Rock County

New community gardeners at the Rock County Farm may find the following sources of information useful as they prepare for the opening of the garden the first week in May. Publications: Growing Vegetables at Home, UW-Extension The Vegetable Garden, UW-Extension Extending the Garden Season, UW-Extension

Kim, our new support staff in the front office, had questions about chickens this morning.   In honor of her newbie-status I told her I’ll turn her question into this week’s gardening post. Urban chickens are in, but are they for you or your community?  From our publication Poultry in Urban Areas (A3908-03): There has been [...]

Rock County UW-Extension Horticulture Educator, Mike Maddox, was recently interviewed by the Janesville Gazette on how to start seeds. Read the full article Five things you need to know if planting seeds for the first time

Coaxing seedlings out of the ground, and, eventually, out of the house and into your garden can be a very satisfying experience. Some pointers I’ve learned over the years: Use clean potting mix and containers.  The sticker shock when buying these supplies may be a surprise at first but it is worth it for healthy [...]

The 2012 Garden Expo has come and gone.    Pruning has become my niche at the show.  In the past I’ve dragged a computer to the show and have done presentations.  I’ve snagged decorative shrubbery from exhibits and chopped them to pieces.  A couple times, show coordinators found me a tree or two to hack to [...]

Contact Angela Flickinger, angela.flickinger@ces.uwex.edu, 608-757-5689 Rock County, Wis.   Did you know that half of your grain intake each day should come from whole grains? The U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans has long recommended making whole grains a significant portion of your diet. “If you are one of the millions of Americans who fall far [...]

4-H & FFA Cat Project Members please note that important project information and entry forms are in this packet.  If you are unable to download this booklet, contact the UWEX Office at 608-757-5690. 12 Cat Project Booklet (pdf)

Question: What is your take on composting coffee grounds and putting them on a veggie garden?  M.S. Answer: I like to use coffee grounds in my own home compost pile.  I’m a coffee drinking junky and generate an ample supply each week. In an article from Washinton State University: Coffee grounds have a carbon-to-nitrogen ratio [...]

In 2010, the estimated dollar value of volunteer time was $21.36 per hour as calculated by Independent Sector. Unfortunately, for a volunteer, that doesn’t pay the bills.  But you can put your volunteer experience to work for you!  In the article Put Volunteer Work on Your Resume, Susan J. Ellis (a guru on volunteer management) offers [...]

The amount of commercial horticulture programming I do is very minimal compared to the amount of Master Gardener programming I conduct.  But, commercial questions do come in and I like the change of pace they bring.  Below are several questions from folks who want to break into the industry, albeit not in the traditional sort [...]