Thinning & bagging apple trees, straw bale gardening

The FOX6 WakeUp crew hangs in the FOX6 garden with Consumer Horticulture Agent, Sharon Morrisey to talk about thinning and bagging apple trees, straw bale gardening, and  harvest of lettuce and spinach. Sharon also talks about the pesky striped cucumber beetle and how to avoid it. You can head to the Milwaukee County UW-Extension Horticulture page for more gardening information.

What is a Straw Bale Garden?

A straw bale garden bed starts with a bale of straw. The bale is first “conditioned” and then vegetable plants are planted and grown inside the bale.

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Bag Apples for Spray-Free Disease and Insect Control

Apple scab, cedar-apple rust, apple maggot, coddling moth and curculio are the most destructive pests of apples grown in backyards. Common apple insect and disease pests such as apple scab, cedar-apple rust, curculio, codling moth, and aphids can severely damage trees and/or fruit. Other pests and diseases such as stink bugs, flyspeck, and sooty blotch reduce the aesthetic and keeping quality of the fruit. Knowing that pests are likely to appear, some gardeners may use seasonal  fruit spray applications and may be left wondering whether or not their apples are safe.