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Planting the Plains

Planting the Plains: Troubleshooting Soil Crust

By Anthony Reardon

Published August 7, 2026 at 6:00 AM CDT

Gardeners on the High Plains know that even after watering their plants, there’s a good chance that the heat will dry up the moisture before too long. But dirt that undergoes the wet/dry cycle repeatedly begins to harden into something we call soil crust. In this week’s episode, we’ll talk about how this process occurs, and what you can do about it in your own garden!

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Planting the Plains Planting the Plains

Anthony Reardon

Anthony Reardon is the Horticulture – Small Farms Extension Agent for Johnson County, Kansas.

See stories by Anthony Reardon

HPPR Features

Planting the Plains: Late Summer Garden Triage

Anthony Reardon

The summer is at the point where you might be considering harvesting some items, in order to make room for one last round of quick-growing vegetables before the cold weather sets in. This week, we’ll talk about a few maintenance issues, and how to assess what’s worth keeping…and what’s worth letting go.
HPPR Features

Planting the Plains: Summertime Composting

Anthony Reardon

Composting is a great way to get nutrients into your garden, especially during the summer. This week, we’ll review the process of composting during the summertime, and how to let the heat help in the process!
HPPR Features

Planting the Plains: Revisiting Produce Safety

Anthony Reardon

With cyclosporiasis in the news lately, and in some states on the High Plains, it pays to keep safety and proper food handling practices in mind…some things that don’t seem problematic, or which may not have caused issues in the past, might still be worth doing differently as part of a multi-layered process to minimize your risk. We’ll talk about steps you can take in this week’s episode!
HPPR Features

Planting the Plains: July Gardening Tasks

Anthony Reardon

It may feel like a good time to relax for a bit, with your garden now in for the summer, but in fact, time flies, and it’s already time to plant items you plan to harvest in the fall! This week, we’ll talk about how now is the time to get in your last batch of plants, in order to get the best fruits of your labor!
HPPR Features

Planting the Plains: Summer Watering Mistakes

Anthony Reardon

Well, with summer comes the hot weather, and when you're hot, your plants must be, too, so you should probably water them, right? Well...probably, but when you do so can make a pretty massive difference, and might actually cause more harm than good, if you're not careful. This week, we'll talk about the best ways to ensure that you hydrate your plants without damaging them!