Brown Bag Programs
offered by the MG Program Office

The Brown Bag Horticulture Programs are educational programs offered generally the last Friday of each monthly except holiday months (ie. NOV and DEC and sometimes other months with key holidays) when the program is held one week earlier than the holiday weekend: note dates).  The programs are designed for statewide Master Gardeners and other persons interested in horticultural topics. Each program is from 12 noon to 1:00 p.m.

2009 Programs

2008

January 25… Emerald Ash Borer: Planning Ahead
Emerald Ash Borer was discovered in Michigan in June 2002. It is a species of metallic wood boring beetle (Buprestidae) that attacks ash (Fraxinus), usually killing trees in one-three years. To date, this insect has NOT been found in Wisconsin! Join Dr. Robert Tomesh and others in a discussion about the pest problem, where information can be found, sources of educational materials and what you can do to assist your community.

February 29… Extending Seasonal Raspberry Harvest
Raspberry fruit production in Wisconsin is available from June through September. With today’s early fruiting summer cultivars and fall fruiting cultivar selections, one can easily have fresh raspberries available through this extended period.  Join Dr. Robert Tomesh in a discussion regarding the many raspberry selections available to backyard fruit enthusiasts.

March 28… Colorful Vegetables for the Kitchen Table
Adding color to the table setting today is more than just having red tomatoes, yellow squash, orange carrots and green beans. Through vegetable breeding and selection, plant breeders have expanded the colors in many kinds of vegetables, for example, cauliflower comes in not only white, but green, yellow, purple and orange.  Envision picturesque table settings along with the tasting and eating excitement based on unusually colorful produce.  Garnish attentions with its orange cauliflower and red corn, or a rainbow of crunchy carrots of red, yellow, white and orange carrots.  Join Dr. Robert Tomesh in a review of colorful vegetable selections which can be grown by gardeners and found at your local farmers market.

April 25…Environmentally Friendly Lawn Management
Maintaining a beautiful lawn can add value and esthetics to any home.  The amount of time and money spent can determine the lawn quality and the impact to environment.  Join Dr. John Stier, UW-Extension Trufgrass Specialist for a review of environmentally sound lawn care inputs.May

30… Growing the Giant Pumpkin
Growing giant pumpkins can be a fascinating experience. Before one can master the art of growing a giant, however, one must be familiar with the basic principles of growing pumpkins.  Join us to lay plans to growing the ‘Giant Pumpkin’.

June 27…Problem Insects: Gypsy Moth, Japanese beetle, Potato beetle, Asian Lady Beetle and others
Annually, gardeners battle re-occurring insect pests in their yard and garden. Understanding insect life-cycles, products on the market for insect management, host plants and other backyard and neighborhood issues will better help you deal with the rise and fall of insect populations.  Join Phil Pellitteri during our Monthly Noon Brown Bag program to learn more about the annual surges of insect pests.

July 25…Home Irrigation Techniques
Each growing season, gardeners are faced with many challenges, including a lack of water from Mother Nature. This months topic will address such questions as how much water should I apply, how do I calculate a plants need, how much water is my system delivering and what type of delivery systems are available to home owners.
Join Bob Tomesh during our Monthly Noon Brown Bag program to learn more about landscape plant watering and home irrigation.

August 22…Growing Tender Bulbs: Glads, Canna, Dahlia
Growing tender plants with perennial structures like bulbs, corms, tubers, and roots are valuable additions for the home gardener. These plants can be included in the perennial border gardens, cutting garden, or as bedding plants. Because of their tender nature these plants require special attention, but will be rewarding if given the special treatment.  Most tender materials should be dug after the foliage dries up or is killed by frost.  Join us for a discussion regarding the care and management of tender bulbs.

September 26…Identifying Weeds and Invasive Weeds
Have you ever had difficulty identifying a plant and found yourself flipping through pages of plant identification books looking for a matching picture? This is common approach to weed identification, but a new user-friendly online weed identification tool is available to help with weed and invasive plant identification.  This months program will focus on the use of the database which can be accessed by going to the website http://weedid.wisc.edu. Join Mark Renz, UW-Extension Weed Specialist, who developed the database for a presentation on the use of website system for weed identification.  For participants having a computer available during the presentation, they can log onto the website and follow along with instructions for using the new website tool.

