What Eats Carrot in Missouri, and When

A harvest of freshly dug carrots arranged on dark garden soil with a hand tool visible in the background.

In Missouri gardens, the short list of insects that actually damage carrot roots and foliage is small: aphids, carrot weevil, wireworms, and flea beetle…

When to Start Pepper Seed in Iowa

A young pepper plant with white flowers and developing buds grows in a raised garden bed with a thermometer visible in the background.

In central Iowa, expect 18.4 days a year at 90°F or hotter, per NOAA’s 1991-2020 Climate Normals for the Des Moines reference station.

When to Start Pepper Seed in Illinois

A young ornamental pepper plant with variegated green and white foliage displaying a single red pod among its leaves in a garden setting.

In most Illinois locations, the window for starting pepper seed indoors runs from roughly mid-February to late March, timed backward from a transplant…