Backyard Gardener Publications
Updated and Reformatted Content
The Backyard Gardener was a weekly newspaper column published from 1998 to 2021. The articles were written by University of Arizona Extension Agent Emeritus, Jeff Schalau. Those articles have been updated and reformatted. Ongoing research and changes in regulations will occur and inform best practices. Please use this site accordingly and know that pesticides and legal statutes change over time. Horticultural practices also vary from region to region and state to state. For the most current horticultural and natural resource information, consult your local Cooperative Extension office: https://nifa.usda.gov/land-grant-colleges-and-universities-partner-website-directory
Landscaping
Construction Damage #122
Erosion Control #63
Greenhouses #6
Hoop Houses/Low Tunnels #84
Pruning Sealants #17
Pruning Shrubs #164
Rain Gardens #147
Raised Beds #26
Sanitizing Pruning Tools #125
Sustainable Landscaping #93
Transplanting Plants #104
Wildlife Habitat #109
Windbreaks #44
Insects
Aphids #1
Bacterial Insecticide - Bt #116
Bagworms #51
Beneficial Insects #67
Blister Beetles #21
Borers in Landscape Trees #52
Centipedes #53
Conenose Bugs #54
Dragonflies & Damselflies #144
Earthworms incl Vermiculture #58
Earwigs #57
Fall Webworms #56
Feral Honeybees #119
Flea Beetles #76
Flies #66
Grasshoppers #35
Green Fruit Beetles #5
Harvester Ants #16
Indoor Pests (Stored Product Pests & Carpet Beetles) #38
Lady Beetles (see Beneficial Insects)
Leaf-footed Plant Bug #36
Mosquitoes #157
No-See-Ums #59
Oak Galls #61
Odorous House Ants #15
Paper Wasp/Yellow Jacket #39
Peach Tree Borer #49
Pest Management #91
Pinacate Beetle #55
Root Knot Nematodes #60
Sequoia Pitch Moth #19
Snails and Slugs #124
Solitary Bees #42
Sopulgids #8
Sphinx Moth (Hornworm) #37
Squash Bugs #18
Tarantulas #90
Thrips #2
White Grubs #11
Wildlife/Domestic Animals
Backyard Poultry #150
Badgers #114
Bats #149
Beavers #97
Black Bears #98
Bobcats #99
Coatimundis #65
Cottontail Rabbits #100
Coyotes #101
Deer #3
Discouraging Wildlife #110
Elk #115
Feral Hogs #118
Gophers #45
House Mice #102
Javelinas #32
Legal Status of Wildlife #130
Mountain Lions #126
Owls #134
Porcupines #31
Raccoons #111
Ravens #113
Rattlesnakes #133
Ringtails #112
Rock Squirrels #24
Skunks #120
Turkey Vultures #166
Ultrasonic Pest Control #46
Voles #33
Wild Turkeys #165
Wildlife Repellents #132
Wildlife Track and Scat ID #131
Woodpeckers/Sapsuckers #155
Woodrats (Packrats) #23
Edibles
Artichokes #143
Asparagus #153
Brambles #75
Cover Crops #27
Fruit Tree Spraying #50
Fruit Tree Chill Hours #48
Figs #4
Garlic #160
Gooseberries/Currents #77
Grapes #127
Harvesting Vegetables #22
Heirloom/Hybrid #86
Home Orchard Estab. #163
Lettuce, Winter #148
Mushrooms #107
Organic Food #141
Pomegranates #71
Potatoes, Irish #58
Pruning Fruit Trees #121
Rhubarb #162
Seed Starting #85
Thinning Fruit Crops #47
Vegetables A to Z #74
Weeds
Herbicides #7
Puncturevine #14
Using Pesticides Safely #137
Weeds #170
Weather, Irrigation
Conifers and Drought #117
Deicers #128
Fall / Winter Freezes #9
Fruit Trees Spring Freeze #10
Frost Probabilities #12
Irrigation During Drought #138
Using Gray Water #40
Weather Stations #94
Plant Diseases
Crown Gall #34
Curly Top Virus #20
Rust Diseases #156
Sunscald #25
Sycamore Anthracnose #106
Texas Root Rot #43
Soil / Fertilizer / Compost
Coffee Grounds #140
Compost #29
Garden Soil Prep #142
Mulches #30
Mycorrhizae #105
Nitrogen #88
Organic Fertilizers #89
Phosphorus #87
Soil Amendments #129
Soil Solarization #28
Plants
Agaves #79
Aloe Vera #169
Bamboo #161
Bermudagrass #108
Buffalograss #103
Catnip/Catmint #146
Creosote Bush #95
Cypress Trees #151
Deciduous Trees #68
Dodder #64
Hops #167
Invasive Trees #92
Iris, Bearded #154
Manzanitas #73
Native Oak Trees #62
Native Trees from Seeds #123
Non-native Conifers #69
Ocotillo #80
Onionweed #82
Oregon Grape #139
Penstemons #72
Pollen Allergies #136
Propagating Plants #96
Red Yucca #159
Sacred Datura #41
Saguaros #145
Sedges #81
Tree of Heaven #152
Wildflowers #70
Wood Growth & Structure #135
Yarrow #168
Yuccas #78