October 24…Heirloom Fruit and Vegetables
Heirloom fruit and vegetables are defined in several ways. Some consider heirlooms to be any cultivar that has been grown for a certain length of time. Others consider plants to be truly heirlooms only if they have been passed down by a family or group who has preserved them. Heirlooms are always open-pollinated and special techniques are used to continue plant selections.  Join Bob Tomesh during our Monthly Noon Brown Bag program to learn more about heirloom fruit and vegetables.

November 14…Growing Blueberries in a Harsh Wisconsin Climate
The harsh climate of the northern Great Lakes has made successful blueberry production a challenge.  But to meet this challenge, new cultivars with better hardiness have been developed.  This, with proper site selection and cultural management opens the potential for fruit production.  Join us to review the issues which can lead to the successful growing blueberry plants.

December 19…Pruning Shrubs for a Reason
Proper pruning is one of the most essential of all management practices for shrubs in the home landscape. Correct pruning procedures will help keep shrubs vigorous, maintain them in proper shape and form for a desirable landscape effect, and add years to their usefulness. Pruning will help maintain natural habit of growth; remove dead, diseased or broken branches; promote flower and fruit development; encourage vigorous growth of plants with colored twigs; and improve chances of survival at transplanting time. Join Dr. Robert Tomesh in a review of pruning shrubs.

2009

January 30…2008-Fruit Production: The Year In-Review
Dick Weidman, Superintendent Peninsular Agricultural Research Station will share his observations on the performance of various fruit crops during the 2008 growing season.  He will also share the observed effects and impacts of the wet spring, followed by the drought of 2008 on certain fruit cultivars.  The Peninsular ARS has been testing and evaluating cultivars for Wisconsin for years.  Join us for an update on fruit crop performance.

Reference information:

Home Fruit Crops for Southern Wisconsin (A2582)
Apple Cultivars for Wisconsin (A2105)
Rootstocks for Fruit Trees in Wisconsin (A3561)
Home Fruit Crops for Northern Wisconsin (A2488)
February 27…Community Gardens
A community garden is a collaborative greenspace in which the participants share in both the maintenance and the rewards. There is a long tradition of community gardening in various parts of the United States and around the world. Management approaches to community gardens can be classified into two major categories: 1) individual plots, and 2) common greenspace. In the individual plot approach, the garden is subdivided for personal use, as in the “allotment” system: individual plots can be chosen, randomly selected, or assigned. Individual plot management often is used for vegetable gardening. In the common greenspace approach, garden members cooperate in managing one area. Often, each member is responsible for a set of tasks within the shared area. Common greenspace management is used for a variety of garden types. Some examples include: ornamental landscapes: pocket parks, community beautification; clean-up of degraded urban landscapes and educational gardens: used for job training, horticultural demonstrations, outdoor classrooms. Join us in discussion about and the starting a community garden.

March 27…Vegetable Garden Planning and Site Preparation
Vegetable gardening is a rewarding opportunity in which the whole family can become involved. Planning is a cold weather task, but a well planned garden provides opportunity to select plant types and varieties,  extended seasonal produce, choice of seed verses transplant establishment, and much more.  Proper site preparation will result in better soil conditions, fewer weeds and increased production.  Join Dr. Robert Tomesh in a review of tactics to increase your gardens production potential. 

April 24…Fruits and Vegetables: Ready, Set, and Preserve
Nothing is more enjoyable that home preserved food that is safe and of high quality.  Beginning with jams and jellies and extending to canned potatoes, there are several basic steps to preparing for a season of preserving the bounty of your garden and orchard. This program will highlight tips and hints on getting ready to preserve safe, high quality fruits and vegetables. Join Dr. Barb Ingham in a review of safe food preservation tactics.

Extension resources that will be highlighted include:

Safe Canning Methods
Using and Caring for a Pressure Canner
Newly revised bulletins in the Wisconsin Safe Food Preservation series

 May 29…Managing Vegetable Vine Crops for Better Production
Soil management, mulches, irrigation, pruning and trellising are requirements of any successful vegetable operation. It is also critical to the production of quality vegetables. Tomatoes as well as most vegetables are 85 to 95 percent water, so any loss in water weight is equal to a loss in production.  Trellising tomatoes improves fruit quality by keeping plants and fruits off the ground and by providing better pesticide coverage.  Join Dr. Robert Tomesh in a discussion of managing tomato vines during the growing season.

