Gearing up for some yard and garden work? Take advantage of our low-cost diagnostic and testing services:

Soil testing Following the recommendations from a soil test will help your ornamental and food plants grow well this season.

Insect and tick identification Most insects cause no harm to plants, humans, pets, or structures, and many perform useful roles in our environment. Accurate identification lets you distinguish friend from foe.

Plant diagnosis The long wet summer of 2009 wreaked havoc on yard and garden plants. If you have a plant, crop, or patch of lawn that's not doing well, get an accurate diagnosis of what's going on, along with a recommendation for managing the problem.

Late blight update: Speaking of plant diseases, learn what you can do to help prevent a repeat of last summer's devastating late-blight attack on the region's tomato and potato crops.