• Bugs & Insect Pests

• Native Plants

• Composting

• Plant Diseases

• Flowers

• Pollinators & Beneficial Insects

• Fruit Cultivation

• Seeds and Seed Starting

• Garden Planning & Practices

• Soil & Soil Testing

• Houseplants & Indoor Gardening

• Vegetables & Herbs

• Invasive Species

• Weeds

• Lawns Trees & Shrubs

• Wildlife

Bugs & Insect Pests

• Insect Diagnostic Fact Sheets (website) From Cornell University.
• Managing Insect Pests in Vegetable Gardens (PDF 12 pgs) From Purdue University.
• NYS Integrated Pest Management - A-Z List of Pests and Other Critters (website) From Cornell College of Agriculture.
• IPM for Homes (PDF 2 pgs) From Cornell Cooperative Extension.
• BugFinder (website) Easy to use insect identification using color, number of legs, and location.
• BugGuide (website) From Iowa State University Department of Entomology. 
• Picture Key to Common Insects Inhabiting Turf Grass (PDF 10 pgs) from Cornell University NYS Agricultural Experiment Station.
• IPM Solutions for Plant Pests (website) From IPM labs. 
• Grubs in Your Lawn? (PDF 2pgs) From NYS IPM.
• Beneficial Nematodes (website) (Fruition Blog Post) By Master Gardener Volunteer Ken Kogut.

Species Information

• Asian Giant Hornets-A Concern for NY? (website) From NYS IPM Program.
• Spongy Moth (formerly known as Gypsy Moth) (website) From NYS Department of Environmental Conservation.
• Spotted Wing Drosophila (SWD) From Cornell University. Comprehensive information on this growing threat to berries and other fruit crops. Visit the SWD blog for updates.

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Composting

• Composting Resources (website) From CCE of Tompkins County. A comprehensive list of resources covering general information, outdoor composting, indoor composting with worms, and testing for finished compost.
• Composting at Home (website) US Environmental Protection Agency.
• How to Build a Compost Bin (website) University of Missouri.
  
• How to Make Compost at Home (website) University of Maryland Extension.
• Troubleshooting Compost Piles (PDF 2 pgs) CCE of Tompkins County

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Flowers

General

• Flower Growing Guides (website) From Cornell University. Guides to 269 flowers and foliage plants.
• Plant Identification (website) From University of Massachusetts Amherst.
• Organic Site Preparation for Wildflower establishment (PDF 48 pgs) From the Xerces Society. 

Annuals

• Annual Flowers, (PDF 8 pgs) From University of Montana Extension. 
• Growing Annuals In Containers (PDF 2 pgs) From Iowa State University Extension. 
• Flowering Annuals: Characteristics and Culture (website) From University of Missouri Extension.

Perennials

• Perennials (PDF 3 pgs) From CCE of Suffolk County.
• Sequence of Bloom of Perennials, Biennials and Bulbs (PDF 16 pgs) From Cornell Cooperative Extension.
• How and When to Divide Perennials (website) From University of Minnesota Extension.
• Weed Suppressive Ground Covers (PDF 3 pgs) From Cornell University.
• Planting Hardy Bulbs (website) (Fruition Blog Post) By Master Gardener Volunteer Carolyn Filippi. 

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Fruit Cultivation

General

• Cornell Guide to Growing Fruit at Home. (PDF 111 pgs) View the entire book or select individual chapters on specific fruits.
• Growing Fruit in the Home Garden (website) From University of Minnesota Extension.

Small Fruits

Blueberries

• Cornell Guide to Growing Fruit at Home (Blueberries begin at image 82).
• Growing Blueberries in the Home Garden (website) From University of Minnesota Extension.
• VIDEO: Pruning Blueberries From the University of Maine Cooperative Extension.
• Pruning Wild Lowbush Blueberry Fields From University of Maine Cooperative Extension.

Brambles

• Cornell Guide to Growing Fruit at Home (Brambles begin at image 70)
• Growing Raspberries in the Home Garden (website) From University of Minnesota Extension.
• Pest Management for the Home Raspberry Patch (link for PDF) From U of Minnesota. Click on the link under the image in the left column to view/download the file.
• Raspberry Pruning Time (Fruition Blog Post) By Master Gardener Volunteer Ken Kogut.

