Luverne Horticulturalist
By George Bonnema, Luverne horticulturalistMarch 14, 2023In my years of being a gardener, I have had many people ask when the best time is to plant various vegetable crops in the garden. I can’t tell you how often I have been asked if I have my potatoes planted on Good Friday. My simple answer is “No, I plant them when the soil conditions are right,” because the calendar has nothing to do with what day to plant anything … nature does. Considering that…
By George Bonnema, Luverne HorticulturalistJanuary 10, 2023Christmas has come and gone, and some people get a little depressed when the fun and business subsides. But for us gardeners, we’re almost waiting by the mailbox on the day after Christmas because that’s the day the new seed catalogs arrive. Magically, those vendors know that we’re ready for a new focus. Well, that’s me, and I got four catalogs on that day (not counting the legal holiday and in…
By George Bonnema, Luverne HorticulturalistJanuary 07, 2020In response to the problems we are encountering with our popular and reliable shade trees, it is important to make sure the new trees we plant are getting the best care we can give them. Young trees like linden and maple have smooth bark and are very prone to sunscald damage during the coldest part of winter. This problem usually affects the southwest side of the tree trunk and is the result of…
By George Bonnema, Luverne HorticulturalistOctober 15, 2019Our 2019 garden season is pretty much finished, and now as we contemplate cleaning up perennial flowerbeds and the landscape, we have to decide what to cut and what not to cut. I am not a fan of clear-cutting the perennial garden in the fall. Plants that hold their form add interest to the winter landscape. Additionally, those stems catch snow, which helps insulate the crown of the plant,…
By George Bonnema, Luverne HorticulturalistJune 18, 2019We are into the right temperature and moisture conditions for lots of fungus issues to attack our plants. For roses, black spot is a serious disease that shows up first as a black spot on the rose leaf. The leaf then turns yellow and falls off. This fungus normally starts on the lower leaves where the foliage is fuller, thus restricting air movement so the leaves stay wet longer when we have…
By George Bonnema, Luverne HorticulturalistApril 09, 2019A couple of perfect spring days have convinced me that we are on the backside of winter so here I am again, telling you to get to work outside to keep your landscape looking great. The one plant that is first on the list to get cut back is Karl Forster grass. This is a cool season grass that starts growing really early in spring. You will already see several inches of new green grass blades…
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