Four Seasons Gardening Program Offers Spring Series

[May 16, 2015]  LINCOLN - The spring series of University of Illinois Extension’s Four Seasons Gardening program, which focuses on environmental stewardship and backyard food production, gets underway this month.

Introduction to Sustainable Landscaping will be offered on Tuesday, April 28, at 1:30 pm.

Taking a sustainable approach to your yard benefits you, the environment and our future. Sustainable landscapes save money by using fewer pesticides and fertilizers and lowers power, water and waste disposal bills. Sustainable landscapes safeguard our water quality, soils and wildlife and provide us with countless ecosystem services. University of Illinois Extension Horticulture Educator, Chris Enroth will discuss sustainable lawns, how to handle stormwater, building healthy soils and more fundamental methods to reduce your eco-footprint.

Busting Garden Myths will be offered on Tuesday, May 12, at 1:30 pm.

There are so many recommendations and suggestions for gardening and plant care out there, but which are fact and which are fiction? Join Kari Houle, Extension Educator Horticulture, as she walks you through some of the most common garden and plant myths and explains why they are myths and gives recommendations for better plant care.

Straw Bale Gardening will be offered on Tuesday, May 26, at 1:30 pm.

Straw Bale Gardening teaches gardening in a way that is revolutionary to home gardener. It solves every impediment today's home gardeners face: bad soil, weeds, a short growing season, watering problems, limited gardening space, and even physical difficulty working on ground level. Join Kelly Allsup, University of Illinois Extension Horticulture Educator, to learn more about this Straw Bale Gardening phenomenon.

Each program will be held at the U of I Extension Buildings, 980 N Postville Drive, Lincoln and 700 S. Airport Drive, Springfield. To reserve a packet of handouts at one of these locations, pre-register on-line at the Logan-Menard-Sangamon unit website at http://web.extension.illinois.edu/lms/. 

Participants also have the option to listen to the webinar from home by registering at http://web.extension.illinois.edu/hmrs/4seasons/ 

The presentation will be via computer but will allow live discussion between the instructor and gardeners throughout Illinois. Questions call [phone].

[Jennifer Fishburn, Horticulture Educator, University of Illinois Extension]