Green Thumb Gardening

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Bob Koch

press release:  Classes are 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm unless noted; see descriptions below. You can register for classes as a package for a slight discount, or choose selected classes for a slightly higher cost. In cases of financial need, a limited number of scholarships are available. Contact Lisa Johnson at Johnson.lisa@countyofdane.com for more information.

Monday, September 12: Soils, Soil Testing and Fertilizers

Good soils are vital to growing healthy plants. This class will review physical and chemical structure of soils, pH, organic matter and techniques for improving the soil you have. We will also cover soil testing and test results. There will be short activities on understanding and selecting fertilizer products(both organic and traditional,) reading labels and calculating application rates as well as interpreting soil test results.

Monday, September 19: Plant Propagation

We will discuss techniques to propagate plants via seed, cuttings, divisions, offsets, and bulbs. You will receive a chart of techniques to propagate many common houseplants and some perennial garden plants. We will briefly touch on tissue culture and woody plant propagation as well. A propagation activity is included.

Wednesday, September 28: Houseplants

This talk is the consumer’s guide to buying, growing and enjoying healthy houseplants.  You will leave this talk with information on selecting, watering, siting plants in your home, potting and repotting houseplants, fertilizing and how to identify and manage pests and diseases.

Monday, October 3: Intro to Insects (PJ Liesch)

Insects are an extremely diverse and critically important group of animals. In this class, PJ Liesch, Director of the UW-Madison Insect Diagnostic Lab will discuss the basic anatomy, physiology, and ecology of these creatures and take a brief look at the main groups of insects. This will help you in identifying insects in your garden, knowing beneficial predator insects from plant-eaters, identifying and supporting pollinators and understanding management techniques. (Speaker PJ Liesch). A lab session in the Teaching Garden will follow.

Thursday, October 6: Shade and Ornamental Tree Planting and Pruning

Learn how to properly plant trees and provide good after-care. Many trees are not planted properly, and this affects their health and longevity. Learn proper pruning techniques to create a safe and strong structure so your tree remains an asset for many years. We will review the 3-cut method and making decisions on where and what to cut and how much to cut.

Thursday, October 20, 6-9 pm: Fundamentals of Plant Disease (Brian Hudelson)

Brian Hudelson, Director of the Plant Disease Diagnostics Clinic (https://pddc.wisc.edu/) will speak about common diseases of vegetables and their management. You will get tips and strategies for preventing disease as well and digital copies of a number of fact sheets on various common vegetable diseases. (note this class runs an extra hour long)

Monday, October 24: Lawns and Turf Management (Doug Soldat)

Lawn Care: Dr. Doug Soldat of the UW-Madison Department of Soil Science will discuss various facets of lawn care, including learning about grass species, seed selection and sowing, watering, fertilizing, aerating and mowing. An activity based on selecting grass seed will follow the class.

Tuesday, November 1: Planning/Techniques for the Organic Vegetable Garden (Guest Speaker: Claire Strader)

Organic and Small Farm Outreach Specialist Claire Strader will get you ready for organic vegetable gardening with strategies and tips for advanced as well as newer gardeners. She will cover crop selection, creating in-ground beds, timing of crops, crop spacing, building productive soils, using cover crops, and more. You will leave with at least four electronic handouts full of great information.

Monday, November 7: Vegetable Garden Crop Management, Pests and Diseases

This class reviews common vegetable families and how to grow the crops within them. Crop rotation, best management practices and typical diseases and insects you might encounter will be briefly addressed. A practice session on crop rotation and insect scouting is included.

Thursday, November 10: Tree Fruits

Learn proper planting, pruning and training techniques for several types of fruit trees. The class covers selection, planting, fertilization, watering, staking and some common insects and diseases. You will receive electronic copies of publications from the UW-Madison Dept. Learning Store.

Monday, November 14: Wildlife in the Garden (David Drake)

Learn how to attract desirable wildlife to your yard while discouraging and repelling species that like to feed on your plants. Dr. David Drake of the UW-Madison Wildlife Ecology Department will present an engaging look at wildlife in garden situations and also cover some local research projects and resources on urban wildlife.

Monday, November 21: Intro to Growing Berries

Learn about planting, fertilizing, pruning and overwintering these different types of fruit crops. Variety recommendations, insect/disease management and some troubleshooting will be included as well. You will receive electronic copies of Learning Store publications as well as learning about other handy online resources. (Speaker Lisa Johnson)

Monday, November 28: Perennials

Learn about how to select shade and sun perennials for your garden as well as general care, propagation and maintenance. Find out about herbaceous perennial plants (native and non-native) that will thrive in light, medium and deep shade. We will also discuss plants that tolerate dry shade and wet shade as well as ones that need lots of sun. (Speaker Lisa Johnson)

Monday, December 5: Annuals

Learn about growing healthy annuals for pots, windowboxes and bedding situations. We will cover species characteristics and selection, siting, growing in containers vs bedding situations, watering, and fertilizing. We will also address designing with annuals in-ground and in containers. A lab in the Teaching Garden will be included. (Speaker Lisa Johnson, TBA speaker)