Gardening

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Madison County offers gardening resources only through our website. Please visit the links below and other pages in this section that have been compiled by our Cooperative Extension colleagues at Cornell University and throughout the state.

Tick Talk

Learn the types of ticks found in New York, diseases they cause, how to identify them, and how to protect yourself and your family by avoiding tick bites.

Making Compost!

Find resources here on how to start and maintain a home compost bin! Learn how to turn food and yard waste into "black gold" for your garden!

Houseplants

Growing plants indoors can be difficult, but here are some links that may be helpful in making you successful at growing plants indoors:

Black-tailed deer grazing by the roadside in Marymoor Park in Redmond, Washington [public domain].

Deer Resistant Plants

Is there anything they won't eat? Although no plant is completely "deer proof", we've compiled a chart of deer-resistant varieties that may avoid their browsing.

coneflowers and black eyed susans (echinacea & rudbeckia)

Easy Care Perennials

Perennials offer year after year of blooms for your garden, and are a smart investment in your garden. Visit our resources to learn more.

Landscaping for Water Quality

Landscaping can control the flow of water and retain it during heavy storm events. Rain gardens are attractive features that you can add to your yard.

Last updated March 30, 2020

Gardening

Find Your Zone!

USDA Plant Hardiness Zone map, 2012

The 2012 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map helps gardeners and growers determine which plants are most likely to thrive at a location. For the first time, the map is available as an interactive GIS-based map, for which a broadband Internet connection is recommended. Users may also simply type in a ZIP Code and find the hardiness zone for that area.

Links & Fact Sheets

Ithaca Climate Page

Northeast Regional Climate Center

Cornell Garden Based Learning Program

Cornell Turf Grass Program

Cornell Vegetable Program MD Online

Late Blight Symptoms

Fact Sheets:

Our colleagues at CCE-Oneida County offer useful fact sheets about everything from identifying plants and animals in nature to how to select the perfect tree for your landscape!

Insect Diagnostic Lab

For more information about an insect, or how to deal with an insect problem in or around your home or garden, contact the Insect Diagnostic Lab, a program of Cornell Cooperative Extension in the Department of Entomology. For a $25 fee, an insect or related arthropod can be shipped to the lab, or a detailed photo can be emailed, for expert identification. Diagnostician Jason Dombroskie, Ph.D. has many years of experience identifying insects and other arthropods. More information about this service, including fact sheets on common outdoor and indoor insects, can be found at http://idl.entomology.cornell.edu/