Extending the Garden Season

Cold frames and hot beds, hoop houses, cloches, and floating row covers allow gardeners to grow plants earlier in spring and later in fall. Get ideas that will work for you in this factsheet.

Rain Barrels

Mike Maddox, State Master Gardener Program Manager & Darren Lochner, Formerly of the UW-Extension Lower Chippewa River Basin Revised:  2/5/2008 Item number:  XHT1157 What is a rain barrel?  A rain barrel can be any large container designed to collect rain water.  Typically, rain barrels are placed at the bottom of downspouts in order to collect […]

African Violets

Amy Gibbs* and Brian Hudelson, UW-Madison Plant PathologyRevised:  4/26/2010Item number:  XHT1034 What are African violets?  African violets (Saintpaulia spp.) are popular flowering houseplants in the Gesneriad family (Gesneriaceae), native to Tanzania in East Africa.  Their compact forms make them ideal for use on tabletops, windowsills, and hanging baskets.  There are many varieties of African violets, […]

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