You’ve heard about kale and how it’s supposed to be so good for you, but you don’t know much about it?
Kale and many other garden topics will be explored Saturday, March 8, during “Adventures in Gardening IX,” a daylong spring seminar at Maquoketa (Iowa) Middle School.
The event is sponsored by the Iowa State University Extension Outreach Jackson County Master Gardeners and features three keynote speakers, four mini-sessions (participants may choose two) and nine info stations (to be explored at one’s own pace).
ISU Extension entomologist Laure Jesse will deliver the first keynote speech, talking about how to diagnose plant problems that will help gardeners determine whether the cause is a disease, an insect or an environmental factor.
The “do’s and don’ts of landscape design” will be discussed in early afternoon by Sara Carpenter, landscape designer and manager at Steve’s Ace Home and Garden Center, Dubuque.
A demonstration on the practical care of gardening tools will follow. Roger Rittmer, a Clinton County Master Gardener, will help you evaluate your gardening tools and demonstrate how to care for, and sharpen. them.
The mini-sessions are:
• “Backyard Wildlife Management,” by Rebecca Christoffel, ISU wildlife specialist. The challenges and opportunities presented by wildlife, from rabbits munching on plants to the use of bats as a form of integrated pest management.
• “How to Grow and Cook with Herbs,” by Deb Monroe, Clinton County Master Gardener and manager of the Crossroads Garden Café, DeWitt, Iowa. Informative tips, recipes, samples.
• “Small Space Gardening,” by Sara Carpenter, landscape designer and manager at Steve’s Ace Home and Garden Center, Dubuque. Clever and unique ideas to maximize small spaces.
• “Bugs That Bug You — Good, Bad and Ugly,” by Margo Hansen, director of programs for Bickelhaupt Arboretum, Clinton. Information about the most prominent pests, including emerald ash borer, Japanese beetles and Asian lady beetles.
Info-station topics and presenters include:
Aronia berries, Mitch Gravert, Jackson County Master Gardener
Asparagus and spinach, Judy Tonderum, Jackson County Master Gardener
Blueberries, Mary Ann McLaughlin, Maquoketa Garden Club
Edible flowers, Lee Karabin, Jackson County Master Gardener
Flowers of the Bible, Doris Currier, Jackson County Master Gardener
Kale and rhubarb, Sharon Bullock, Jackson County Master Gardener
Questions and answers, Margo Hansen, director of programs, Bickelhaupt Arboretum, Clinton
Weed identification, Mary Lou Johnson, Jackson County Master Gardener
Gladiolas, Alice Mans, Jackson County Master Gardener
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