​COLUMBIA, Mo. – Missourians can use social media to get expert answers to their gardening questions.
Missouri Master Gardeners and University of Missouri Extension horticulture specialists teamed up to create the new Ask a Missouri Master Gardener page on Facebook, said MU Extension regional horticulturist Balek said.
Visit the page at facebook.com/AskaMissouriMasterGardener(opens in new window).
“The page lets residents tap into the diverse knowledge and backgrounds of degreed specialists and thousands of trained volunteers,” said Balek.
Page followers will find upcoming events, training sessions, online publications, and relevant and timely topics.

Click HERE to see the impressive collection of "how to" videos the National Gardening Association has available free to all on YouTube.

COLUMBIA, Mo. – If a little is good, a lot must be better.

All too often, that’s the approach home gardeners take when plants and flowers don’t do well, says University of Missouri Extension soil scientist Manjula Nathan.

Trying to improve flower beds and vegetable gardens by adding more fertilizer and topsoil may be a waste of money. It also can be bad for the environment because excess nutrients often leach into water supplies.

A soil test through the University of Missouri’s Soil and Plant Testing Laboratory can save home gardeners money and trouble by revealing just what their soil needs, Nathan says.