Protecting Trees and Shrubs from Critter Damage in Winter

Before the ground freezes too far down, it is a good time to put protective fencing around trees and shrubs that may experience damage from deer, rabbit, vole, or mouse feeding over winter. Fruit trees, crabapples, burning bush, shrub hibiscus, Fothergilla, young witch hazel, low-growing junipers and arborvitae are among the plants most commonly damaged, […]

It’s Garlic Planting Time

The month of October or even the beginning of November is the best time for planting garlic in the southern part of Wisconsin. The second or third week of October is the usual planting time in northern Wisconsin. We used to plant late in the fall to avoid having cloves sprout. However, new research shows […]

Tree Canopy – A Tool To Build Climate Resilience

Author: Lisa Johnson, Horticulture Educator The Dane County Office of Energy and Climate Change has created a Climate Action Plan to cut carbon emissions in half within the next decade. One of the ways to help achieve this goal is to protect existing trees and increase tree canopy cover in the county. The non-profit American […]

Guidelines for Consuming Late Season Produce Exposed to Floodwater

 Heavy rains and the flowing water that results can contaminate plants growing in the garden and create a food safety hazard. As floodwater moves into your garden, it can carry raw sewage overflow, farm and domestic animal waste, river or pond water, and agricultural run-off, all of which can be sources of human pathogens such […]

Pollinator Educational Gardens Getting Ready to Bloom in Dane County

Pollinators aid plant reproduction by transferring pollen from flower to flower. Three-fourths of the world’s flowering plants depend on pollinators to reproduce.  Wisconsin’s pollinator dependent crops account for $44 million in annual production. Wisconsin pollinators include bees, butterflies, moths, flower flies, beetles, wasps, and hummingbirds. Pollinators and bees in particular are currently threatened by an […]

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