Summit County Master Gardeners are hosting a Winter Educational Series the first and third Wednesday in February and March. March 3rd will be Kokedama: Demonstrating a Japanese Art Form presented by Master Gardener Heidi Schwarzinger. March 17 will be Demonstrating Bonsai Techniques in a Home Setting presented by Master Gardener Greg Cloyd. All classes are being held at 6:30 PM. Click the title to register.

Summit County Master Gardeners' Meet Me in the Garden educational series will be offered via Zoom the 4th Wednesday of the Month at 6:30 PM. Join them in March for Phenology: Using Nature’s Calendar to Predict Plant Bloom & Insect Activity presented by Presented by Denise Ellsworth, Program Director Pollinator Education, OSU Dept. of Entomology/Extension. Click the title for registration.

The State Master Gardener Coordinator for Ohio presented a series of webinars last spring and summer on a variety of topics. If you are interested in seeing what they were and watching some, or all, of them, click HERE.

For some of the webinars the Summit County Master Gardeners have hosted, click HERE.

The United States Botanic Garden is sharing virtual tours, online programs (including weekly online yoga and cooking demos), plant spotlight stories, at-home activities for kids and families including coloring pages and lesson plans, videos, and more. As the Garden celebrates its 200th anniversary this year, it's also sharing photos and stories from its deeply-rooted history. Check out all they have going on HERE.

Check us out at @osusummitmgv for timely plant tips and program information.

The Wilderness Center in Wilmot, Ohio has having its annual Native Plant Sale online, starting April 1 (no fooling). The also are offering virtual nature programs. Of you are interested check them out be clicking HERE.

Ohio State Extension is looking for people excited about growing vegetables in their home gardens and then letting them know what they think in the Second Annual Home Garden Vegetable Trial. Youth and adults are welcomed to participate. Each trial contains two varieties that you will grow side by side to compare throughout the season. You can select multiple trials. For each trial you will get:

The Vegetable Trial is open for registration through March 15, while supplies last. Last year they had 121 participants from 33 counties. The Trial website is u.osu.edu/brown.6000/vegetable-trials/2021-trials/ and contains complete information about the trial. Participants can go directly to the registration site go.osu.edu/veggies2021 to place their order. The cost is $3 / trial and participants can select up to 5 trials.

For more details and to register click HERE.

You can call our Horticulture Hotline to ask a garden-related question and get advice from our experts.

Just call 234.226.6930 

Hotline Hours: Tuesday: 9:00 am - noon, March through October

You can also get Master Gardener advice online anytime by submitting questions at  Ask a Master Gardener

Many gardeners like to harvest and save their own seed from year to year. It is also fun to share seeds. But you do not need to harvest your own seed to share some. According to the Colorado State University Extension Service "all vegetable and flower seeds will store on a shelf at room temperature for at least one year without significant loss of germination." And with proper storage you can save them even longer. Just think the opposite of what they need to germinate--save seeds in a cool dry environment. For more information check out this fact sheet on Storing Vegetable and Flower Seeds.

Many packets contain way more seed than you can use yourself, so sharing is an easy way to try something new and let someone else try a variety that has worked for you.

Another option is the Seed Sharing Library at the Main Branch of the Akron-Summit County Public Library. This project makes locally appropriate heirloom seeds available to local gardeners, community volunteers, children and library patrons. The Seed Sharing Library is located at the Science & Technology desk on the first floor of Main Library. In addition to the seeds themselves, there are binders with information about the seeds from the seed packets and rating as to degree of difficulty, as well as books and other resources related to seed saving.

So sort through your left over seeds and see if you have some seeds to share, and then find someone to share them with.

