Goodhue County Master Gardeners, U of MN Extension

08/28/2026

Attention Goodhue County gardeners!

While fall often feels like the winding-down season, it is actually a critical window to support our local pollinators. Bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects rely heavily on late-season nectar to survive migration or prepare for a hard Minnesota winter.

By planting fall-blooming perennials or designing pollinator-friendly containers right now, you can extend your garden's support all the way up until the first frost.

The University of Minnesota Extension has shared an excellent guide highlighting the best options for our region.

Top recommendations include native powerhouses like asters, goldenrod, and rudbeckia for your garden beds, alongside frost-tolerant container choices like pansies, salvias, and sweet alyssum.

Check out the full list of recommendations and planting tips here:

Discover the blooms that keep pollinators thriving right up to frost.

08/26/2026

🌼 Debunking the Ultimate Garden Myth: Let’s Talk Goldenrod! 🌼

Are you looking for an absolute pollinator powerhouse to supercharge your late-summer landscape? Look no further than Goldenrod (Solidago)!

But first, let’s clear the air and bust a major backyard myth.

👃❌Does Goldenrod make you sneeze?

Nope! Poor goldenrod constantly gets blamed for the dreaded fall hay fever, but it’s completely innocent. The real culprit hiding in plain sight is ragweed.

Here is the scientific scoop from the University of Minnesota Extension:

🌾 Ragweed relies on the wind to move its lightweight, microscopic pollen, blasting it into the air (and straight into your sinuses).

🐝 Goldenrod has large, heavy, sticky pollen. It needs heavy lifting from bumblebees, butterflies, and beetles to move around. Because it's so sticky, it can't airborne—meaning it physically cannot cause your allergies!

Why should you invite Goldenrod into your Goodhue County garden?

🦸‍♂️ It’s a Keystone Species: Think of it as an ecological superhero. It supports an incredibly diverse food web, feeding hundreds of native caterpillar and insect species.

🍕 The Ultimate Late-Season Buffet: When most plants are packing it in for the year, Goldenrod steps up. It provides crucial, high-energy fuel for migrating Monarch butterflies and bees prepping for winter hibernation.

🏡 There’s One for Every Yard: Think they're all aggressive growers? Think again! Native Minnesota options like Showy Goldenrod (Solidago speciosa), Stiff Goldenrod (Oligoneuron rigidum), and Riddell’s Goldenrod (Oligoneuron riddellii) bring gorgeous texture, sturdy stems, and festive yellow bursts to your fallscape without taking over.

Let’s give this native powerhouse the love it deserves!

💛👉 Ready to learn more? Check out:
https://seasonwatch.umn.edu/canada-goldenrod

💬 What is your favorite native plant to watch pollinators on in August? Let us know in the comments below! 👇

08/24/2026

⏱️ Just now · 📌 Goodhue County, MN🪲

FRIEND OR FOE? Spotting these colorful visitors in your garden right now? 👇

If you’ve noticed these bright yellow/orange-and-black insects hanging out on your mid-to-late summer blooms (like the beautiful Allium 'Millenium' pictured here), don't panic!

You are looking at Soldier Beetles (often called leatherwings), specifically the Common Red Soldier Beetle (Rhagonycha fulva).

According to the University of Minnesota Extension, large numbers of these beetles naturally emerge in Minnesota gardens from late July through September.

Here is what our Goodhue County gardeners need to know about these seasonal guests:

✅ They are excellent pollinators: As they crawl from bloom to bloom sipping nectar, they actively transfer pollen and help your garden thrive.

✅ They provide natural pest control: Adult soldier beetles are voracious predators of soft-bodied garden pests like aphids, thrips, and small caterpillars. Meanwhile, their soil-dwelling larvae work underground to eat destructive slugs and snails!

✅ They are completely harmless: They do not bite or sting humans, and they will not chew, damage, or harm your plants or flowers.

🌱 How to Attract More Beneficial Insects to Your Landscape:Want to invite soldier beetles, lady beetles, lacewings, and tiny parasitic wasps to do your garden chores for you?

The U of MN Extension recommends a few simple adjustments:

Provide Season-Long Blooms: Mix a variety of plants that flower from spring through autumn. For late-summer soldier beetles and syrphid flies, white, purple, and yellow compound or shallow flowers (like alliums, coneflowers, coriander, and dill) are absolute magnets!

Tolerate a Few Pests: It sounds counterintuitive, but you need to allow a low level of pests (like a few aphids) in your garden. If there is no food, beneficial predators won't move in or lay their eggs.

Leave Some Garden Debris: Instead of completely clearing your beds in autumn, leave some fallen leaves, brush, or hollow native plant stems in your outdoor spaces. This provides critical overwintering shelter for next year's generation of predatory beetles.

Skip the Sprays: Limit or eliminate broad-spectrum insecticide applications. These chemical sprays are non-selective and will eliminate your hard-working beneficial insects right along with the pests.

Master Gardener Tip:There is absolutely no need to control or spray them! Chemical treatments would only harm these helpful helpers and other native pollinators. Just sit back, enjoy their hard work, and let them do what they do best.

They will move on naturally as autumn approaches.Have you spotted any soldier beetles in your yard this week?

Let us know what flowers they are visiting in the comments below! 👇Learn more about managing your yard and garden insects from the U of MN Extension: https://extension.umn.edu/garden-and-home/yard-and-garden/yard-and-garden-insects

08/23/2026

Ready to turn your passion for plants into community impact? Join the Goodhue County Master Gardeners!

