Gardening vegetables give us summer treats of fresh grown, hand-picked produce. We may choose to enhance flavors of the produce with fresh herbs too. Herbs personalize our food. Herbs can also be grown as ornamentation or for edible beauty in a flowerbed. Some perennial herbs for this region include chives, garlic chives, allium, oregano and … Continue reading
‘Fresh from the Garden’ with Herbs
Welcome to Plant Exchange. Today we’re featuring how to cook with herbs that can grow in this region, right in your garden, flowerbed or planter such as this cilantro. Chef Staci Pederson of Yankton Hy-Vee Food Store shares her own entrée, appetizer and side dish recipes and preparation tips for herbs from your garden or … Continue reading
Joy in Gardening
It’s early August here at Plant Exchange on the Northern Plains and the late June-planted vegetable garden is beginning to show promise. Weeds, at least in this spot of the yard, are few by now. Summer squashes are growing slowly. First green tomatoes have appeared. Given the slow start and immature plants, we appreciated the … Continue reading
Another Basket for Eggs
Welcome to Plant Exchange where we highlight plants of the Northern Plains and people who grow them. A commonly grown perennial is the native cone flower, studied for its medicinal qualities as well as grown for its ornamental beauty. An old saying “Don’t put all the eggs in one basket.” may have some truth for … Continue reading
How to Identify an Ash Tree Infested by Emerald Ash Borer
In our region ash trees have a number of insect pests that the trees manage themselves. Emerald Ash Borer is exotic and ash trees don’t have adequate defenses. Because ash trees do have other pests, identifying the symptoms of Emerald Ash Borer is important. Dr. John Ball provides information about how to identify a tree … Continue reading
Emerald Ash Borer: Insecticide Management Options
Dr. John Ball provides information about how to identify a tree infested with Emerald Ash Borer. Dr. Ball is Professor, SDSU Extension Forestry Specialist & South Dakota Department of Agriculture Forest Health Specialist and SDSU Agronomy, Horticulture and Plant Science Department. His extensive experience with trees of this region is an asset for helping those … Continue reading
Tomato Tips
It’s a balmy morning in mid-July and plants have received adequate moisture. The Plant Exchange USDA Zone 4 -5a refers more to winter averages. Summer heat, dry and erratic conditions also impact the region. We cherish temperate conditions that help container plants to remain robust in mid-summer. Besides flowers, many Plant Exchange readers like to … Continue reading
Garden Bloggers Bloom Day–July 15th
Welcome to Garden Bloggers Bloom Day where we share what is blooming in our location the 15thof July. In our Plant Exchange region, we are USDA Zone 4b – 5a. We’ve had extra rain the past month, especially beneficial to trees, shrubs and perennials. One example of returning perennial is the Butterfly Weed. They were … Continue reading
‘Fresh from the Garden’
What are new ways to enjoy fresh produce that we grow locally or find in the farmers’ market? ‘Fresh from the Garden’ is a garden food preparation series that features Chef Staci Pederson of Hy-Vee Food Store in Yankton. Recipes of Chef Staci and produce preparation hints were published in Yankton Press & Dakotan newspaper … Continue reading
Gardens After a Flash Flood
Yankton Community Gardens are located along the Marne Creek floodplain. Heavy rains caused flash flooding of the gardens in late June. The creek current extended into the gardens. But by the next day, much of the water had receded or had been absorbed by the soil. Some pf the garden plants may continue to grow … Continue reading
