MAMGA - Madison Area Master Gardeners Association

05/19/2026

Unable to make the Master Gardener plant sale last weekend, or still thinking about adding a few more plants to your garden?

Good news! All of our remaining plants are marked down and still available for purchase during regular business hours at the Dane County Extension building!

Selection will continue to change as plants are sold, so don’t wait too long. 🌱

Remaining plants include:

PERENNIALS
- Canadian Wild Ginger
- Solomon’s Seal
- Ajuga (Bugleweed) from Chris Hansen’s Feathered Friends line
- Hostas: Rainforest Sunrise, Sagae, Tootie Mae, Yellow Polkadot Bikini
- Bristly Sedge
- Wild Licorice
- Evening Primrose
- Calamint ‘Marvelette Blue’
- Coreopsis ‘SunGlobe’
- Queen of the Prairie ‘Venusta’
- Gaura ‘Sparkle White’
- Numerous cultivars of border, intermediate, and tall bearded irises, including some rebloomers
- Numerous standard dwarf iris cultivars
- Black-Eyed Susan ‘Goldsturm’
- Salvias: Blue by You, Crazy Blue
- Verbena ‘Lizzie’
- Veronica ’Moody Blues Dark Blue’
- Orange Dieravilla Bush Honeysuckle

HERBS
- Basil (multiple types)
- German chamomile
- Chives
- Cuban oregano
- Dill ‘Long Island Mammoth’
- Walking Onions
- Scented geraniums (multiple varieties)
- Hyssop
- Lemonbalm
- Parsley, Triple-Curled
- Shiso Perilla
- Sweet Annie
- English Thyme

VEGETABLES
- Brassicas, including: broccoli, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, collard greens
- Eggplant ‘Icicle’
- Peppers - multiple hot and sweet varieties
- Tomatoes - multiple varieties

FLOWERS & HOUSEPLANTS
- Calibrachoa (multiple)
- Campanula ‘Champion II’
- Celosia - many, including Christata dwarf mix, Flamma Orange, Pampas Plume, Sunday Plume
- Coleus (multiple varieties)
- Dianthus ‘Super Parfait Raspberry’
- Mealycup Sage ‘Evolution Violet’
- Verbena ‘Vanity’
- Aloe Vera
- Swedish Ivy ‘Troy’s Gold’

05/18/2026

Thank you to everyone who braved torrential rain, tornado warnings, and today’s rapidly changing forecasts to support our annual Master Gardener plant sale fundraiser!

At this point, we’re convinced meteorology is at least 36% an art form.

We appreciate everyone who stuck with us and helped make the sale a success despite the wild Wisconsin weather. Your support, patience, and good humor mean the world to us!

05/16/2026

MAMGA PLANT SALE! RAIN or SHINE. Sunday, May 17, 11 AM - 2PM UW Extension County Parking lot. For a list of inventory go https://www.mamgawi.org/plantsale. See you there!

The sale will include hundreds of perennials for shade or sun, vegetable, herbs, annual flowers, and more! Not sure what tomato variety does best in a container? Wondering if the perennial you select will tolerate some shade? Get expert advice from on-site Master Gardeners.

05/16/2026

Growing Tomatoes in Dane County (Part 5)
Cultural Disorders
— Blossom end rot
— Calcium uptake problem, not a ‘disease’
— Keep soil at a consistent moisture level
— Can use calcium sprays
— Cat facing - More common in heirloom and beefsteak varieties
— Night temps are under 50ºF when tomatoes are flowering
— Can be in response to 2,4-D herbicide drift
— Avoid high nitrogen levels
— Sunscald
— Loss of leaf canopy due to pruning, disease or harvesting
— Side of tomato exposed to sun dries out and collapses

05/14/2026

Mark your calendars! UWEX Teaching Garden/MAMGA Plant sale is May 17 at the UWEX parking lot on Fen Oak Drive 11 AM - 2 PM.

🌱 The countdown is on — just TWO weeks until our Plant Sale!
Our vegetables, herbs, and annual flowers are getting ready to leave the greenhouse and head into cold frames to harden off—getting strong and sale-ready for your gardens.

Want a sneak peek? Our full plant inventory will be posted the week before the sale—keep an eye out here: https://www.mamgawi.org/plantsale

✨ Teaser alert: This year, we are adding Natives section! Perfect for supporting pollinators and adding resilient, beautiful plants to your landscape.

Mark your calendars and get ready to dig in! 🌸

05/14/2026

Let's support our migratory birds and turn off our lights!

05/12/2026

A major wave of bird migration is expected across Wisconsin TONIGHT (May 11), with over 17 million birds moving through the state in the dark of night.

Lights Out Wisconsin is urging everyone to turn off or dim non-essential outdoor lights and close window shades from 11 p.m.–6 a.m. to help birds safely migrate.

Most migratory birds fly at night, and artificial light can disorient them, drawing them into developed areas where they face greater risks, especially from window collisions.

05/03/2026

🌱 The countdown is on — just TWO weeks until our Plant Sale!
Our vegetables, herbs, and annual flowers are getting ready to leave the greenhouse and head into cold frames to harden off—getting strong and sale-ready for your gardens.

Want a sneak peek? Our full plant inventory will be posted the week before the sale—keep an eye out here: https://www.mamgawi.org/plantsale

✨ Teaser alert: This year, we are adding Natives section! Perfect for supporting pollinators and adding resilient, beautiful plants to your landscape.

Mark your calendars and get ready to dig in! 🌸

05/02/2026

Growing Tomatoes in Dane County (Part 4)
Cultural Practices
— Mulch for water retention and prevent fungus splashing up from soil
— Raise plants up with trellising
— Remove any infected leaves
— Water at base, not on foliage to reduce leaf fungal disease

04/18/2026

Growing Tomatoes in Dane County (Part 3)
Maintenance
— Water regularly, preferably 1-2” a week
— Fertilize when planting out and every 1-2 weeks after first fruit sets
— Prune to keep each plant within its support
— Remove suckers growing between main stem and each branch

04/04/2026

Growing Tomatoes in Dane County (Part 2)
Planting

— Tomatoes are very sensitive to cold temperatures and frost
— At least 65 degrees daytime temp for planting, usually mid-May in Dane Country
— Plants need full sun and slightly acidic soil
— Allow space between plants for air circulation.
— Plant deeply up to first leaves as additional roots grow off the stem
— Use trellis or stakes to keep the fruit off the ground