Strawberries

• Cornell Guide to Growing Fruit at Home (Strawberries begin at image 59).
• Growing Strawberries in the Home Garden(website) From University of Minnesota Extension.
• Strawberry Production Guide for the Northeast, Midwest and Eastern Canada (2nd Edition) (link for PDF file)

Grapes

• Cornell Guide to Growing Fruit at Home (Grapes begin at image 47).
• Growing Grapes in the Home Garden (website) From University of Minnesota Extension.
• Grape Trellising & Training Basics (website) From Utah State University.
• Pruning and Training Grapes in the Home Vineyard (website) From University of New Hampshire Extension.

Other Minor Fruits 

• Cornell Guide to Growing Fruit at Home (Other fruits begin at image 89).

• Growing Melons in the Home Garden (website) From University of Minnesota Extension.
• Growing Currants and Gooseberries in the Home Garden (website) From University of Minnesota Extension.

Tree Fruits

• Spring Fruit Tree Planting Tips for the Home Garden (website) From Penn State Extension.
• Growing Apples in the Home Garden (website) From University of Minnesota Extension.
• Growing Pears in the Home Garden (website) From University of Minnesota Extension.
• How to Identify Apple and Pear Varieties (website) From Orchard Notes.
• Fruit ID (Apples, Pears and Plums) (website) From FruitID.com
• VIDEO: It's Spring! Time to Oil up From retired Coop Extension Agent on the use of dormant oil on your fruit trees in the spring.
• A Basic Guide to Pruning Your Apple Trees (PDF 3 pgs) From St. Lawrence County CCE Community Horticulture Educator Erica LaFountain.
• VIDEO: How to Prune Apple Trees: A 3-part video series (website) From University of Minnesota Extension.
• Grafting Fruit Trees in the Home Orchard (PDF 8 pgs) From New Hampshire Extension.
• Apple IPM (integrated pest management) For Beginners (website) From Cornell University.
• Developing a Fruit Tree Spray Schedule (YouTube video) From Orchard People.

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Houseplants & Indoor Gardening

• Caring for Houseplants (website) From University of Missouri Extension.
• Growing Indoor Plants with Success (website) From University of Georgia Extension.
• Gardening Indoors Resource List (website) From Cooperative Extension Oneida County.
• Houseplant Varieties (website) From Cooperative Extension of Oneida County.
• Cacti and Succulents (website) From University of Minnesota Extension.
• Watering Houseplants (Website) From University of Minnesota Extension
• Fertilizing Houseplants (PDF 3 pgs). From University of Connecticut Extension.
• Repotting Houseplants (website) From Penn State Extension.
• Winter Gardening: Propagating Houseplants (website) From University of Illinois Extension.
• List of Houseplants and Recommended Propagation Method (website) From University of Illinois Extension.
• Bringing Houseplants Indoors (website) From Penn State Extension.
• Forcing Bulbs for Indoor Bloom (website) From University of Missouri Extension.
• Herbs for Your Winter Windowsill (PDF 2 pgs) From Cornell Cooperative Extension.
• Microgreens and How To Grow Them (website) From University of Florida Extension.
• Timing a Glorious Amaryllis Bloom (Fruition Blog Post) By Master Gardener Volunteer Julie Pomainville.
• Timing a Gorgeous Christmas Cactus Bloom (Fruition Blog Post) By  Master Gardener Volunteer Julie Pomainville.

Problems

• Houseplant Problems (PDF 5 pgs) From Purdue University Cooperative Extension.
• Houseplant Pests (website) From Cooperative Extension of Oneida County.
• Common Houseplant Insects & Related Pests (website) From Clemson University Extension.
• Managing Insects on Indoor Plants (website) From University of Minnesota Extension.
• Diagnose Indoor Plant Problems (website) From University of Maryland Extension.
• How to Treat Pesky Fungus Gnats on Houseplants (website) From University of Maryland Extension.

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Invasive Species

• Invasive Species Handbook (web site) St. Lawrence Eastern Lake Ontario Partnership For Regional Invasive Species Management 
• New York State Invasive Species (website) From New York Invasive Species Information.
• Alternatives to Invasive Ornamentals (PDF 133 pgs) From Cornell Cooperative Extension.
• Mistaken Identity? Invasive Plants and their Native Look-alikes (PDF 68 pgs) From Delaware Department of Agriculture

Species Information

• Emerald Ash Borer (website) From Cooperative Extension Orange County.
• Spotted Lanternfly (website) From Cornell CALS
• Jumping Worms(website) From Cooperative Extension of Warren County.
• Japanese Knotweed (website) From Cooperative Extension of Warren County.
• Control Methods for Japanese knotweed (PDF 2 pgs) from New Hampshire Dept. of Agriculture.

