Grant County Master Gardeners

10/27/2026

10/22/2026

Looking for ways to learn more about gardening this fall? Here are two free online educational opportunities for gardeners, Master Gardeners, and horticulture enthusiasts.

Gardening in the Air: 🗓️ October 24, 2026.
This year's virtual sessions include practical landscape management, tough trees and shrubs for Midwestern landscapes, harvesting and preserving herbs, selecting the right perennial for the right location, season extension for vegetable gardens, incorporating native plants into the landscape, solving common tomato problems, maple syrup production, and an introduction to the Extension Master Gardener program.

How Plants Get to You: 🗓️ November 5, 12, and 19.
Participants will learn directly from propagators, growers, horticulturists, and green industry professionals during three sessions: Where Production Begins (plant propagation and tissue culture), Where Growth Happens (greenhouse and nursery production), and Where the Plant Meets the Customer (consumer trends, retail markets, and connecting plants with gardeners). The series is designed to deepen appreciation for the people, time, and resources involved in bringing plants to consumers.

Learn more about both programs and register here: https://yardandgarden.extension.iastate.edu/article/2026/10/free-gardening-programs-fall

Iowa Master Gardeners Iowa State University Extension and Outreach

10/17/2026

Not all fall leaves need to be raked away. In fact, leaving some leaves and garden debris in place can benefit your landscape through the winter.

Leaves in flower beds and around shrubs help insulate plant roots, add organic matter to the soil as they break down, and provide habitat for pollinators and other beneficial insects. Many perennial stems and seed heads can also be left standing until spring.

When it comes to the lawn, though, don't let leaves pile up and completely cover the grass. A thick layer can block sunlight and lead to thin, patchy turf next year. Instead of bagging every leaf, try mowing them with a mulching mower so the shredded pieces can decompose and improve the soil. If you do need to remove leaves, consider composting them or spreading them lightly in landscape beds.

The goal of fall cleanup isn't to remove everything. Focus on clearing out diseased or insect-damaged plant material while leaving healthy leaves and stems where they can continue benefiting your landscape.

Get more details: https://www.extension.iastate.edu/news/managing-fall-leaves-home-landscape

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach ISU Extension and Outreach - Agriculture and Natural Resources

10/02/2026

https://www.chicagobotanic.org/blog/plant-science-conservation/how-scientists-are-rethinking-lawns?_kx=-IfwAz1aLiPhR9P_wdTi-h_heuhK4RSLjUdBoTmczhw.QWXSec

For many homeowners, a long, hot summer means mow the lawn, water, repeat. It’s a cycle that feels inevitable if you don’t want a brown, unruly patch of land.Conservation scientist Becky Barak, Ph.D., is looking to change that assumption. By studying alternatives to traditional turfgrass, she an...

09/13/2026

September 17, 2026 in Fennimore
6:30 pm @ Fennimore Doll & Toy Museum, 1135 6 th St
7:15 pm @ Marsha Schneider’s garden, 960 4 th St.Fennimore

The Doll & Toy Museum proudly and warmly invites the group to view the inside as well as the gardens.
The pollinator garden was established in 2019 as a Master Gardener project. It was funded through
grants, donations and work of volunteers. The pollinator garden features Wisconsin native perennials that
are pollinator friendly. In 2020 the garden was added to the nationwide Monarch Way Station registry.
The gardens are maintained by Master Gardener trained gardeners.

From Experimental to Established.
Marsha’s parklike yard features a 100+ year old stand of Maple trees and a variety of gardens.
Featured gardens: vegetable, herb, rock, Wisconsin native perennials, shade, ephemeral & berries.
You are invited to a relaxed tour around the grounds. Observe the seasonal transition of the gardens as
we enter into fall. Come rain or shine.
You are welcome to bring a lawn chair to sit and soak up the ambience of dusk.
Light refreshments will be served.

09/12/2026

Great info if you are growing lavender...

09/12/2026

Nature's own pest control. ..Parasitic Wasps controlling Tomato Hornworm by laying eggs in them... when they hatch the hornworm is history. Creepy but cool!

08/30/2026

Before you plant that favorite garden perennial, make sure it will not take over your landscape!

An aggressive plant is a species that spreads rapidly by seed, stems, rhizomes, roots, or other means and can quickly dominate an area, often crowding out desirable plants. A few aggressive plants that can spread rapidly and may become weeds include lily-of-the-valley, bee balm, pink evening primrose, and periwinkle.

See other commonly grown plants that can become aggressive in the landscape and get practical tips to keep them in check so your garden stays beautiful and manageable: https://go.iastate.edu/ILASV6

Iowa Master Gardeners ISU Extension and Outreach - Agriculture and Natural Resources