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Planting the Plains

Planting the Plains: Benefiting the Beneficials

By Anthony Reardon

Published August 21, 2026 at 7:00 AM CDT

While you’re putting the effort into gardening, why not do a little extra for the pollinators and others who bring a lot to your garden and your yard? A nice side benefit to your work is the way that you can also help Mother Nature do her thing, and we’ll talk this week about how!

So, why should you separate and divide your perennial plants? It's simple. When they look thick and healthy, they are already competing for soil nutrients by being too closer together. By relocating them, you'll reduce the need for a specific area to feed too many plants at once, and help your garden expand a bit, and it won't cost you a penny!

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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: August Garden Cleanup

Anthony Reardon

Sometimes it’s hard to know whether you should trim back your plants, or otherwise prepare for the colder weather as fall approaches. This week, we’ll talk about which plants can withstand this maintenance, and when to maybe just…hold off.
HPPR Features

Planting the Plains: Troubleshooting Soil Crust

Anthony Reardon

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!
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!