The best plants and gardening practices for Minnesota gardeners, homeowners and hobbyists to grow healthy lawns, landscapes and gardens.
Good plant selection reduces plant stress. Use this tool to select plants with growing requirements that match your site conditions.
Starting garden plants from seeds indoors can be an enjoyable project for any gardener. It's a relatively inexpensive way to grow a wide variety of plants. Many garden favorites are found in a greater variety of colors, sizes and growth habits as seeds rather than as started plants.
Know which turfgrass species and characteristics you want for your lawn before shopping for seed.
Recognize and treat common fungal, bacterial and viral diseases of plants; identify common garden pests and weeds; and solve non-organic gardening issues.
Identify beneficial insects and insect pests and how to control them or encourage them in your yard and garden.
Selecting, planting, watering, trimming, pruning, fertilizing, disease and insect pests
Guides to planting, growing and caring for plants year-round
Our Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) Education Program works with Minnesota’s produce farmers to develop and implement on-farm food safety plans.
Grow bee lawns and pollinator-friendly plants and landscapes; volunteer for pollinator conservation programs.
Practice water conservation when watering lawns, gardens, trees and shrubs
Learn about planting, growing, and maintaining lawns, and the environmental benefits of sustainable landscapes.
Master Gardeners will answer your yard and garden questions by email, in person or over the phone.
Master Gardener volunteers promote healthy landscapes, healthy people and a healthy planet.
Find out how to apply to be a Master Gardener and register for the core course.
Find the latest garden tours, landscaping seminars and other fun and educational activities to ignite your love of gardening this season.
Time to harvest fruit and nuts, check lilacs for fungal diseases, plant perennials, and start prepping houseplants to return indoors.
Warm days, humid nights, and crowded plantings create the perfect environment for fungal diseases. While they rarely wipe out a garden, they can weaken plants and reduce harvests.
Wildlife is part of gardening life, and so is the ritual of trying to outsmart them. Some tactics work. Some don’t.
Timely information to help you care for your yard and garden.
Extension works in all of Minnesota's counties. Find your local resources.
© 2026 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved. The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity educator and employer. This work is supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.