![Unpruned apple tree on an urban farm.](/sites/extension.umn.edu/files/styles/crop_featured_image_crop/public/apple-tree-for-training-pruning.jpg?h=7552b3bb&itok=gHj5Lm2W)
It is time to prune your fruit trees! The UMN Extension Horticulture team has you covered with videos and instructions on how to prune home apple trees.
![Pots of herbs like basil and chives growing inside](/sites/extension.umn.edu/files/styles/crop_featured_image_crop/public/herbs_0.jpg?h=69435dc5&itok=BioEATkr)
Growing herbs like basil, chives, dill, parsley and cilantro helps add flavor to your cooking without adding salt.
Brown marmorated stink bugs find our homes quite suitable for shelter to help them survive the winter.
![Man standing in apiary holding a frame from a beehive.](/sites/extension.umn.edu/files/styles/crop_featured_image_crop/public/Christian-Dahm-with-bees.jpg?h=b11a2ac2&itok=K_Ivx0hK)
Keeping bees enables a unique closeness to nature. For military veterans, beekeeping can be a peaceful and purposeful hobby for life after active duty.
![bird sitting in tree](/sites/extension.umn.edu/files/styles/crop_featured_image_crop/public/bird%20%2810-22-21%29.jpg?itok=JO2lSXde)
Birdscaping is the intentional effort to provide a natural setting to attract wildlife, especially birds, to an area, most typically your own backyard.
![Sparse lawn needing repair](/sites/extension.umn.edu/files/styles/crop_featured_image_crop/public/10-19-21%20Lawn%20Needing%20Repair%20Photo.jpg?itok=brwoTeDM)
Late October and early November are the perfect time to “dormant” or “frost” seed your lawn.
![A large group of orange and red lady beetle aggregate in the corner of a building.](/sites/extension.umn.edu/files/styles/crop_featured_image_crop/public/lady-beetle-cluster.jpg?h=329c303c&itok=GtUXUC2E)
Some insects spend the spring and summer working hard and doing good in our yards, gardens and trees, but as fall rolls around they become an annoyance.
![A few lilac flowers on a bush in fall](/sites/extension.umn.edu/files/styles/crop_featured_image_crop/public/Remondant%20Lilac.jpg?h=9f4b3c4c&itok=h1KV0CB-)
Why were spring-blooming plants flowering in September?
![Three tomatoes on the vine in a garden.](/sites/extension.umn.edu/files/styles/crop_featured_image_crop/public/three-tomatoes-on-vine.jpg?h=00e18867&itok=FbDL9uMl)
Most of the tomato issues we are seeing are caused by a combination of weather, tomato variety, and gardening practices.
![Green and red grapes on a vine.](/sites/extension.umn.edu/files/styles/crop_featured_image_crop/public/grapevine-veraison.jpg?h=f68f9c7d&itok=0A5AQHt-)
Figuring out the best time to pick apples and grapes is a bit more complicated than picking berries. Here are some tips to increase your confidence that your fruit is ripe.