Garden soil is a living ecosystem, and "sterile soil" is the last thing we want in the garden. It is a different story, however, when it comes to starting seeds indoors or even outdoors in trays or pots. to get your seedlings off to the best start you want a sterile "soilless medium". Garden soil is too heavy For starting seeds indoors, and it may harbor pests, weed seeds and diseases. It also may not drain as well as we would like. You can buy special seed starting mix, which is very light and fine, but a nice regular potting mix is also suitable for starting vegetables. Soilless mixes are usually based on peat. If you are concerned about the sustainability of peat products, you can look for mixes based on other materials, like coconut coir. Or you can make your own. This may or may not save you money, but it can be fun to do and it will allow you to customize your mix to what you are growing. If you want to try, you should start with a recipe. The University of Florida has some in their Homemade Potting Mix article, and so does Penn State in their Homemade Potting Media article.

Under ideal conditions (read commercial storage) softneck garlic, which stores longer than hardneck, can be held for up to 9 months, and hardneck varieties up to 6 months. In the kitchen, storage time is much shorter. Even at 60 degrees and in a well ventilated, dry, dark spot you can expect 3 to 5 months. After that your garlic may start to sprout. So what does that mean? Well, as in most of life, there is good news, and there is bad news. In Garlic: Safe Methods to Store, Preserve, and Enjoy the University of California notes that while neither sprouting nor shriveling is harmful, "both are an indication that the garlic is no longer at its peak quality". With sprouting the clove is trying to grow, and that prompts chemical changes. The folks at Cook's Illustrated note that one of these changes is that the clove uses the sugar it has stored to grow the sprouts, so that the clove itself tastes more intense and less sweet. The sprouts, however, don't taste harsh. Despite these changes, the folks at Cook's concluded that unless the dish calls for LOTS of garlic, the more pronounced flavor was not noticeable.

If possible, and this is done in larger collection systems automatically, don’t collect the ‘first flush’ of water off the roof. This would be the first few gallons. In a ¼” rainfall as much as 150 gallons can be collected from a 1000 ft² roof surface (3). The first water to run off tends to have higher concentrations of any contaminants because of them building up on the roof since the previous rainfall event.

Pamela Bennett is the state Master Gardener Coordinator and horticulture educator for Ohio State University Extension. She offered a list of apps that she finds useful:

Armitage's Greatest Garden Plants

All of Purdue University's Dr. Apps (Annual, Perennial, Tomato, Tree, and more)

Great Lakes Early Detection Network

Virginia Tech Tree ID

Dirr's Tree and Shrub Finder

Midwest Ornamental Grasses

Plant Families

Fields Area Measure (measure the size of a garden to determine how much mulch, topsoil or other amendments you need)

So if you love apps, try some of these out.

For more CDC recommendations click on Gardening Health and Safety Tips

According to an article in Cook's Illustrated magazine, in ancient Greece there was a vegetable so revered that "pure-gold replicas were offered to Apollo, god of sun, light, music, poetry, prophecy and more. It wasn't beets, which were cast in silver, or turnips, which were cast in lead. It was RADISHES!! Radishes come in all shapes, sizes and colors. There are the round red Cherry Belles and Scarlet Globes that spring to mind when we first think of radishes, but there are also longer French Breakfast which are red with a white tip, Icicle which is also longer and all white. There is the multi-colored mix of Easter Egg and the magenta Plum Purple or Purple Ninja. There is Watermelon, which is pink-red inside with a white and green outside, kind of like--a watermelon, huge Daikon (up to 18" long and 3" in diameter), and Round Black Spanish which are winter radishes.

Although we usually consider radishes as something added to salads or included in a relish tray, they are good cooked as well. Cooking deactivates the enzymes which give radishes their sharp taste. They can be braised, steamed, sauteed, roasted or boiled. Purdue has some tips HERE.

For more information see the Michigan State Tip Sheet, the Illinois Growing Guide (including some recipes) or the Cornell Growing Guide.

Submit questions online to be answered by Master Gardener Volunteers at  Ask a Master Gardener

OhioLine Yard and Garden provides fact sheets and information on a variety of gardening topics. 

The Michigan State Tip Sheets,and the Cornell Growing Guides also offer lots of gardening information that is suitable for Ohio gardens.

Buckeye Yard and Garden onLine provides timely information about Ohio growing conditions, pest, disease, and cultural problems. BYGL is updated weekly between April and October.