Planning ahead for your garden can help mitigate potential risks



department of agriculture


Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page [ [link removed] ].

January 2, 2025

January Weed of the Month: Choosing Seeds and Plants to Avoid Pests and Pathogens in Your Garden

Planning ahead for your garden can help mitigate potential risks

*By Maya Sarkar, The Minnesota Department of Agriculture* - Gardening is exciting! It can bring food to your table, provide habitat for the creatures around us, and deepen our connection with our environment. Even though we are currently embracing winter in Minnesota, it’s never too early to daydream about spring and start planning for the growing season.

Planning ahead for your garden can help mitigate potential risks, including plant disease and pests. One way to avoid plant disease and pest risks is to learn how to prevent them from entering your garden. Prevention is much easier than treatment when it comes to plant pathogens and pests, including noxious weeds. Here are a few strategies to avoid bringing in unwanted hitchhikers on seeds or plants.

*Obtain seed and plants from a reputable source.*

To minimize the introduction of pathogens and noxious weeds, it’s important to get seeds and plants from a reputable source. This could mean buying from a reputable seed company or nursery or knowing your neighbor’s garden is free from disease before taking up their offer to share their plants with you. If you get seed from a community seed library or seed swap, make sure that the seed was grown locally to prevent introduction of invasive pests from other areas. Using local seeds and plants is always the safest option.

*Do not use seed from grocery store produce.*

 It is important to use seed that is intended to be planted. Fruits and vegetables found in the grocery store are not screened for plant pathogens that hide in seed. Growers of seed-producing plants gather seed from healthy plants and test seed for diseases prior to sale. Produce intended for human consumption does not go through the same plant pathogen screenings, so make sure to instead get seed from a reputable source.

*Inspect plants for problems before purchase.*

When picking out plants to bring to your garden, it’s important to do your own inspection of the plant. To avoid unwanted bacteria, viruses, and worms, it’s important to inspect all of the material they may be hiding in. This includes checking the leaves, stems, and roots for healthy tissue as well as the soil for pests. Healthy plants should have leaves free of spots or discoloration; firm, uniformly colored stems; and roots with fibrous, healthy growth. Choosing healthy plants from the start is a good way to ensure your garden stays healthy.

*Carefully review online sellers before buying seed or plants. *

While many folks still purchase seed and plants from physical stores, online sales of seeds and plants are increasing. It’s important to remember that if the deal seems “too good to be true,” it probably is. Be wary of cheap seed and plants. For seeds, try to find the full label which includes the kind of seed, its test or expiration date, and the labeler name and address. If you can find the labeler name, try to find their website and order directly from them.

For plants, don’t be afraid to call the seller and ask about where the plants are grown and how they will be shipped to you. If you end up getting seeds or plants you are unsure about, remember to isolate plants in separate pots until you can assess their health, and don’t plant seeds that are a mystery to you.

You can learn more on an upcoming episode of the Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s (MDA) podcast, Smarty Plants. The January episode will cover the best practices for obtaining seeds and plants to avoid pests and pathogens. It will feature a conversation with two MDA  experts. Smart Plants podcast episodes are available on the MDA website [ [link removed] ], our YouTube channel [ [link removed] ], Apple Podcasts [ [link removed] ], and Spotify [ [link removed] ].

________________________________________________________________________



For more information on noxious weeds and invasive insects, listen and subscribe to Smarty Plants [ [link removed] ], a Minnesota Department of Agriculture podcast. 

*MEDIA: *Contact Brittany Raveill, MDA Communications, at [email protected] or 651-201-6131 for more information on Weed of the Month






Stay Connected with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture:   Facebook [ [link removed] ] Twitter [ [link removed] ] Youtube [ [link removed] ] Flickr [ [link removed] ] Flickr [ [link removed] ] Govdelivery [ [link removed] ]  

SUBSCRIBER SERVICES:
Manage Subscriptions [ [link removed] ]  |  Unsubscribe All [ [link removed] ]  |  Help [ [link removed] ]



 

________________________________________________________________________

This email was sent to [email protected] using GovDelivery Communications Cloud on behalf of: Minnesota Department of Agriculture ·625 Robert Street N · Saint Paul, MN 55155 GovDelivery logo [ [link removed] ]


body .abe-column-block {min-height: 5px;} table.gd_combo_table img {margin-left:7px; margin-right:7px;} table.gd_combo_table div.govd_image_display img, table.gd_combo_table td.gd_combo_image_cell img {margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px;}