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Lawns Trees & Shrubs

Lawns

• Sustainable Lawns (website) From Cornell Cooperative Extension.
• The Truth About No Mow May (Fruition Blog Post) By Master Gardener Volunteer Anneke Larrance.
• Easy Climate Smart Lawns.  (Fruition Blog Post) By CCE staff in Putnam and Albany Counties.
• Cornell Turfgrass - Lawn Care: The Easiest Steps to an Attractive Environmental Asset (website) From Cornell University. 
• Growing Grass in the Shade (website) From University of Maryland Extension.
• Turf Grass Varieties (PDF 11 pgs) From Cornell University.
• Lawn Care Without Pesticides (PDF 20 pgs) From Cornell University.
• Sustainable Landscaping - (website) From NY Dept. of Environmental Conservation.
• Turfgrass and Landscape Weed ID (website) From Cornell University.
• Moss and Algae Control in Lawns (website) From Clemson Cooperative Extension.
• Repetitive Overseeding Can Replace Herbicides to Conquer Annual Weeds (PDF 4 pgs) CCE of Rensselaer County.
• Grubs in Your Lawn? (PDF 2pgs) From NYS IPM.

Trees and Shrubs

• The Cornell Guide for Planting and Maintaining Trees and Shrubs (PDF 28 pgs download only).
• Cornell University Woody Plants Database (website).
• How to Plant Trees and Shrubs (PDF 2 pgs) From CCE of Suffolk County.
• Planting and Mulching Trees and Shrubs (website) From the University of New Hampshire.
• Homeowner's Guide for Beautiful, Safe & Healthy Trees (PDF 3 pgs) From the USDA Forest Service. 
• Pruning: An illustrated Guide to Pruning Ornamental Trees & Shrubs (PDF 30 pgs) From Cornell University. 
• Leaf Spot on Lilac (PDF 3 pgs) From University of Missouri Extension.

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Native Plants

General Information and Propagation

• Why Use Native Plants (website) From Penn State Extension.
• Autumn and Winter Seed Sowing in 6 Easy Steps (website) From the Wild Seed Project.

Selecting Native Plants

• Native Plant Finder (website) From National Wildlife Federation. Input zipcode to find plants for your area.
• Native Plant Profiles (website) From Finger Lakes Native Plant Society.
• Native Flowers, Grasses, Shrubs, Trees and Vines (PDF 10 pgs with pictures) NYS DEC
• Native Plant Species Recommended For Planting In NY State(PDF 10 pgs) From NYS Department of Environmental Conservation.
• Mistaken Identity? Invasive Plants & Their Native Look-alikes (PDF 68 pgs) From Delaware Department of Agriculture.

Saving Seeds from Native Plants

• Collecting Native Seed (website) From US Forest Service.

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Plant Diseases

• Plant Disease Diagnostic Clinic (website) From Cornell. 
• Plant Diseases (website) From Planet Natural Research Center. 
• Vegetable MD Online (website) From Cornell University. 
• Tomato Diseases and Disorders in the Home Garden (website) From Penn State Extension. 
• USA Blight (website) From North Carolina State University. 
• Vegetable Diseases (website) From University of Maryland.
• Late Blight (website also has link to PDF of page) From Cornell University.

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Pollinators & Beneficial Insects

• Pollinator Support (website) From Cornell Cooperative Extension.
• Finding Pollinator Attractive Plants (website) From Rutgers University.
• Pollinator Network (website) From Cornell CALS offering a variety of resources for beekeepers, growers, homeowners and property managers to promote and protect healthy pollinator populations across New York state.
• Beneficial Insects-Nature's Pest Control (PDF 3 pgs) From CCE of Oneida County.
• How to Protect and Increase Pollinators in Your Landscape (website) From Michigan State University. 
• Protecting Pollinators While Using Pesticides (web site) From Ohio State University Extension.
• Monarch Butterflies (website) From CCE of Columbia and Greene Counties.

