PRESTON and CALEDONIA, Minn. — University of Minnesota Extension educators are excited to bring back the sixth annual Gardening from the Ground Up webinar series. The online workshops are free to attend and will take place February 17th-21st from 1:00-2:30 pm each afternoon. This year’s webinar series focuses on adaptation, with topics on embracing climate change, non-traditional lawns, replacement trees, food forests, and integrated pest management.
Monday, February 17th: Embracing climate change – how to prepare for weather whiplash.
Droughts, floods, and tornados, oh my! How do we embrace climate change to establish resilient gardens? Tory Salzer and Tarah Young will cover eight strategies to help prepare your gardens for extreme weather conditions in every growing season.
Tuesday, February 18th: Non-traditional lawns
Lia Spaniolo and Jill Patrie will discuss alternative landscaping methods such as bee lawns, rain gardens and low maintenance turf. Learn how native plants and non-traditional lawns can be utilized to adapt to changing weather patterns, support insect populations and reduce inputs.
Wednesday, February 19th – Replacement trees
Recent USDA growing zones have changed how we view tree selection, pest, and disease pressure. Quincy Sadowski and Emily Lindenfelser will walk you through how to make decisions when selecting replacement trees for a changing climate.
Thursday, February 20th – Planning and maintaining successful food forests
Learn how to design a functional and beautiful food forest that balances aesthetic goals, food production, and wildlife support. Olivia Olson, Tarah Young and Troy Salzer will cover plant selection, layering strategies, soil preparation, and maintenance techniques for creating a productive, sustainable food forest in any space.
Friday, February 21st – Adapting with integrated pest management
During this session you will learn how to use integrated pest management strategies to deal with our ever-changing pest pressures. Robin Trott and Katie Drewitz will focus on both plant and insect pest management.
Gardeners and landowners across Minnesota are encouraged to attend and may benefit from this series. Gardening from the Ground Up is a collaborative effort by University of Minnesota local Extension educators from across the state, representing Benton, Clay, Douglas, Filmore, Hennepin, Houston, Hubbard, McLeod, Meeker, Morrison, Otter Tail, Sherburne, Sterns, St. Louis, and Wright counties.
To join us for one or all of these webinars, please register at z.umn.edu/GardenUp. Registering once will provide you access to all five sessions. Pre-registration is required to receive the webinar link. Recordings of the webinars will be sent out at the conclusion of the series.
If you have questions about the webinar series or need assistance with registration, please call your local Extension office. Residents in Fillmore and Houston counties can call 507-765-3896 or 507-725-5807.
–Katie Drewitz, University of Minnesota Extension
