| A series of 12 topics on how to hone one's garden skills will be presented from February 9 to April 27, 2015. Potting Shed University sponsored by the Master Gardeners of Greene County will take place from 6:30-7:30 p.m. on Mondays at the Springfield Botanical Center, 2400 S. Scenic, Springfield. Admission of $5 is payable at the door beginning at 6 p.m.
The topics include:
- Feb. 9: Winter Seed Sowing - Missy Sanford, president of the Master Gardeners of Greene County, will discuss starting seeds in cold weather in covered containers. Each participant will create a tiny greenhouse from a provided recycled container to take home.
- Feb. 16: Haybale Gardening - Mark Berskoetter will talk about the versatility of raised bed gardening, allowing an opportunity to move it from place to place each year.
- Feb. 23: Worm Composting Bins Kelly McGowan, horticulture educator for MU Extension, will show how to convert a plastic storage bin into a worm composter.
- Mar. 2: Favorite Perennials for the Garden - Gail Wright will elaborate on trouble free plants that offer a long season of bloom chosen for their foliage color and texture that add interest in the garden.
- Mar. 9: Intro to Home Winemaking - Patrick Byers, horticulture specialist for MU Extension, will discuss the steps for winemaking including choosing appropriate fruit and crushing it, then preparing the "must inoculated with yeast, monitoring the fermentation process and finishing and bottling the wine.
- Mar. 16: All About Tomatoes - McGowan's topic will include choosing cultivars, fertilizing, pruning and staking, harvesting and combating diseases and insect infestation in growing tomatoes.
- Mar. 23: Companion Planting - Berskoetter will provide a wealth of information regarding what plants best thrive next to each other.
- Mar. 30: Intro to Herbs - Barb Emge will discuss growing 15 of the most common herbs grown in southwest Missouri including leaves from a bay tree.
- Apr. 6: Planting a Water Garden - Pat Ware, president of the Springfield Water Garden Society, will detail the many plants that thrive in a water garden from hardy to tropical water lilies to marginals, even lotus and floaters. Instruction will be given on the right kinds of containers to use, what type of soil to use, how to fertilize plants and how to winterize them and protect them from fish. Learn what water plants can go in the ground and what ground plants can go in the water garden.
- Apr. 13: Attracting Butterflies to Your Garden - Linda Bower will show how to sustain butterflies on the property throughout their life cycle. The presentation includes videos of the Monarch life cycle and other backyard species and their host plants.
- Apr. 20: Container Gardens - Dellene Nelson will focus on what kind of containers to choose as well as soil, sunlight and watering requirements for plants.
- Apr. 27: Vertical Garden Growing UP in the Garden! Rebecca Nichols will talk about planting living walls, tuteurs (four-sided pyramid- or obelisk-like trellises designed to help train climbing plants), pergolas and wall pockets. She will demonstrate creating a garden from a recycled wooden pallet.
Master Gardeners are required to share their knowledge, repeating the rewards of community service. Members of the Master Gardener organization provide horticultural information and training to home gardeners, based on proven research, specific to area climate, soil and plants. Go Back |
