Janice Leach | Contributor

When you have a question about a pest, a weed or a gardening practice, you can turn to gardening books, magazines or the internet for information.

If you want to speak to a human, however, the MSU Extension Office of Washtenaw County has two services managed by local human beings who can help provide garden information with a simple phone call.

One is the Garden Hotline for Washtenaw County. The Garden Hotline is answered Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. until noon and 1 p.m. until 4 p.m. Washtenaw County master gardeners staff the Garden Hotline and work with support from the extension horticulturist to provide information and suggestions to puzzled gardeners. Advice on general gardening questions and household pest problems can be received by calling 734-997-1819 during the hours listed above.

Another local source for information is Dial-a-Garden of Washtenaw County. In conjunction with the staff horticulturist, master gardeners select timely issues for which they provide pre-recorded information for the gardener. The topics are updated monthly. Offerings for the month of June cover a range of issues including putting houseplants outdoors for the summer, growing tomatoes, poison ivy control, pruning flowering shrubs, ticks, controlling mosquitoes and more. Dial-a-Garden can be reached around the clock, seven days a week, at 734-971-1129.

Both of these services are provided through the MSU Extension Office of Washtenaw County.

Cooperative extension services came out of the establishment of land-grant universities in 1862, and their mission was to educate citizens in agriculture, home economics, the mechanical arts and other practical professions.

The MSU Extension Office on Zeeb Road is a rich community resource of information on a wide range of information, from financial literacy to 4-H to horticulture and natural resources. Their full range of services can be seen here.

Janice and Jim Leach have been gardening together for close to 30 years. They tend a backyard plot in downtown Ann Arbor, where they try to grow as many vegetables and other plants as possible. For the last four years, they've published gardening tips, photos and stories at their 20 Minute Garden website.