moisture to establish. Seed them wrong and they fail — not because they can't handle drought, but because they never got started.
Read More about How to Seed and Establish a Xeriscape Lawn (The Right Way)Xeriscaping Slopes & Hillsides: Erosion Control That Looks Good
A bare slope loses topsoil every time it rains. Deep-rooted native grasses and erosion control mixes hold soil, look natural, and need no irrigation after the first season.
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How to Make Wildflower Seed Bombs
One of the most interesting gardening trends gaining popularity right now is the concept of guerrilla gardening. Like it...
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How to Make Your Property More Wildfire-Resistant
More Firewise Tips The strategic use of hardscape and non-flammable mulch also plays a role in an effective defensibl...
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How to Make Plantable Seed Paper
How to Make DIY Seed Paper for Eco-Friendly Crafts and Invitations Table of Contents Understanding Seed Paper: The B...
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FAQ about Excess Soil Salinity
FAQ About Saline Soils Q: What kinds of salts are harmful to my lawn? A: Some salts are necessary for a lawn’s goo...
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Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes!
David Bowie had it right when he sang about changes in the world, but they don’t need to be the scary ones he was thinki...
Read More about Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes!Best Native Plants for the Midwest
Native Midwest Plants forPollinators & Resilient Gardens Transform your landscape...
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Conservation Planting Instructions
Evaluate Your Needs Decide if overseeding the existing area is adequate or if you need to start over fresh. Generally...
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Bison Gaining Popularity in the Pasture & on the Plate
They might look like giant walking shag carpets, but they sure do taste good. The American bison, or buffalo as they’re ...
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What is Switchgrass (Panicum Virgatum)? Uses, Growing Conditions, and Benefits:
Table of Contents What Is Switchgrass? Essential Growing Conditions for Switchgrass Primar...
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All About Sheet Mulching
Sheet mulching has been all the rage in home gardening for the last twenty years, and for some pretty good reasons. It c...
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