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Seeds

• A Quick Guide to Starting Your Seeds Indoors (PDF 5 pgs) From Master Gardener Volunteer Ken Kogut. 
• Indoor Vegetable Seed Starting (PDF 2 pgs) From Cornell Cooperative Extension. 
• Seed Germination Testing (Fruition Blog Post) By Master Gardener Volunteer Ken Kogut.
• Hardening Transplants (website) From Penn State Extension.
• Seed for the Garden (PDF 4 pgs) From Virginia Cooperative Extension.
• An Introduction to Seed Saving for the Home Gardener (website) From University Maine Cooperative Extension.
• Seed and Seedling Biology (website) From Penn State Extension.
• Soil Temperature and Seed Germination (website) From Penn State Extension.
• Optimum Germination Temperatures For Vegetables, Herbs and Flowers (website) From Fruition Seeds. 
• Start Seeds Outdoors With Winter Sowing (Fruition Blog Post)  By Master Gardener Volunteer Carolyn Filippi.
• Indoor Seed Stratification (website) From Illinois Extension.

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Soil & Soil Testing

Testing

• Soil Testing Primer (Fruition Blog post). By Master Gardener Volunteer Linda Carney. Covers why, when and how to take a soil sample along with a link to the form for submitting a sample for a home garden.
• How to Take a Soil Sample (youtube video) From Cornell Cooperative Extension.
• Soil Sample FAQs (webpage) - From Cornell Cooperative Extension.
• Getting the Most Out of Your Vegetable Garden Soil Test Report (PDF 6 pgs) From Cornell Gardening.
• Getting the Most Out of Your Lawn Soil Test Report (PDF 9 pgs) From Cornell College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
• Reading a Soil Test Result from Dairy One (13 minute YouTube video from Cornell University) 

Understanding and Improving

• General - Soil Quality Information (website) From Penn State Extension.   Soil and Plant Nutrition: A Gardener's Perspective (web site) From University of Maine.
• Soil Biology - Soil Biology (website) From University of Minnesota Extension.
• Soil pH -Soil pH-What It Means From SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. Correcting Soil pH (PDF 2pgs) From CCE Rockland County. 

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Vegetables & Herbs

• Vegetable Variety Favorites (PDF 5 pgs) A list of variety favorites from the SLC Master Gardener Volunteers.
• 2025 Selected List of Vegetable Varieties for Gardeners in New York State. (PDF 8 pgs) From Cornell Garden Based Learning.
• Recommended Spacing and Expected Yield for Garden Vegetables in NY (PDF 1 pg)
• Cornell Vegetable Growing Guides (website) From Cornell University.
• Vegetables – Cornell Garden Based Learning (website with PDFs).
• Vegetable Planting Guide (PDF 2 pgs) From CCE Rockland County.
• Perennial Herbs (2 page PDF) from CCE of Tompkins County.
• Herbs for the Garden and Their Uses (5 page PDF) From CCE of Monroe County.
• Growing Herbs in Home Gardens (website) From University of Minnesota Extension.
• Time to Plant Your Garlic (Fruition Blog Post) By a member of our CCE staff.

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Weeds

• Common Agricultural Weeds and Management (website) From  Cornell University
  
• Weeds (website) From CCE of Oneida County. 
• Turfgrass and Landscape Weed ID (website) From Cornell University.
• Weed Control Around the Home Grounds (website) From Rutgers University Extension.
• Weed Identification Key (website) From Virginia Cooperative Extension.
• Weed Photo Gallery (website) From Rutgers University.

Specific Information

• Field Horsetail (website) From Michigan State University Extension
• Field Horsetail Control (website) From The LuEster T. Mertz Library Plant and Research Help.

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Wildlife

Gardening To Attract Wildlife

• Backyard Conservation: Bringing Conservation from the Countryside to your Backyard (PDF 28 pgs) From  USDA Natural Resources Conservation Services.
• How to Make Your Yard Bird-Friendly (website) From the National Audubon Society.
• Sustainable Landscaping (website) From NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation.

Nuisance Wildlife

• Wildlife Damage Management Fact Sheets - SLC CCE's Horticulture and Natural Resources Page.
• Mark Bridgen's Deer Resistant Plants List (PDF 2 pgs) From Cornell University.
• Beasts Begone! Handling Wildlife Problems in Buildings (website) From Cornell University Library.

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