You are invited to a Zoom program.
When: June 17, 2020 06:30 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

Register in advance for this meeting:
https://uwextension.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJItdu2rrj8tGNDgxypQ0RI5qru1cxUYKOvn
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Composting is where it all begins.  Learn the basics of composting to enrich your soil to benefit the plants you nurture whether they are flowers or vegetables. The program will cover the benefits of composting, ingredients for a compost pile, the types of compost bins, and how to use the finished compost. 

There have been some inquiries about the annual North Country Master Gardener Volunteers’ Plant Sale that is traditionally held on the third Saturday of May.  It is cancelled this year since all Wisconsin Master Gardener Volunteer programs have been suspended since mid-March.  The Stay at Home orders have not allowed Volunteers to start the seeds or care for the heirloom tomatoes, peppers, and assorted herbs that are traditionally part of the plant sale.  

​You are invited to a Zoom  program.
When: May 14, 2020 05:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)
 Register in advance for this program:
https://uwextension.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJMrdO6urTgqGtNnaA1I0y3rpgP6VS5s8xNv
 After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

The program handouts are now available.  Listed below and on our 2020 Events Handouts page. 

• PDF of PowerPoint Slides
• Native Plant List from Minnesota DNR
• Link to an article about Nativars  
• More Phenology  Planting Tips ​
  
• UW Soil and Forage Lab - link for soil tests (note as of 3/23/20 tests are suspended due to COVID-19)
• Some additional recommendations on reading: 
  • Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teaching of Plants  by Robin Wall Kimmerer  It’s a bit of a cultural exploration of the relationship between plants, animals, the earth and humans.  More like essays than a look up info book.
  • Grow Native, Lynn Steiner  This author writes and provides recommendations on how to incorporate natives into our gardens. 
  • Bringing Nature Home and Nature's Best Hope, Doug Tallamy
  • The Living Landscape, Dick Darke and Doug Tallamy
    
    

This program covered what, when and where to cultivate native plants that provide food for butterflies, song birds, hummingbirds and beneficial insects.   By using your observations you can know the best time for planting, the blooming cycles of plants, and the emergence of insect pests.  All will help you become a more natural gardener. 

The Spooner Agriculture Research Station Teaching and Display Garden will host visitors for a final workshop on end of the season activities Saturday, September 7 10:00am to Noon.  This garden session will be held at the Teaching & Display Garden and focus on seed saving, fall garden activities, tender bulb storage, garlic planting, spring bulbs and what was learned during this garden season. 
 
This year’s theme  “Re-use, recycle, and re-imagine” comes from the All-America Selections.  The displays have been created with this theme in mind.  The Teaching and Display Garden is one of eight in Wisconsin that display vegetable and flower varieties who have been awarded this designation as an outstanding cultivar.   
 
Remember to bring your own lawn chair for the Meet Me in the Garden Seminar.  The session is free and open to the public and will be held rain or shine – please dress accordingly.  In case of inclement weather, the program will be held at the Station Building at 1035 E Maple Street (Hwy 70), Spooner.    The garden is located at 780 Orchard Lane, 1.5 miles east of Spooner on Highway 70 or 1/2 mile west of the Hwy 70/53 interchange.  Watch for garden meeting signs.
 
For more information and a map visit the station’s web site at: http://spooner.ars.wisc.edu/ or contact Kevin Schoessow or Lorraine Toman at the Spooner Area UW-Extension Office at 715-635-3506 or 1-800-528-1914. 

The Spooner Agriculture Research Station Teaching and Display Garden will host visitors for a workshop on cut flower gardens and arrangements on Thursday, August 29 starting at 6:00 pm.  This garden session will start at the Teaching & Display Garden with growing tips on a few outstanding plant selections to grow for cut flowers including dahlias and annuals.  The session will then move to the Research Station for an in-depth workshop on tips and tricks of the art of flower arranging using both perennial and seasonal flowers from the garden.
 
This year’s theme  “Re-use, recycle, and re-imagine” comes from the All-America Selections.  The displays have been created with this theme in mind.  The Teaching and Display Garden is one of eight in Wisconsin that display vegetable and flower varieties who have been awarded this designation as an outstanding cultivar.   
 
Save this date for the last program of the season at the garden:  September 7 at 10:00 am focusing on seed saving, fall rejuvenation, bulb storage, winter sown, garlic planting, spring bulbs and what was learned during this garden season.  
 
Remember to bring your own lawn chair for the Meet Me in the Garden Seminar.  The session is free and open to the public and will be held rain or shine – please dress accordingly.  In case of inclement weather, the program will be held at the Station Building at 1035 E Maple Street (Hwy 70), Spooner.    The garden is located at 780 Orchard Lane, 1.5 miles east of Spooner on Highway 70 or 1/2 mile west of the Hwy 70/53 interchange.  Watch for garden meeting signs.
 
For more information and a map visit the station’s web site at: http://spooner.ars.wisc.edu/ or contact Kevin Schoessow or Lorraine Toman at the Spooner Area UW-Extension Office at 715-635-3506 or 1-800-528-1914. 
 

Photo credit:  Sue Reinardy, UW-Extension Master Gardener Volunteer