UConn Home Garden Education Office

Connecticut is in a Stage 2 drought. But what does that mean and how can you conserve water? Dr. Mike Dietz from our Connecticut Institute of Water Resources provides some advice on conserving water: s.uconn.edu/drought

This tiny, metallic-green insect is part of the Halictidae family. Despite their name, Green Sweat Bees are not aggressive and are more interested in visiting flowers than bothering people.

📸 by Dr. Nick Goltz, UConn Plant Diagnostic Lab

Be on the lookout for pineappleweed (Matricaria discoidea)! Its resilient nature and hardy stems allow it to be found abundantly flowering alongside trail edges or turf areas. These short and bushy flowers pack a powerful punch, releasing a sweet pineapple-like scent when crushed. These weeds can be easily hand-pulled from the garden for control. See the Go Botany link below for more information:
https://gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org/species/matricaria/discoidea/

Do you use eggshells in the garden? One of our team members weighed in on the topic in this interview with The Spruce.

We Asked a Gardener If Eggshells Will Help Your Roses Grow—Here's What She Says We asked an expert whether eggshells for roses are effective. Discover the potential benefits, limits, and smarter strategies to support healthy growth.

Tomatoes can become leggy when they wait too long to be transplanted. These extra shoots stretching out in search of light may not be aesthetically desirable, as well as detract energy from newer growth at the tops of the plant. As a solution, plant your tomato plants so that they're set deeper in the soil. This method, known as “trenching,” helps the tomato produce more roots for efficient nutrient and water uptake. Remove any leaves from the stem that will be buried below the soil. You can bend the stem gently so that a few extra inches of the stem are underground. For more tips on ensuring success for your tomatoes this season, check out our fact sheet at the link below.
https://homegarden.cahnr.uconn.edu/factsheets/tomatoes/

This weekend is shaping up to be another unseasonably chilly one. Take precautions to protect your plants from the cold by bringing container annuals, hanging baskets, and warm season vegetables (such as tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants) inside for the night. Stakes or tomato cages can be used to tent breathable fabric above garden beds or recent plantings. Frost fabric, sheets, or light towels trap heat radiating from the ground to keep warm air close to plants. Never use plastic.

The UConn Home Garden Education Office still looking for your input to help guide future programs and services. If you haven't had the chance to do so already, please take a few minutes to complete our needs assessment survey and share what topics, resources, and support would be most helpful to you.

Your feedback will help shape upcoming educational offerings and strengthen our ability to serve Connecticut gardeners.

Please take the survey at: s.uconn.edu/hgeo-survey

Thank you for your feedback!

Be on the lookout for lace bugs and aphids in your garden this season. Feeding damage by these pests is confounded by their release of a sugary sap known as honeydew, which encourages harmful fungal growth on leaf surfaces. Nymphs can be controlled by strong blasts of water from a hose or by the application of low-toxicity insecticides. See our fact sheet for more information: https://homegarden.cahnr.uconn.edu/factsheets/insecticides-low-toxicity-options/

We're so excited to be part of the new George Leigh Minor Plant & Soil Health Center - Officially open as of this week!

With multiple service labs in the same building (UConn Plant Diagnostic Lab, UConn Soil Lab, UConn Turf Diagnostic Lab & the Home Garden Education Office) we are looking forward to being able to provide our clients with elevated services and a "one stop shop" for all plant and soil health needs!

New UConn ‘health’ center offers more public access, more space for research. Here’s what it’s for. The center will act as a hub to expand the college’s existing efforts and generate diagnostic reports for community members and to support research.

Once the bright blooms of daffodils die back for the season, they are ready to be divided or transplanted. Gently dig up the bulb clumps, which can be separated into their individual parts or remain in groups of multiple bulbs. You can either directly plant the bulbs in their new location right away or store them to be replanted in the fall. Before storing, dry bulbs in a cool place with proper air circulation to prevent rotting for 2-3 weeks. After the bulbs are dry, store in mesh bags in a cool, dry location until you are ready to plant them in the fall.