Gardening ideas & tips for the average gardener.
Please submit photos, tips and ideas to:
Email submissions: business@thedrummer.com   in subject line: From the Ground Up
Mail submissions:
               From the Ground Up
               C/O The Drummer
               PO Box 159
               Buffalo MN 55313

*All photos & Submissions become the property of The WCJP & The Drummer.

Your submission gives us the right to publish your information/photos.

From The Ground Up

Caring for winter pruning tools

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA EXTENSION - www.extension.umn.edu Dormant pruning of various fruit crops is often done after the coldest parts of winter have passed, and before bud break begins, allowing enough time to finish the total acreage. However, from now until the time you start pruning, it can...

Tips for garlic planting season

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA EXTENSION - www.extension.umn.edu It's garlic planting season. Here are a few quick tips to guide you. 1. Delaying planting due to heat? We've seen mild fall conditions across the state this year, and the first frost date is significantly delayed. The standard...

Battling bacterial canker in tomatoes

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA EXTENSION - www.extension.umn.edu We have gotten a few reports of bacterial canker from high tunnel growers around Minnesota. Read on for tips for ID, management advice, and a chance to inform future research. What is bacterial canker? Bacterial canker, caused by the...

When good bugs bite: the minute pirate bug

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA EXTENSION - www.extension.umn.edu Adult minute pirate bug. Photo: Ryan Hodnett, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons If you’ve spent time outdoors this fall, you may be wondering what tiny pest has been leaving bites and making you itch. Chances are, you’ve encountered the...

October garden checklist

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA EXTENSION - www.extension.umn.edu Mystery of the month Why is a distinct area of lawn in this park turning brown? The brown areas appear only in full sun or on the south side of shade trees, while the surrounding grass stays green. The answer is at the bottom of this...

Bugged by beetles? Why they’re here and how to handle them

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA EXTENSION - www.extension.umn.edu Multicolored Asian lady beetles. Photo: Jeff Hahn Out doing yard work on the weekend, the sky was alive with hundreds of Asian lady beetles enjoying the first warm day after a chilly, wet week. It’s a familiar fall sight across...

Master Gardeners grow, donate and preserve local foods

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA EXTENSION - www.extension.umn.edu Brenda Langerud, left, delivers a box of freshly harvested vegetables with information about how to prepare them, to W-E Share Food Shelf coordinator Pat Nusebaum Taking action on food security, Master Gardener volunteers like Brenda...

How can fruit and vegetable farmers prepare for El Niño?

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA EXTENSION - www.extension.umn.edu The current El Niño is likely to be the strongest we've seen in our lifetimes. How can we prepare for it? El Niño events typically get stronger through the fall and peak in the winter and often result in a warmer cold season in Minnesota...

Mounds of trouble: controlling pocket gophers in yards and gardens

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA EXTENSION - www.extension.umn.edu A pocket gopher looking for a place to dig. Photo: USDA Forest Service - Coeur d'Alene Field Office, Bugwood.org If you’ve noticed fresh mounds, wilting plants, or collapsing turf, you may be dealing with one of Minnesota’s most...

American persimmon breeding could lead to a cold-hardy, multipurpose fruit crop for the Upper Midwest

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA EXTENSION - www.extension.umn.edu Kathleen Rhoades is a plant breeder who works for the Savanna Institute, a non-profit organization that focuses on sustainable food production systems. Their major emphasis is on agroforestry, which integrates trees and shrubs into crop...