Garden Basics & Practices

Soil and Soil Testing

How to Take a Soil Sample (link to web site) From CCE Schoharie and Otsego Counties

Getting the Most out of Your Vegetable Garden Soil Test Report (6 page PDF).You've gotten your soil tested, now how do you use the results? This handout from Cornell Gardening will help you match your test results with appropriate soil amendments to improve the soil in your vegetable garden!

Getting the Most Out of Your Lawn Soil Test Report (9-page PDF) From Cornell College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.  

Soil Organic Matter (2 page PDF) From CCE Clinton and Essex County

Soil pH (2 page PDF) From CCE Clinton and Essex County

Calculators from National Gardening Association – for lowering soil pH, etc. (link to web site).Calculators to help determine the quantity of materials you'll need for your landscaping project.

Using Organic Matter in the Garden (13 page PDF) From Ithaca Community Gardens.org

Seeds

Time to Order Your Seeds! (4 page PDF) From Master Gardener Volunteer Ken Kogut about getting the most out of your seed catalog.

A Quick Guide to Starting Your Seeds Indoors (5 page PDF) From Master Gardener Volunteer Ken Kogut about indoor growing setups and important considerations.

Indoor Vegetable Seed Starting (2 page PDF) From Cornell Cooperative Extension. It covers selecting seed varieties, supplies you'll need to start seeds indoors, germination specifics, and more.

Seed for the Garden (4 page PDF) From Virginia Cooperative Extension. It covers how to save and start seeds, and includes a list of how long you can expect various types of vegetable seeds to remain viable.

Starting Seeds at Home (4  page PDF) From Cornell Cooperative Extension of Clinton and Essex Counties.

Garden Planning and Maintenance

Planning Your 2021 Garden (4 page pdf) From Master Gardener Volunteer Ken Kogut

Find Your Frost Free Days (link to web site) From The National Gardening Association. Enter your zip code to view the frost free growing season dates for your area.Then look at the planting guide for strategies for Spring and Fall planting.

Zones 3 and 4 Vegetable Planting Schedule (3 page PDF) From University of Vermont Extension in 2012.. Lists Vegetables, planting dates, planting distances, and amount of seed needed for 20 feet of row.

Time to Sow: A Gardener's Guide (a web site) From High Mowing Organics, a planting chart with  information to determine the approximate time to sow a variety of vegetable seeds. Can be used for direct seeding or calculated when to start seeds indoors for transplanting.

Site Design( link to web site) From Cornell Garden-Based Learning. Has videos on learning activities for designing polycultures and flower gardens and other information.

Weeds (link to web site) From CCE of Oneida County. Providing fact sheets on many varieties of weeds along with information on weed control.

Weed Control for the Home Vegetable Garden (32 page PDF) From Cornell University. Covers types of weeds and life cycles, identification and control strategies.

How to Clean and Sharpen Garden Tools (4 page PDF) From Kansas State University Extension.

Gardening Practices

Growing a Modern Victory Garden (23 page PDF) From CCE of Jefferson County. Written as a response to the renewed interest in food gardening due to the current COVID-19 situation. It's a quick reference guide to answer immediate questions for new gardeners. 

Composting Resources (link to web site) From CCE of Tompkins County. Covers general information as about compost as well as specifics for both outdoor and indoor composting

Cold Frames & Hot Beds (3 page PDF) From CCE Chemung County

Extending the Garden Season (link web site) From Cooperative Extension of Maine. Covers plastic mulch, row covers, cold frames, hot caps and more.

Companion Planting (2 page PDF) From CCE of Saratoga County.

Storing Fruits and Vegetables from the Home Garden (8 page PDF) From University of Wisconsin Extension

Container Vegetable Gardening (2 page PDF) From Iowa State University Extension

Gardening in Small Spaces (link to web site) From the Cooperative Extension of Maine. Covers raised bed gardening, square foot gardening and layer gardening. You can a view printer friendly version, pdf or email.

Plant Propagation by Leaf, Cane and Root Cuttings (3 page PDF) From CCE of Oneida County.

Trellising Tips (4 page PDF) From CCE of Oneida County

Straw Bale Gardening (4 page PDF) From Washington State University Extension. 

Building Healthy Soils - Cover Crops ( 19 page PDF) From Cornell University. Covers introduction to cover cropping, types of cover crops, selecting, planting and managing.

Last updated February 10, 2022