Hi, I am moving my yard towards native plants. Is this grass that I have native? Can you tell me what it is and whether or not it is native? If not native how do you recommend the best way to remove so that it doesn’t keep coming back? Thank you.

We have a one acer hobby farm, with irrigation. We have been here for 12 years. We do goodish at growing pastue (goats, beef) but, we are two small to expand on livestock. We started a garden about 10 years ago it does okay but some vegetables don't like our climate. I was pondering climate change so decided to hedge our bet and have planted several types of fruit trees cherry (bing, rainier), apples (golden delicious, translucent, fuji), apricot, plum( golden, Italian), pear (Bartlett), and peach (Canadian). I probably should have consulted before trying this. So, we have very unstable springs, late June frosts, and so most years we tend to loose our crops. Are there types we should be trying? Also we are testing berries raspberry, strawberry, blackberry, and blueberries. We are on our second year ( mixed results).

Your site indicates that the soil in potted outdoor plants can be debugged by submerging the pots in soapy water. What kind of soap should be used? How strong should the solution be? How long should the plants/pots remain submerged? Should the soil be "rinsed" with clear water after submersion? I assume that the plant itself (above the soil) can be treated with a commercial insecticide like neem oil. Thanks for your help!

Does MSU extension still offer soil testing for residences? The link to buy a test is no longer active.

Dear CSU Extension Master Gardeners, I am seeking your expertise on preventing further soil erosion and establishing green ground cover under a pine tree where the soil is currently bare. Could you recommend suitable ground covers or other methods that would thrive in this environment? I have attached a few representative photos. Possibly relevant information: - We recently regraded the yard with good quality top soil with compost, ready for planting - The pine tree is huge and the soil is bare under it - Every time the wind blows or it rains, soil gets washed onto the flagstone patio creating a huge mess - We have chickens, so ideally the ground cover could be aggressive / easy to establish

I have some well developed compost and I will be laying down a cover crop. Better to add compost to the garden before sowing the cover crop or add in the early spring? Thank you

Can I pressure can the leftovers of a baked dish made of ~ chicken legs, sweet potatoes, and r/o/y/ bell pepper slices?

If so, how long?  

Hot pack or cold pack?

If no, please tell me that as well

Thanks,

CJ

Our arbovitae are turning brown. The top of a few trees are bare. We don’t know why. No sign of any insects or eggs on branches.

I didn't have a real good tomato crop this year, but the few I have left, after a couple small batches of salsa, I'd like to make sauce. Many of my tomatoes just seem to be taking a long time to ripen, they have stayed the same just a little green. Green around the stem with some light green streaks a little ways down the tomato, very few have turned the nice bright red. Can these still be used to make sauce or do I need to hold off till they are red? Having the time to can them is also limited. Also, I can find recipes for dill pickles which call to cut the cucumbers lengthwise but not leave whole. Does it matter if they are left whole or do I need to find a recipe for whole dills? Thank you. PS. A little confusion here, you ask to not include identifiable information like name, address, or phone number, but at the end for the form you ask for the full name. ??