Classes are 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm; see descriptions below

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Monday, January 9: Seed Starting

If you are a new gardener, or just looking for some tips on starting seeds, this lecture will cover it. You will get an electronic copy of a handout on optimal soil temperatures for the germination of many crops.

Thursday, January 19:  Organic Vegetable Garden Planning

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, January 23: Vegetable Garden Crop Care, and Specialized Gardening Techniques

This lecture covers growing vegetable crops using Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and organic techniques in several systems (in-ground and raised beds, no-till, straw bales, containers, etc.). Crop specific tips, specialized techniques (such as lasagna gardening and square foot gardening) will also be discussed.

Monday, January 30: Vegetable Diseases

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. (Please note this class will NOT be recorded.)

Monday, February 6: Weed Management in Vegetable Gardens

Learn how to identify various common weeds in the vegetable garden and use their life cycles and other techniques to manage them. Cultural techniques will be stressed, but organic and traditional chemical control products will be briefly discussed as well.

Monday, February 13: Composting in the Vegetable Garden

Composting is a great way to dispose of leftover crop material and turn it into valuable organic matter that you can use later to improve the structure, water-holding capacity and nutrient content of your soil. Basic composting theory, troubleshooting and several methods of composting will be covered.

Thursday, February 16: Seed Saving, Harvesting and Storage

Learn how to successfully harvest and store seeds from a variety of crops. Success is more likely with some crops, and less likely with others. Learn which crops are easiest and most reliable for getting the results you want. We will also cover proper storage of seeds and seed viability testing. 

Monday, February 20: Vegetable Garden Insects

Dr. Russ Groves of UW-Madison Wisconsin Vegetable Crop Entomology (https://vegento.russell.wisc.edu/) will review the life cycles common insect pests of a variety of crops and give you techniques to combat them in the garden. You will receive a number of electronic fact sheets on insects covered during the talk.

Monday, February 27: Cover Crops for the Vegetable Garden

Cover crops bring extra nutrients to the soil and help control weeds. Some also attract pollinators, which can help increase your crop yield. Organic and Small Farmer Outreach Specialist Claire Strader will talk about different types of cover crops to use in different situations, as well as when to plant and remove them.

***All classes are recorded and available to registrants as videos after the event except the Monday, January 30 Vegetable Diseases course.***

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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.