June 26…Late Plantings of Cool- and Warm-Season Vegetables
Though often overlooked by the gardener, planting vegetables in July and August for fall production is an excellent practice. Late plantings of cool- and warm-season vegetables can extend the harvest long after spring-planted crops have ceased production. Most cool-season vegetables grow as well as or better than those planted in the spring as they mature during shorter, cooler days. Flavors of vegetables maturing in the cool, crisp days of autumn are often sweeter and milder than those grown during hot summer weather. Join us for a discussion for planning a fall crop of vegetables. 

July 31… Managing Your Garden Bounty
What to do with all those tomatoes that are ripening on the vine?  Is it safe use great-grandma's pickle recipe? What recipe do I follow for canning vegetable soup? Is it safe to can summer squash?  These and many other questions will be the topic of our discussion as we highlight tips to get you safely through the processing season. Join Barb Ingham for a discussion on managing the produce from your fruit and vegetable garden.

Extension resources that will be highlighted include:

Wisconsin Safe Food Preservation series bulletins (newly revised 2008)
Special resources from the National Center for Home Food Preservation

 August 28…Perennial Flower Garden: Establishment, Renovation and Care
A well-designed perennial garden can provide many years of beauty and enjoyment. Careful selection of plant materials and thoughtful planning can result in a full season of color. Once established, they generally require less water than annuals and often have fewer pest problems. Perennial gardens may serve as borders along a fence or property line, thus easing mowing, trimming and water requirements that a lawn may present in such areas. It is also visually pleasing to locate the garden against a background such as a fence, wall, shrubs or evergreens. Annual maintenance activities as renovation and seasonal care will be reviewed for the improved performance of selected flowers. Join us as we address the establishment and maintenance of perennial flower beds.

September 25…Composting: How to Make and Use
There is continued strong interest in backyard composting among Wisconsin residents.  Similarly, the desire to compost organic materials is growing dramatically among commercial and industrial enterprises such as grocery stores, restaurants, and food-related manufacturers.  All yards produce waste from pruning, lawn mowing and other routine plant care activities and composting is a way to reduce the volume of organic wastes and return them to the soil to benefit growing plants. Composted organic matter improves the drainage and aeration of clay soil, serve as a separator that "shoulders apart" tightly packed clay particles to allow water and air to enter, helps sandy soil hold water and nutrients and has many more benefits.  Join Dr. Robert Tomesh for a discussion on making and using compost.

October 23...Raspberry Selection and Management
Homeowners have long enjoyed the fruit from raspberries.  Since there are various cultivars and seasonal selections available to extend the summer growing season: cultivar selection and plant management will be the topic of discussion.

The following UWEX bulletins will be helpful to compliment the program

            Growing Raspberries in Wisconsin...A1610
            Raspberry Pest Management for Home Gardeners...A2128
            Home Fruit Cultivars for Northern Wisconsin...A2488
            Home Fruit Cultivars for Southern Wisconsin...A2582

November 13…Landscaping to Attract Wildlife
Loss of habitat is a major threat to wildlife. As a result, if wildlife populations are to be successfully conserved, we must provide habitat for them on private lands. Habitat restoration is especially critical where urbanization and agriculture development has eliminated most natural areas. So providing backyard habitat for wildlife also is important for landscape aspect for the appreciation of nature.  Join us as we address landscape approaches to improve wildlife habitat.

December 18…Fruit Crop Pest Management Tactics
Gardeners are disappointed when a portion or all of a small or tree fruit planting dies or the quality of fruit produced leaves a lot to be desired. Injury to the trunk, crown (area at the soil line) or roots generally is the primary cause of death to plants and can be caused by winter cold, poorly-drained soil, mouse and rabbit feeding damage, root and crown diseases and borers- alone or in combination-can all cause loss of plants. Reduced fruit quality is often the result of poor pest management during the growing season.  Join us for a review of the problems and tactics to improve the situations.

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