Understanding which plants are prone to powdery mildew and why others are resistant can help you make informed decisions about what to plant in your garden and how to manage those that are susceptible. By choosing resistant varieties and maintaining good cultural practices, you can minimize the impact of powdery mildew in your garden.

By following these instructions, you can effectively protect your squash plants from the squash vine borer moth and its caterpillar, ensuring a healthy and bountiful harvest. Trombocino squash is an Italian heirloom that provides it own natural protection against this pest because of it very hard lower stem.

Comfrey (Symphytum officinale) has been used for centuries in herbal medicine, but its use comes with significant safety concerns. The primary concern is the presence of pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs), which can cause severe liver damage and are potentially carcinogenic. (Searched 4 sites)

Suburban organic gardeners in Illinois usually protect their Brassica crops (kale, collards, cabbage, etc.) from cabbage moths and their caterpillars. But, brace yourselves for a new Brassica family pest challenge. The swede midge fly (Contarinia nasturtii), an invasive pest from Europe ,has begun wreaking havoc on brassica crops including also radish, horseradish, rutabaga, turnip, rapeseed (canola), arugula, bok choy and Chinese cabbage. Crops that are most damaged include common favorites such as broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, kohlrabi, collards and Brussels sprouts.

Environmental Pest Management (EPM) for organic food gardening is responsible environmental stewardship. Although EPM is modeled after the older Integrated Pest Management (IPM) it doesn’t allow use of toxic chemicals that are banned under the USDA organic standards. Contact your local botanic garden information service OR state university agricultural extension for help to identify treating pests. But only use the organic safe sprays we recommend in this post. Learn more about our growing method in two recently revised blog posts.

Biodiversity planting methods harness the forces of nature to help protect your garden as well as individual plants from pests and disease. Think of the plant populations as a team with complimentary skills all cooperating together. Balance and a strong ecosystem are achieved for the whole community of plants.

Garden tools play a crucial role in maintaining a healthy and beautiful garden. They help us till the soil, plant seeds, trim the plants and keep the garden in pristine condition. However, if not properly maintained and sterilized, garden tools can spread diseases and pests from one plant to another, leading to significant damage and loss. In this blog post, we'll discuss the best ways to sterilize garden tools to keep your garden free of any harmful organisms.

The brassica family of vegetables, which includes broccolini, Brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collards, kale, and kohlrabi, are susceptible to various pests and diseases. See our lists below of (1) common pests and diseases affecting brassicas in Northern Illinois and (2) safe organic pesticides best used to control them.

Roundup pesticide (glyphosate sold by Bayer) is dangerous poison to people, plants, soil and animals. This post covers both the dangers and the steps needed to remediate