Extension Brown County » Horticulture

• Indoor Plant Care During Winter: February 8, 12pm – 12:30pm
• Rejuvenating Neglected Apple Trees: February 15, 12pm – 12:30pm
• Planning for a Seed Saving Vegetable Garden:February 22, 12pm – 12:30pm

Join us for our FREE webinar series! These engaging mini-webinars are 30 minutes including Q&A. Mini-webinars are free, but registration is required.

• Pruning Apple Trees to Maximize Healthy Fruit Production
  Date/Time: Wednesday, February 23, 12:00p.m.
  Presented by: Amaya Atucha, Associate Professor/Fruit Crop   Specialist, UW-Madison
  Description: Late winter is an excellent time to prune your backyard apple trees and proper pruning helps your trees to produce high-quality apples!  Join us and learn about proper pruning techniques and how the structure of your apple tree supports healthy fruit production.
  Click here to register 

• Identification, Management and Control of Major Apple Pests
  Date/Time: Wednesday, March 2, 12:00 p.m.
  Presented by: Diana Alfuth, Horticulture Outreach Specialist, UW-Madison Division of Extension
  Description: Be prepared to combat common pests on your backyard apple trees! Join us to learn about the major insect and fungal pests that can cause damage to your apples and the timing of different management strategies to help you be successful this season!
  Click here to register 

• Growing Strawberries in Containers
  Date/Time: Wednesday, March 9, 12:00 p.m.
  Presented by: Darrin Kimbler, Agriculture Educator, UW-Madison Division of Extension
  Description: Did you know that you can grow your own fresh strawberries in containers? Join us to learn how! We will talk about what you need to know to successfully grow strawberries in containers, including selecting the right variety, soil, watering and fertilizer and how to overwinter them.
  Click here to register 

Looking back at our client records from the season, turf questions rank high in the number of calls and emails that come to the Horticulture Help Desk at Extension Brown County. So many times, homeowners are seeking help with a lawn that is thin, full of weeds or dying in sections. These problems could be the result of insects, diseases, lack of fertilization, improper mowing practices, soil compaction, shade, drought stress, weedy grass species, etc. Many of these issues can be solved or lessened in severity by good lawn maintenance practices! While we are at the end of our grass growing season, let’s review some information that will get you off to a good start next year.

A Fungus Among Us
Have you ever had brown spots on the lower leaves of your tomato plant causing the leaves to turn yellow and die? Well, you are not the only one! There are two quite common diseases of tomatoes that cause concern for gardeners resulting in many calls to the Horticulture Help Desk. The culprits responsible for these problems are early blight and Septoria leaf spot. While these diseases are caused by different fungi, the symptoms created are very similar and management recommendations are the same.

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One of the more common questions directed to the Horticulture Help Desk is how to deal with the dreaded Japanese beetle. Even though they have been a significant pest in the general Green Bay area for years, it always seems they are popping up in new places, causing great concern for residents.

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Here at Extension Brown County, we receive many questions throughout the year related to pruning trees, shrubs and evergreens. Proper pruning can be of real benefit to your plants, but improperly done can cause injury to plants! First, you need to ask yourself what you hope to accomplish through pruning and then understand proper techniques and the best timing for the job. 

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There is a sense that spring is arriving soon. Now is a good time to consider doing a soil sample for your home landscape or wildlife food plot.
 
Soil testing is important since it can provide critical information to determine what your nutrient needs are but will also give you other useful information such as soil pH and organic matter content. The test results will also outline recommendations to remedy any insufficiencies that may be found. These recommendations will allow you to apply fertilizers containing the needed nutrients in the correct amounts. Many times, gardeners simply apply a “balanced” fertilizer containing Nitrogen, Phosphorous and Potassium (10-10-10 for example) but you may not need all of these nutrients in your garden. It is so important to only apply what is needed in the amount necessary to help reduce excess nutrient pollution of our local waterways.

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As we all face these unpredictable times, our friends at KidsGardening created and shared these ‘tried and true’ plant-based activities that are joyful for any age and don’t involve any screen time. The national nonprofit reaches close to half of a million educators, parents and volunteers with free online gardening educational resources and activities. Click here for fun gardening with kids ideas!

When the Victory Garden Manual was first written in 1943, it was pretty easy to come up with reasons to grow your own vegetables. It was wartime and food was scarce. The food that was available might not have been the freshest or healthiest. Statistics say that in 1943, nearly 40% of all fruits and vegetables grown in the U.S. were grown in-home and community victory gardens. That’s impressive!

Now, as National Garden Bureau celebrates its 100th anniversary (1920-2020), it seems timely to reintroduce the concept of victory gardening with quick and easy steps to plan and grow your own vegetable garden.

We are calling it, Victory Garden 2.0!

All credit goes to the author of this book, James H. Burdett. Mr. Burdett founded the National Garden Bureau in 1920 as a way to enlist horticultural writers and broadcasters in the noble effort of mass education to create a population of gardeners. In the process, he improved the lives of citizens both in wartime and in times of peace. Click here for more information.