![A person in a white shirt, blue jeans with a yellow button up holding two tomatoes, one larger than the other. Both are a cherry orange color.](/sites/extension.umn.edu/files/styles/crop_featured_image_crop/public/tomato-hands.jpg?h=af9ff919&itok=ftatV0tP)
If you are saving seeds, now is the time to start collecting them.
![Bee hovering above a crimson clover flower.](/sites/extension.umn.edu/files/styles/crop_featured_image_crop/public/crimson-clover.jpg?h=790587f2&itok=D5TmOACx)
Cover crops can improve the health of your soil. There are several times during the year that you can plant, including now.
![Youth with swimming instructor using a kickboard](/sites/extension.umn.edu/files/styles/crop_featured_image_crop/public/child-with-swimming-instructor.jpg?h=eaa9d305&itok=-xGQ0rbU)
The community outdoor pool is a hub of summer fun in Rochester's Oak Terrace and Parkside mobile home neighborhoods. However, beneath the surface is a concerning reality — many neighborhood children don't know how to swim.
There is so much to learn about the complex ecosystem interactions among the trees, understory plants, and wildlife you might find in your nearest woodland. Here are a few species worth a closer look.
![Round green, purple and white plants with wavy texture in a garden bed.](/sites/extension.umn.edu/files/styles/crop_featured_image_crop/public/Brassica-oleraceas-Nagoya-Mix-form1.jpg?h=cb7eba4b&itok=FH2xol_4)
There's still plenty to do in the garden before wrapping up the season.
![Sign outside of a University of Minnesota building that says Soil Testing](/sites/extension.umn.edu/files/styles/crop_featured_image_crop/public/soil-lab-sign-umn.jpg?h=2cb0256d&itok=WJ1SzNgK)
Just as in agricultural settings, understanding the fertility of the soils in your woodland is important for selecting, planting, and growing trees that will be healthy in the long term.
![A drought-stressed maple tree has leaves browning from the tips toward the center of the leaf.](/sites/extension.umn.edu/files/styles/crop_featured_image_crop/public/Drought%20stressed%20maple%20tree%20-%20Robert%20L.%20Anderson%2C%20USDA%20Forest%20Service%2C%20Bugwood.org_.jpg?h=5a43c567&itok=yM0kJz2W)
This is the third consecutive year of drought across much of the state, and successive years of drought can compound stress on trees. There are steps you can take to reduce drought stress on your woods.
![A rich, deep green forest with a closed canopy and lush understory plants](/sites/extension.umn.edu/files/styles/crop_featured_image_crop/public/Northern%20hardwood%20forest%20stand.png?h=6f9f2036&itok=IBId3-hQ)
Extension foresters provide recommended tree and plant lists for east-central Minnesota.
![Two dancers performing at an event](/sites/extension.umn.edu/files/styles/crop_featured_image_crop/public/dancers-at-cultural-event.jpg?h=ced063a6&itok=U7ppbvnT)
Festivals and events have both direct and indirect economic impacts on local economies. Extension impact studies help communities understand the cost and benefit of local tourism.
![Green lawn with weeds beside a street curb.](/sites/extension.umn.edu/files/styles/crop_featured_image_crop/public/weedy-lawn-fall.jpg?h=00e18867&itok=FkQrVpKz)
This is the best time of the year to encourage a healthy lawn next year through proper fertilization and weed control.
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