Tiny sprouts peek through the soil surface. | Mary Sirgo By Mary Sirgo In Umeå, Sweden, a team of researchers examined how organic matter breaks down during cold seasons, particularly when snow cover is reduced. The researchers removed snow from plots of land to simulate the predictions of their region’s trending weather forecasts. While the results of their study were not surprising, the scale was. The removal of the snow cover made the soil much colder and drastically reduced the number of...

pulchella & Coreopsis tinctoria | Mary Sirgo By Mary Sirgo, Permian Basin Master Gardeners Lawns first came on the scene as a status symbol in Europe, indicating that a landowner was so wealthy they could devote large swaths of their property to recreation rather than food production. Later, in the late 1800s, lawns became popular in North American landscapes, with the invention of the push lawn mower enhancing their accessibility for maintenance. Today, invasive grass turf remains the...

Photo by Mary Sirgo By Mary Sirgo, Permian Basin Master Gardeners As nightfall creeps in earlier and the air begins to cool, we may notice that just as nature slows down, so do our own energy levels. The pace of the year begins to shift as holiday gatherings approach, followed by winter festivities and soon enough, the pressure of New Year’s resolutions. Perhaps this year, we might take a cue from our gardens. Instead of pushing forward into another round of goals and growth, we can choose to...