🌸The University of Minnesota Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Program is officially accepting applications for the Class of 2027!

Whether you love growing fresh vegetables, maintaining beautiful landscapes, or supporting local pollinators, we want you on our team. You don't need to be an expert to apply, just someone who loves learning and sharing that knowledge with neighbors!

📚 What does the program look like?

The Training: You’ll complete a self-paced, online Horticulture Core Course starting in January 2027. You will learn university research-based best practices covering everything from botany and soil science to diagnostics and entomology.

The Community: After your coursework, you’ll complete 50 volunteer hours during your intern year working alongside us on exciting local projects, community gardens, and educational events.

🗓️ Important Deadlines & Details:Application Deadline: October 1, 2026.

Requirements: Must be 18 or older and have a passion for community engagement.

Course Fee: $340 (covers core course access, background check, and your official Master Gardener t-shirt and badge). Financial aid is available for those in need.Help your community thrive, one garden at a time.

Let's grow together, Goodhue County!

👉 Learn more and submit your application today at: https://extension.umn.edu/about/i-want/volunteer/about-master-gardener/become-master-gardener

Have questions about what it’s like to be a volunteer? Drop them in the comments below or reach out to the state team at [email protected]!

Goodhue County Master Gardeners engaging with our community this summer ☀️ !

08/22/2026

Reminder: This Thursday, August 27th at 6:00 PM in the Foot Room, Windfall Edging
Presented by Goodhue County Master Gardener Intern Kirsten Wert.

Ever want to know what to do with all those twigs that blow down in your yard? Join us to learn how to install windfall edging. This simple technique adds unique texture to your garden while providing habitat for beneficial insects.

Windfall Edging
Thursday, August 27th at 6:00 PM in the Foot Room
Presented by Goodhue County Master Gardener Intern Kirsten Wert.

Ever want to know what to do with all those twigs that blow down in your yard? Join us to learn how to install windfall edging. This simple technique adds unique texture to your garden while providing habitat for beneficial insects.

08/22/2026

Late summer gardens can get an unfair reputation for looking a bit unruly, but according to the University of Minnesota Extension, that extra garden "fluff" is actually doing crucial work for our local ecosystem.

Before you grab the pruning shears, here is why you should consider leaving things standing:

Natural bird feeders: Leaving seed heads on native plants like purple coneflowers (Echinacea), black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia), and sunflowers provides high-energy food for finches, chickadees, and other overwintering birds well into late fall.

Crucial nesting stems: About 15% of native bee species nest in hollow plant stems and wood cavities. When you cut perennials back entirely, you remove prime nesting sites. If you do tidy up, aim to leave at least 10–18 inches of sturdy flower stalk standing.

Shelter in the turf: Leaving lawn grass a bit taller or setting your mower to 3 inches creates protective cover and insulation for ground-nesting pollinators as cool fall nights arrive.

Thoughtful gardening doesn't mean neglecting your yard; it means choosing what to keep with intention!

Goodhue County gardeners, what are you purposefully leaving standing in your landscape this season? Share your photos and favorites in the comments below! 👇🌻

08/21/2026

🐛 Pest Alert: What's eating the Sedum? 🐛

Have your beautiful stonecrops suddenly developed large, ragged holes and dry, tan-brown scarring on the leaves? You might be dealing with a midnight garden crasher: Slugs!

While sedums are usually incredibly tough, our local slugs love to feast on their fleshy, moisture-rich leaves. Because slugs are nocturnal and hide during the day under mulch and foliage, you might only see the chewed-up evidence they leave behind.If your sedum is looking a little worse for wear, here is what the University of Minnesota Extension recommends to get them under control:

✅ Change Your Watering Routine: Always water your plants in the morning rather than the evening. This gives the soil and foliage time to dry out completely before nightfall, making the area less attractive to moisture-loving slugs.

✅ Clear the Hiding Spots: Keep the area around the base of your sedum clear of heavy, decomposing debris where slugs hide during the heat of the day.

✅ Try Mechanical Traps: Place a damp newspaper or a flat board near the plants. Check underneath it in the morning to hand-pick and dispose of the hiding slugs. Shallow b**r or yeast traps buried flush with the soil are also highly effective at drawing them away.

✅ Use Safe Baits if Needed: If the damage is severe, organic baits containing iron phosphate can be scattered around the perimeter. These are safe to use around pets and wildlife.Don't worry—healthy, established sedums can easily survive a bit of aesthetic slug damage and will continue pushing out their late-summer blooms!

🔗 Read the full UMN Extension guide on slug management here: UMN Extension: Slugs in Home Gardens https://extension.umn.edu/garden-and-home/yard-and-garden/yard-and-garden-insects/slugs

08/21/2026

We invite you to join us for a Pollinator Meet up tomorrow morning at 10 am, details below. We hope to see you!

08/12/2026

Free and open to the public!

Windfall Edging
Thursday, August 27th at 6:00 PM in the Foot Room
Presented by Goodhue County Master Gardener Intern Kirsten Wert.

Ever want to know what to do with all those twigs that blow down in your yard? Join us to learn how to install windfall edging. This simple technique adds unique texture to your garden while providing habitat for beneficial insects.

07/13/2026

Know a Girl Scout who needs her gardening badge? This program will be led by a Master Gardener so come ready to learn!