Garden soil

All Garden soil Content
Overhead view of State Fair 4-H exhibits
Sep 02

State Fair

The 2026 South Dakota State Fair will take place Wednesday, September 2, through Monday, September 7, at the South Dakota State Fairgrounds in Huron, South Dakota.

Gardening plots at the Foundation Field Community Garden.
Aug 06

Community Garden Field Day @ Watertown

SDSU Extension will host a Community Garden Field Day on Thursday, August 6 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. CDT at the Foundation Field Community Garden (1800 3rd Ave. NW, Watertown, SD 57201).

Two raised beds in a garden plot.

Understanding Unit Conversions for Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium Fertilizer Application Rates in Garden Soils

This factsheet provides unit conversions between different units that soil labs recommend for fertilizer application rates to gardens for nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.

Horticulture research plot with rows of tarp-covered crops and living mulch between them.

Research Report: Warm-Season Living Mulch Impacts on Cucumber Yield and Disease Symptoms

A 2025 trial in Brookings, South Dakota aimed to detect the influences of various warm-season cover crop living mulches on pest pressure in tomatoes and cucumbers and the interactions between both grafted and nongrafted tomatoes and cucumbers and the living mulch.

A metal high tunnel enclosed in plastic is in a field

High Tunnels

A focus on high tunnel education benefits the growing population of specialty crop producers across South Dakota through updated education and expansion of high tunnel research. Extension programming continues to include extensive training on high tunnel assembly, management, and cropping innovations.

fruit and vegetable garden with raised beds

Vegetable Gardening in South Dakota

Whatever your reasons to start a vegetable garden: fresh produce with great flavor, exercise, saving money, enticing children (and adults) to eat healthier food, or knowing where your food came from and how it was grown, this booklet will help you with basic information and tips to get started.

Aerial view of the SDSU Southeast Research Farm.
Jan 06

Southeast Research Farm Seminars @ Dakota Farm Show

Join SDSU Extension for a series of educational presentations during the Dakota Farm Show from January 6-7, 2026, at the USD DakotaDome (1101 N Dakota St, Vermillion, SD 57069).

Green plant with wide, oval leaves. Pink florets are arranged in a circle at the top of the stem. An orange Monarch butterfly feeds on nectar from one of the florets.

Investigate Pollinators

Lesson about the importance of pollinators and the plants they interact with.

Monarch butterfly visiting a blanket flower near a backyard garden.

Backyard Natural Resources Webinar Series

Learn how to support healthy ecosystems in your backyard and beyond in this webinar series.

Gardener inspecting soil in a backyard garden plot.

Are Cheap Home Garden Soil Test Kits Accurate?

Inexpensive soil test kits are a method available for gardeners available to estimate soil pH and the level of nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium present in the soil.