How to find: Your State's Cooperative Extension Service:

What is it and what can it do for me?

Extension services provide a wealth of free (or very inexpensive) information for the home gardener. The best part is that each state has a county office which may be just down the road from you! They provide information which is specific to your location on everything from lawn maintenance, the best varieties to grow in your area, flowers, trees, vegetable planting dates, composting, pest control, soil testing and soil amendments to name a few. (Did you know you can have a lab test your soil often times for less than the cost of a store kit?) And here are even more sources for state soil testing information.

Check out your state's Cooperative Extension Service Website and check out the "horticulture" and "home gardening" sections. The information you've been looking for may not be far from you. In most cases, printed publications are available free for you to download, pick up from your local office, and in most cases, they will send you the information for free if you need to know something specific. Or just call them and ask your question, most of them have a free hotline to answer any questions you might have.

To find them, check the web sites below for links to your county or look under the "County" section of your phone book.

For additional sources, check the bottom of this page. Also, check out where fresh local garden produce can be found near you by supporting your local farmers at the Farmers Market nearest you.