Yard & Garden

  • house with a picket fence
  • Gloved hand digging in garden

Growing Better in New Hampshire


Extension staff, Master Gardeners, and Natural Resources Stewards provide research-based information to all residents on topics including gardening, landscapes, pests, trees, food safety, wildlife and soil.


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Extension staff, Master Gardeners and Natural Resources Stewards connect you with the resources and expertise of the University of New Hampshire. 

Have a question for our dedicated team of Master Gardener and Natural Resources Steward Volunteers? 

Please use the form below if you have a question about gardening, landscapes, pests, trees, food safety, wildlife, soil fertility or other subjects in the realm of yards and gardens. The Infoline is specifically for residential, non-commercial inquiries. If you are a have a commercial farming or livestock question, please reach out to your local County Extension office.  

We recommend that everyone read “How to Get the Best Results from the UNH Extension Infoline” before submitting a question, especially if you’re submitting photos along with your question. This will help you to give us all the information we need to answer your question as quickly as possible.  

Please note- we strive to respond to all inquiries in 72 hours but please be patient as we often experience a higher volume of questions at certain times of the year. We rely on the dedication and expertise of Master Gardeners and Natural Resources Stewards that are graciously volunteering their time to assist you. This service couldn’t exist without them!  

Want to get your soil tested? Please see the UNH Extension Soil Testing Services website.  

For suspected plant diseases, you can find more information about sending in a plant sample for analysis at the Plant Diagnostic Lab website. 

Have an insect or other arthropod that you need to identify? Our Insect and Arthropod Identification Lab can identify insects, spiders, ticks and other arthropods that you deliver to the lab by mail or in person.

Technical Difficulties? - If the webform is not working, we are sorry for the inconvenience. Please go to https://ask2.extension.org/ to submit your question(s). 

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Tick Prevention in New England

 

Tick crawling on plant.

Tick crawling on plant.

As ticks and tick-borne disease continue to increase in the region, it’s incredibly important to be tick-aware. The New England Center of Excellence in Vector-borne Diseases (NEWVEC) has rolled out “Project ITCH (“Is Tick Control Helping?”). They are asking New England residents to complete a survey about tick prevention methods that you are doing to reduce tick bites and the transmission of disease. Please help them gather this important information so we are better able to identify and manage the spread of tick-borne illnesses.    

Project ITCH: “Is Tick Control Helping?” Survey

DHHS - Tickborne Diseases in New Hampshire


Getting Started with Gardening

With proper planning and care, gardening success is possible even with limited money, time and experience. Whether your goal is to grow beautiful flowers or food for your family, there are so many ways to grow a garden to fit your goals, preferences and space. In this guide, you’ll learn about selecting and preparing your growing site, garden planning, seed starting and when to plant, garden care and maintenance, pest and disease management, and of course harvesting and preservation.

vegetable garden

Access the Guide

Backyard Fruits

This section covers fruit trees, berries and other small fruits, including variety selection, disease and pest management and more.

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Home Lawn Care

This section covers fertilization, renovation and seeding, pest and weed control and more.

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green lawn

Houseplants

This section covers selecting and caring for plants that spend some time, or the full year, in your home and office.

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Money Plant Golden Pothos Variegated Leaves Ivy Arum

Ornamental Gardening & Landscaping

This section covers annual and perennial flowers, as well as trees, shrubs and vines, including selection and care.

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ornamental garden

Pollinator Habitat

This section covers lawn alternatives, pollinator garden certification, wildflower meadows and more.

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Wildflower Meadow

Vegetable Gardening

This section covers building soil, seed starting, crop growing guides, fertilization, pest and disease management and more.

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Backyard Livestock

This section covers building soil, seed starting, crop growing guides, fertilization, pest and disease management and more.

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chickens in pasture

Insects in the Home, Yard and Garden

From beneficial insects to unwanted intruders and pests.

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close up of an insect on a leaf

Using Your Harvest

Harvesting and storing fruits and vegetables, food safety, canning and preserving

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Soil Testing and Other Services

Our fee-based services include soil testing, plant disease & diagnosis, and insect identification.

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Person digging soil

NH Master Gardeners Program 

Sharing the Science of Gardening

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group working in the garden

School Gardening

Gardens are be places for great learning and can be used as a tool to teach any subject. 

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children in a garden

Community Gardening

Bringing people together to learn, share and grow..

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building a community greenhouse

Articles

Courses for 2025 Pesticide Application training for private and commercial applicators, and recertification credits online. Learn More
Master Gardener Doris Buco received the 2024 Spirit of NH Award and Extension's Education Center Infoline volunteers were recognized as a Volunteer Champion
At the 2024 Spirit of NH awards ceremony, UNH Extension Master Gardener Doris Buco was chosen as the 2024 Spirit of NH recipient — the highest honor t... Learn More
Seacoast gardeners plant extra rows of produce to help neighbors in need
Strafford County 4-H and Extension’s Nutrition Connections program began Plant a Row with 4-H as part of a national initiative to provide food pantrie... Learn More

Resources

Gibbera twig blight is known to affect blueberries in Merrimack, Sullivan, Cheshire and Grafton counties of New Hampshire. This disease will affect fr... Learn More
Black death of hellebore, a virus disease affecting hellebores in nursery and home gardens, was found in a nursery in Grafton County, New Hampshire, i... Learn More
Several celery samples from high tunnel production with leaf curl have been identified by the UNH Plant Diagnostic Lab; this disease causes significan... Learn More
Hydroponics is the production of plants using water instead of soil to deliver the nutrients essential to plant growth. As hydroponics becomes more c... Learn More
Two major considerations for production of plants in containers, pots, flats, etc. are the potting soil and fertilizer to be used. This fact sheet wi... Learn More
Do you want to leave your leaves and flower stalks on your garden or landscape over the winter to provide food and shelter for birds, bees, butterflie... Learn More