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Be observant
It’s been a different sort of winter. As gardeners, we need to pay close attention to what is happening in our landscapes as spring arrives.
- Watch for insects (see Marissa Schuh’s article).
- Feel your soil and water it if it's dry, followed by mulching (leaf mulch works great).
- Prune off winter dieback.
- And keep good records on how your plants are performing.
![A fenced vegetable garden.](/sites/extension.umn.edu/files/styles/crop_featured_image_crop/public/good-spacing.jpg?h=c5dcfa3d&itok=aWoVRte0)
Be realistic about the decisions you make now for your garden. They can have a huge impact on the health of your plants come August.
![Tarnished plant bug nymph on an unripe strawberry.](/sites/extension.umn.edu/files/styles/crop_featured_image_crop/public/tarnished-plant-bug-nymph.jpg?h=10719692&itok=-nO3gdCA)
Many insect pests and diseases that show up on fruit crops are harmless or just occasional pests. A few can have a significant impact on your fruit crop’s success.
![The top of a pheasant back mushroom attached to a single dead tree in different gradients of brown.](/sites/extension.umn.edu/files/styles/crop_featured_image_crop/public/pheasant-back-top.jpg?h=d182b2d4&itok=z7Jqt2ta)
Minnesota has an abundance of resources hidden in plain sight. Here are only a few examples of what you can forage in our natural spaces.
![Holes caused by hail in hosta leaves.](/sites/extension.umn.edu/files/styles/crop_featured_image_crop/public/hail-hosta.jpg?h=6d46f7d6&itok=FbS69l_T)
“There are holes in my plant leaves, what do I do?” While insects may be the culprit, the only way to know is to brush up on plant detective skills that will serve you all summer long.
![A small carpenter bee is digging a tunnel in a stem.](/sites/extension.umn.edu/files/styles/crop_featured_image_crop/public/ceratina-working.jpg?h=60e51a71&itok=V593AFvN)
A hydrangea riddled with holes indicated birds were the number one suspect feeder. But why did they attack? Something tasty to birds lived inside the hydrangea.
![Young rhubarb plants in a garden.](/sites/extension.umn.edu/files/styles/crop_featured_image_crop/public/rhubarb-spring.jpg?h=cc9c1017&itok=i0dskV3Z)
Rhubarb's tartness balances the sweetness of pie, cake, syrup and sauce. It also works as a landscape plant with its big, coarse leaves, bright red stalks, and its sheer presence as a perennial, edible crop.
![Daffodils in a spring garden.](/sites/extension.umn.edu/files/styles/crop_featured_image_crop/public/daffodil.jpg?h=6e78aa51&itok=mp5XdKgM)
Use #whatsblooming to show us what’s blooming in your garden!
![A floodplain forest](/sites/extension.umn.edu/files/styles/crop_featured_image_crop/public/Photo2_resized_0.jpg?h=767236f0&itok=mGB97hJP)
With the snowmelt and increased rain this spring, understand the risks and symptoms of flooding on trees.
Tenemos una serie de videos disponible en español sobre la práctica a cuidar un jardín.
![A curled up black cutworm next to a corn stem cut in two.](/sites/extension.umn.edu/files/styles/crop_featured_image_crop/public/black-cutworm-damage-5361045.jpg?h=6a7a02d1&itok=5W6at7Wf)
As transplants get established and seeds emerge from the soil, young vegetable plants may meet one of the season’s earliest emerging pests: cutworms.
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