
A look at the Christmas indus-tree
05/12/2025 | 10 mins.
When you buy a Christmas tree at a farm, tree lot, or store, you’re buying an agricultural product. More than 35 million Christmas trees are harvested every year in the United States, and there are approximately 200 Christmas tree growers in Iowa. DNR Forester Mark Vitosh is here to give us some insight into the industry that brings so many people joy this time of year. To further grow your gardening knowledge, sign up for our Garden Variety newsletter.

BONUS: Trouble in tropical plant paradise
01/12/2025 | 4 mins.
Our horticulture experts brainstorm solutions for a well-intended caller who gifted his wife a tropical plant in a Midwestern climate.

Follow these cider house rules
21/11/2025 | 12 mins.
Storage, sauce and cider. There are a number of ways that we can continue to savor the tastes of apple season into the winter months.

Berry good winter prep
14/11/2025 | 12 mins.
It's time to get your berries ready for the cold. Your future self, and your strawberries, will thank you.

BONUS: Respect your insects
11/11/2025 | 5 mins.
Non-native insects can compete with some native species for resources, but they rarely cause extinction of native insect species.



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