Articles written by Mike Heath Laramie County Master Gardners

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Support Your Local Farmer's Market

Umm! Fresh veggies. Absolutely delicious. And where do you get them? Definitely not at the grocery store. Not that the grocery store is bad, but they all have to deal with the logistics of getting...

 

It's a Strange Year for Growing Vegetables

I was having a hard time believing it's already late August. But as I look at my garden it's starting to look like late September. Everything I planted outdoors took forever to start growing. I think...

 

Garden Pests Decrease Yield

Garden pests are a natural event every year and they can be devastating to your garden. In July-August every year they become more noticeable and it gets worse as the season progresses. You may not...

 

Roses are Everybody's Flower

Roses seem to be a favorite flower for everybody, even those who don't grow them. They come in every color under the rainbow plus a few others. They're large. They're small. Some have double blooms...

 

Tomatoes 2023

Tomatoes are such a universally loved fruit that they deserve a unique, and special, mention every year. Stop and think about it. Tomatoes are everywhere. In ketchup, pizza sauce, marinara sauce, on s...

 

Raspberries are a Perfect Fruit

Raspberries are the first berry that comes to my mind after strawberries. They are pretty common here and come in a wide variety of colors and flavors...anything from gold, to red, to black....

 

Children Love to Garden

Children are simply amazing. Especially when it comes to doing anything outdoors. Our granddaughter will be four years old soon and she loves to be outside with us. It doesn't matter what we are doing...

 

Noxious Weeds - Dalmatian Toadflax

We've had a great year for rain, especially after the drought of the last two years. Here it is almost mid-July and I've only watered twice and that was just to start new plants. I took a trip a few...

 

Living in the Country-A Primer

This time of year I look around me at all the new people who've moved to the country from the city. Some are from small towns and some are from large cities, even out of state. Those I speak to want t...

 

Indicators of a Healthy Pasture

A healthy pasture is a good thing whether you have five acres or five thousand acres. Farmers and ranchers have a great understanding of the soil and what it takes to keep their pastures healthy but f...

 

Why Do I Garden?

On one of our recent rainy mornings I sat at the table looking out the window while I slowly sipped a cup of coffee. Very slowly sipped a cup of coffee. It felt like a good morning to be lazy and I...

 

Lawn Maintenance and Diseases

Earlier this spring we talked about getting a lawn started and annual fertilizing. With all the rain we've been having we have just about reached the perfect storm for lawn diseases. I've always been...

 

Waterwise Planting

We are still in a drought over most of our region. Can you believe that! All of Laramie County is abnormally dry except a small portion of the southwest corner. The Albin area is still in moderate...

 

Compost - Black Gold

Of all the soil amendments we could use in the garden, compost is the undisputed top of the list. This is the "Black Gold" of gardening. It adds organic material to the soil which is fantastic for...

 

Water is Essential - Getting it to Your Plants

We all know that living things, both plants and animals need water to survive. Some more than others but water is a necessity of life. Animals can at least move around to find water but plants are dep...

 

Planting Time is Almost Here

We've had some really beautiful weather for the past few weeks. As I write this I'm thankful for what some people would call terrible weather. But after two years of drought, I think the rain has...

 

Preserve Our Pollinators

Finally! The spring flowers are starting to bloom. That means the bees and other pollinators won't be far behind. I haven't seen any yet but I have seen a few ladybugs out already. Except for root...

 

Planting and Growing Potatoes

Last year I tried growing potatoes for the first time with unexpected success. I always try to grow varieties that are out of the ordinary so I ordered Kennebec seed potatoes rather than the russets t...

 

Spring Chores for the Garden

It looks like spring has finally sprung even though we had about five inches of snow last week and nighttime temperatures are still below freezing. That means that it's time to dust off the garden glo...

 

Firewise Planning

If the drought of the past two years has taught us anything it should be that we should be planting more native species of plants and plants that will help protect our homes and property from fire....

 

Dalmation Toadflax - A Common Noxious Weed

It's starting to get warm and new grass is coming up. Unfortunately, so are the noxious weeds. I walked the pasture this week and found dalmatian toadflax poking its first growth out of the ground. To...

 

Succulents and Cacti

Many people think of cacti as succulent plants. A succulent is a plant that stores water in various parts of the plant against those times when water is short. The common picture we envision is the...

 

Education Week in Laramie County

Some people say there is nothing to do in Laramie County. That wasn't the case this past week. If you're into learning you had plenty to keep you busy. The Wyoming Bee College, the Garden-to-Market Co...

 

Lawn Maintenance and Diseases

Last week we talked primarily about getting a lawn started and annual fertilizing. The one thing I forgot to mention last week about fertilizing is that you should only fertilize in the spring and onl...

 

Spring Lawn Care

It's that time of year again when we all start thinking of our lawns. I'm seeing some of the native grasses starting to green-up but surprisingly some of the non-native plants, like toadflax and...

 

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