Garden & Yard Issues

All Garden & Yard Issues Content

A green plant with spire-like white and pink flowers.

SDSU Extension continues Garden Hour with off-season webinars

August 24, 2026

South Dakota State University Extension will continue its popular Garden Hour series with four webinars during the off-season.

Oct 06

Garden Hour

SDSU Extension's Garden Hour will return as a limited series during the fall and winter months, occurring every other month.

A group of raised ground beds with crops growing in them at McCrory Gardens in Brookings, South Dakota.

Garden Hour

Make the most of your garden and landscaping with weekly insights and ideas from our team of experts.

green tomato with a rotten spot showing blossom end rot

Problems and Solutions

Not finding the gardening or horticulture resource you need? Use the Ask Extension tool to submit your question.

From seasonal issues and timely recommendations to disease diagnosis and expert advice, the Tree Pest Alert is a trusted resource for selecting, planting and caring for trees and shrubs all year round.

A small spotted spurge weed in a lawn and a fully-grown mat of spotted spurge on a driveway.

A Surge in Spurge

Spotted spurge is a common, drought-tolerant weed known for its prostrate growth pattern, meaning it grows lying flat on the ground. This is one of the most-difficult weeds to control in lawns, gardens, and landscaping.

What is Velvetleaf?

Velvetleaf is a large weed with soft leaves that’s normally associated with corn and soybean fields. However, we’re hearing more gardeners and specialty crop growers reporting its presence.

Handling Herbicide Injury in Specialty Crops

Learn how to handle specialty crops that have inadvertently been affected by herbicides.

High tunnel covered with shade cloth with larkspurs growing in it.

Heat and Drought Effects on Cut Flower Production

Climate factors, such as drought and high temperatures, continue to pose serious challenges for specialty crop production, including cut flowers. With these challenges, farms need to take a hard look at both their business strategies and production decisions.

Metalic bronze green beetle on a green leaf

Japanese Beetles in South Dakota

In the last 10 years, Japanese beetle populations have remained low to absent in my garden in Brookings. However, last week I observed large aggregations of beetles feeding on smartweed that was present in my rain garden. Japanese beetles can be problematic for gardens, flowers, and trees in residential areas.