Sourdough is having a moment. Recent difficulties in finding commercial yeast at the grocery store coupled with a spike in interest in bread baking have made sourdough look like a reasonable option for home bakers. Sourcing and maintaining a sourdough starter require some effort and planning, but with a strategy in place and the right…
News from the Research Desk - Page 7 of 16
Squash Pollination
This time of year, home gardeners are seeing lots of flowers on their maturing squash plants. Squash and cucumbers are monoecious, meaning that both male and female flowers are present on the same plant. The male and female flowers are similar in appearance but the female has immature fruit at its base. Pollinated female flower…
Asclepias Tuberosa aka Butterfly Weed
One beneficial perennial plant that every home gardener should consider growing is Butterfly Weed (Asclepias Tuberosa). Besides being a native Illinois plant, Butterfly Weed provides larval food for Monarchs and its nectar is enjoyed by honeybees other species of butterflies as well. Asclepias Tuberosa buds before flowering On top of all that, Butterfly Weed (also…
Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program
Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program Each year, the Village of Mount Prospect receives an allocation of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). CDBG funds are intended to create viable communities by providing decent housing, a suitable living environment and expanded economic opportunities for low-…
New Web Resource: Science Reference Center
To meet the needs of curious learners, Mount Prospect Public Library now subscribes to Science Reference Center which contains full text articles from hundreds of science magazines, journals, reference books and a vast collection of images. More than 210 full-text science periodicals More than 770 full-text science reference books More than a dozen full-text science encyclopedias…
Curcubit Pests
Cucumbers, pumpkins, summer and winter squash are all from the Cucurbitaceae or gourd family. And being from the same family (as in taxonomic rank), all varieties of curcubits can succumb to the same diseases and pests. At this stage of the growing season (i.e. late June), curcubits typically are flowering and getting ready to set…
Hot Weather Watering
Now that the days are warming up and hot weather is here to stay, watering the vegetable garden can be a tricky business. The most common mistake a new vegetable gardener can make is over-watering. Outdoor garden plants generally need about one inch of water per week. The best approach is to water deeply and…
Garlic Scape Season
Growing garlic in home gardens is easy and fun. And one of the best times of the year for growing garlic is garlic scape time! There are two types of garlic, hardneck and softneck. Softneck is typically the variety sold in grocery stores as it can be stored longer than hardneck. Hardneck garlic is the…
2020 Pandemic Moments History Project
The Mount Prospect Historical Society in partnership with the Mount Prospect Public Library has launched a new community project. Residents and others affiliated with Mount Prospect are asked to share photos and videos and to write essays, impressions and even poems to help others among us put this experience into a larger context and provide…
Succession Planting
For a continuous supply of fresh home grown produce, home gardeners can develop a succession plan for their vegetable plantings to ensure they are using all their available planting space. The growing season is still young enough to create and follow a plan--it's a matter of choosing to plant the right vegetables at the right time.…
