March 28, 2024

Calendar: Fall tree planting program

CARLINVILLE, Ill. — A fall tree planting program will be at 2 p.m. Sept. 21 at the Macoupin County Extension office, #60 Carlinville Plaza, Carlinville.

Fall is a great time for planting trees. Learn the best techniques to transition from the nursery to the landscape with success. Andrew Holsinger, University of Illinois Extension horticulture educator, will detail when to plant, creating the planting hole, fertilizing and the planting process.

Register at tinyurl.com/8xrsc66e.

Falling into the Autumn Vegetable Garden

Join Grant McCarty, local foods and small farms educator, at noon Sept. 22 for the virtual program Falling into the Autumn Vegetable Garden.

As your vegetable garden begins to wind down for the season, you might be thinking about what tasks you should or could be doing to ensure that next year is ready for growing. McCarty will help you determine what tasks you should do right now, what you should do soon, and what you should do later. The tasks will include planting garlic and cover crops, overwintering perennial vegetables, getting a soil test, orchard management, and many others.

Register by Sept. 21 to receive the Zoom link to join the program. The program is being offered free of charge but donations to help offset the cost of future Extension programming will be accepted. To register or for more information, visit go.illinois.edu/jsw or call 815-858-2273.

Tree root collar excavation

DANVILLE, Ill. — Join U of I Extension Horticulture Educator Ryan Pankau at 6 p.m. Sept. 21 at Douglas Discovery Garden in Danville on for a program on tree health and a demonstration on how to excavate a tree root collar. Pankau will help you identify the root collar on various trees so you know what to look for in the field.

Pankau will demonstrate how to correct some common issues with a root collar excavation and explain why it is crucial to remove the burlap from new trees before planting them in your landscape.

Douglas Discovery Garden is located on the southeast side of Danville off Bowman Avenue near I-74. Bring a chair and dress for the weather.

Register for this free program by calling 217-442-8615 or visit tinyurl.com/v4j2cc5a.

Topics at Demonstration Garden

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — A University of Illinois Extension master gardeners program will be at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 21 at the Small Fruits and Vegetable Demonstration Garden at the Springfield Extension office, 700 S. Airport Drive, Springfield.

Topics covered will include square-foot gardening, asparagus, zinnias, tomatoes, garlic, strawberries and drip Irrigation systems.

Managing conflicts with Canada geese

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The workshop Managing Conflict with Canada Geese in Champaign-Urbana will be at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 22 at the University of Illinois Extension Auditorium, 801 N. Country Fair Drive, Champaign.

This workshop will provide property owners and property managers who are attempting to manage conflicts with Canada geese with information about goose biology, legal protections, and regulations related to managing goose damage. Also included will be the types of conflicts that landowners and managers experience in central Illinois, and approaches to employing an effective goose damage management program.

The workshop is being conducted by professional wildlife biologists from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Wildlife Services program.

Register at tinyurl.com/394e9fsb or call 217-333-7672. For more information, contact Scott Beckerman at sc.beckerman@usda.gov.

What’s in a name? Plants explained

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — How did the rattlesnake master get its name? What native grass smells like buttered popcorn? These and other curious facts will be shared at 10 a.m. Sept. 22 at the Springfield Extension office, 700 S. Airport Drive, Springfield. The free program is open to the public.

Vermicomposting workshop

MILAN, Ill. — Are you ready to start composting? Join Emily Swihart, horticulture educator, and Kristin Bogdonas, nutrition and wellness educator, for a make-and-take vermicomposing workshop from 6 to 7 p.m. Sept. 22 at the Rock Island County Extension office, 321 W. Second Ave., Milan. Learn about using worms to turn waste into a nutrient-rich material for use in your garden and potted plants. You will go home with a vermicomposting bin, red wrigglers (composting worms) and instructions on how to care for and maintain your worm bin throughout the year. You will be able to start composting your food scraps right away.

Register at tinyurl.com/yd55mn73.

Terrarium workshop

CLINTON, Ill. — A terrarium workshop with DeWitt County master gardeners will be at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 23 at the Vespasian Warner Library, 310 N. Quincy St., Clinton.

Workshop will include how to build your own living plant terrarium, plant selection, planting instructions and terrarium display and maintenance.

To register, call the Vespasian Warner Library at 217-935-5174. For more information, contact Beth Miglin, Extension horticulture coordinator, at bmiglin@illinois.edu or 217-935-5764.