Publications

Extension Publications

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  Conifer Species for Iowa

  With their ever-present foliage, conifers make excellent screens, windbreaks, and hedges and provide year-round visual interest. The included list of recommended conifers is a guide for homeowners and landscape professionals.

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  Conservation Techniques for Vegetable Production: Combining Strip-Tillage and Cover Crops

  Strip-tillage is when a crop is planted into narrow, tilled strips and the non-tilled area between the strips might contain residue from the previous season's main crop or a living or dead cover crop. Combining strip-tillage and cover crops offers various benefits including minimal soil erosion, maintains soil moisture and weed suppression. This publication provides basic information on using a strip-tillage system with rolled cover crops as a conservation best management practice in vegetable production systems such broccoli, peppers, pumpkins, squash and tomatoes.

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  Container Vegetable Gardening

  Includes information regarding: container construction, size, and capacity; crop selection and planting density; summer care (location, watering, fertilization, tomato tips). Lists suggestions for 12 container garden vegetables (more than 40 cultivars) including: carrots, cucumber, pepper, spinach, and tomatoes.

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  Cover Crop Monsters -- On the Go Lesson

  For this activity you will create a cover crop monster, which will help you see how quickly grasses germinate and provide ground cover.
  
  These To Go Lessons can be used to create a "grab and go" style activity with supplies included. Add your local contact information, print, and cut each sheet in half. The left side can be used on the outside of the paper bag or box to identify the activity, and the right side can be placed in the package as an instruction sheet.

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  Cover Crops in Vegetable Production Systems

  Vegetable production systems require inputs and if not managed properly could have detrimental effects on soil and the environment. Cover crops are gaining importance and growers can used them as a best practice tool in preserving environmental sustainability of vegetable cropping systems without compromising farm productivity and profitability. This publication defines various cover crops and their benefits such as reducing soil erosion, compaction and synthetic nitrogen inputs, suppressing weeds, increasing soil organic matter and water infiltration, enhancing soil biology, and providing habitat for beneficial insects and natural enemies of pests.