By Ron Dieter, Sunnyfield Greenhouse & Gardens

November 18, 1998

Real gardeners don’t stop working when winter winds start to howl. They are as busy as ever, learning, planning and dreaming about the gardens of the new year. Garden addicts lucky enough to have a cozy fire to warm them on winter evenings probably have a stack of garden books, magazines and catalogs next to their easy chair. As the blustery winter season marches across the calendar, each catalog and book slowly sprouts little yellow sticky notes, marking a new plant variety or garden idea.

There’s more to do than sit and read, however. Janeen Emory, of the local University of Illinois Extension office, announced several events that should stimulate the curiosity of area gardeners, new and seasoned.

After the holidays, when winter seems unending, the Master Gardener Volunteer Program gets into full swing. Participants receive over sixty hours of classes and training on topics like starting seeds, soil conditioning, and planting annuals, perennials, vegetables, shrubs, and trees. Pruning and maintaining fruit trees, grape vines, brambles, and weed and insect control are also covered. These classes are a great way to learn good gardening methods from a team of experts.

In return for this training, gardeners put their knowledge to work by giving an equal amount of volunteer time (60 hours) manning garden information lines, working with youth garden projects, beautifying local communities through horticultural projects. Classes start in January and meet one day a week in Rock Island. Applications must be filled out and returned to the local Extension office by December first.

How about going to Nursery School? That’s what the Extension folks call their one-day program held in February in the Quad Cities. Last year almost 300 gardeners spent the day in classes on everything from hostas and water gardens to perennials and designs. This year I expect the crowd to be even larger as the word spreads on what a great event this for garden enthusiasts. Attendees are mostly homeowners and hobby gardeners interested in learning more about gardening and landscape care.

Many area gardeners grow fruits and vegetables to sell at local markets, and I’m sure there are some farmers looking for alternative crops, with corn prices the lowest in decades. They should check out the Illinois-Iowa Fruit and Vegetable Growers Conference, which will meet in Moline on December first. Specialists and growers from the Midwest will present more than fourteen different sessions. Producing strawberries, growing wine grapes, training apple trees, controlling weeds in pumpkin fields, and selling produce direct to consumers are some of the topics to be covered.

Taking this kind of program one step further, the Illinois Specialty Growers Convention and Trade Show meets in Champaign, IL, January 14-16. These are golden opportunities to meet and talk with folks who are in the business and making it work.