MSU Extension District 10

12/15/2025

12/15/2025

It sounds like you are interested in planting vegetables next summer, so you will need to start preparations in the spring. As soon as the soil dries in the spring, you should take soil samples that you can send in for a soil analysis. Here is a website that explains how to obtain the test and how to take your samples: https://homesoiltest.msu.edu/
You probably do not want to use herbicides to kill of the grass plants, so your choices are physical removal (digging out) of the sod, or a form of smothering.
After the grass is removed or killed, you can add organic matter and the recommended fertilizer (per your soil test results). MSU recommends a no (or minimal) till culture for vegetable gardens. This involves only digging where plants are to be placed.

12/09/2025

Michigan State University Extension offers a wide variety of educational programs — from mindfulness workshops to chronic disease management classes — to help people live healthy lives.

Browse our calendar of virtual health programs below!

Michigan State University Extension offers a wide variety of educational programs — from mindfulness workshops to chronic disease management classes — to help people live healthy lives.

12/09/2025

Learn about Michigan’s inland lakes online from MSU Extension

Registration is now open for the award-winning Introduction to Lakes Online course from Michigan State University Extension! Offered once a year, this six-week self-paced introductory class is perfect for anyone looking to deepen their understanding of Michigan’s inland lakes—from lakefront property owners and concerned residents, to local leaders and decision-makers.

Led by MSU Extension experts and state agency professionals, the course explores a variety of topics including lake ecology, watershed management, shoreline protection, aquatic plants, Michigan water law, and community engagement. Participants learn about these topics through video lectures, interactive activities, and lively discussion forums. Additional resources are also provided for those looking to dive deeper. The course also features biweekly “Ask-an-Expert” webinars with guest speakers from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy. A certificate of completion is awarded to those who complete the class.

Registration is open now through January 27, 2026. The cost of the course is $115 per person. Register by January 5 for an early bird price of $95 per person. A limited number of scholarships are available. Current individual members of the Michigan Lakes and Streams Association are eligible to receive a $95 reimbursement upon their first successful completion of the course.

Participants also can receive continuing education credits including 16 Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Pesticide Applicator Re-Certification credits (8 commercial core and 8 aquatic) and educational hours in the MSU Extension Master Gardener, Master Citizen Planner, and Michigan Naturalist programs.
Ready to dive in? Learn more and register at www.canr.msu.edu/lakesonline.

12/08/2025

Adulting 101 2026

Are you ready to leave for college or be out on your own? Are you prepared to do adult tasks and have skills to be successful? Michigan State University Extension's Adulting 101 programs help teenagers and young ad...

10/16/2025

Online Health Programs 2025
Free Educational Health Classes

Michigan State University Extension offers a variety of educational programs to help you, your family, your
clients, and your patients live healthy lives.

09/26/2025

Question - “Can you identify this spider?”
Answer - It is likely that this is either one of our common Fishing Spiders (Family Pisauridae) or a Wolf Spider (Family Lycosidae). If you have a specimen and would like to drop it off at your the MSU Extension office in Grand Traverse County (520 W Front St, Traverse City), then a local MSU Extension Educator may be able to tell you more about it.

09/26/2025

Question – “Have those working on a pawpaw fruit plant reached the point where I can obtain any to grow at my place in the middle of the Thumb?”
Answer - Indeed, research on the pawpaw tree is taking place in Michigan.
The lead scientist is Mario Mandujano.
Article: https://spartan.msu.edu/spartan-story-hub/news/2021/07/msu-and-the-pawpaw-americas-best-tasting-fruit
Contact Mario with questions at https://www.canr.msu.edu/people/mario_mandujano
You can also contact the American Pawpaw Growers Association at: https://ohiopawpaw.com/