2023 Spring Fever Garden Forums

Forum I (March 20, 2023): Vegetables and Soil

How to Grow Mouthwatering Melons. Don Kinzler, Horticulture Educator
Imagine sweet, crisp watermelons or tasty muskmelons on a hot summer’s day, fresh from the garden. We’ll cover the key tips for success.

Nitrogen in Your Garden. Carrie Knutson, Horticulture Educator
Learn how nitrogen cycles in your soil to help you sustainably manage your garden.

The Dirt on Soil: Why Soil Structure is Important for Happy Plants. Emily How, Horticulture Educator
Discover the differences between potting soil, potting mix and garden soil.

Forum II (March 27, 2023): Flowers an Fruits

Making a Monarch Conservation Garden. April Johnson, Extension Pollinator Technician
Learn how to design a garden that will attract and support monarch butterflies.

Hardy Pears at CREC. Kathy Wiederholt, Fruit Project Manager
Pears are vigorous trees but not always hardy. Find out what’s happening in Carrington.

Growing Apples in North Dakota. Tom Kalb, Horticulture Educator
We’ll discuss how to grow apples in the backyard: planting, pruning and more.

Forum III (April 3, 2023): Biology and Technology

Monarchs in My Gardens. Jan Knodel, Extension Entomologist
We’ll discuss how to participate in a project on monitoring monarchs in your gardens.

Technological Advances in Plant ID. Esther McGinnis, Extension Horticulturist
Plant identification apps are available that are fairly accurate. Learn how to use these apps.

Sprayable Biodegradable Mulches. Greta Gramig, Associate Professor
Plastic mulches are used to suppress weeds, but their disposal is costly. Learn about this new environment-friendly technology.

Forum IV (April 10, 2023): Small Spaces and Trees

Container Gardening. Kelsey Deckert, Horticulture Educator
Container gardening is something that any gardener of any age or experience can do. We will share tips on how to be successful.

A Tight Fit: Adding Edible and Other Space-Saving Landscape Plants. Todd West, Professor
We’ll explore outstanding trees and shrubs that provide food and/or beauty in small spaces of home landscapes.

Environmental Stresses on Trees. Joe Zeleznik, Extension Forester
A number of stresses are showing up. We’ll discuss some of the recent symptoms and offer suggestions on how to manage these issues.

Several NDSU Extension offices have agreed to host the Spring Fever Garden Forums. The local County Agent will provide educational materials that support the presentations. 

REGISTRATION MAY BE REQUIRED, depending on office. 

Click Register to Attend at an NDSU Extension Office or your county's link below to register at a participation host site. This will help us to make room arrangements and prepare your educational materials. 

TRAINING SITES

Updated February 3,2023. We expect approximately 25 Extension offices to host the training. This list will be updated regularly. If you have any questions, contact your local Extension office.

BARNES COUNTY. Barnes County Courthouse Basement. 230 4th St. NW, Valley City. Contact person: Alicia Harstad. 701-845-8528. Email: alicia.harstad@ndsu.edu.

BOTTINEAU COUNTY. Courthouse Community Room. 314 W 5^th St., Bottineau. Contact person: Sara Clemens. 701-228-2253. Email: sara.clemens@ndsu.edu.

CAVALIER COUNTY.  Cavalier County Courthouse, North Meeting Room, 901 3rd St., Langdon. Contact person: Bailey Resier. Phone: 701-652-5954. Email: bailey.resier@ndsu.edu. Registration is preferred but not required.

KIDDER COUNTY. Senior Center, 202 1st Ave. NW, Steele. Contact person: Monica Fitterer.  Phone: 701-475-4591. Email: monica.fitterer@ndsu.edu. April 10 only. Registration is requested but not required.

LA MOURE COUNTY.  LaMoure County Courthouse. 202 4th Ave. NE, LaMoure. Contact person: Julianne Racine. Phone: 701-883-6080. Email: julianne.racine@ndsu.edu. Registration is requested. Seating is limited to 12 persons.

LOGAN COUNTY. St. Phillip Neri Catholic Church School, Social Hall, 401 Broadway Napoleon. Contact: Justin Leier. Phone: 701-754-2504. Email: justin.j.leier@ndsu.edu.

MOUNTRAIL COUNTY. Mountrail County South Complex, 8103 61st St. NW, Stanley. Contact person: Lynnette Vachal. Phone: 701-628-2835, Ext. 1. Email: lynnette.vachal@ndsu.edu.

OLIVER COUNTY. Oliver County Courthouse Meeting Room, 115 Main Street, Center. Contact person: Rick Schmidt. Phone: 701-794-8748. Email: rick.schmidt@ndsu.edu.

RENVILLE COUNTY. Prairie Bistro, 9243 38th Ave NW, Mohall. Contact person: Bethany Gates. 701-756-6392. Email: bethany.gates@ndsu.edu. Special notes: Soup and bread will be available for purchase at each session.

SHERIDAN COUNTY. McClusky City Hall, 117 B Ave. E, McClusky. Contact person: Sarah Crimmins. Phone: 701-363-2242. Email: sarah.crimmins@ndsu.edu. No session on April 10.

SLOPE COUNTY. Slope County Courthouse, 206 S Main, Amidon. Contact persons: Shelby Hewson or Lynelle Jacobson. Phone: 701-879-6270. Email: shelby.hewson@ndsu.edu or lynelle.jacobson@ndsu.edu.

STARK/BILLINGS COUNTIES. Stark County Family and Ag Resource Campus, Dakota Room, Door C. 2680 Empire Road, Dickinson. Contact person: Kurt Froelich. Phone: 701-456-7665. Email: kurt.froelich@ndsu.edu. Registration is encouraged.

WARD COUNTY. North Central Research Center, 5400 Hwy 83 S, Minot. Contact person: Emily How. Phone: 701-857-6444. Email: emily.how@ndsu.edu. Registration is required.

WILLIAMS COUNTY.  Williams County Highway Complex Conference Room, 5218 141st Ave. NW, Williston. Contact person: Kelly Leo. Phone: 701-577-4595. Email: kelly.leo@ndsu.edu.

Anyone with access to the internet can participate!

It's Easy and Convenient

If you cannot go to a training site, please join us online. 

REGISTER TO RECEIVE ALERTS

Everyone is welcome to attend online at home!

Click "Register to Attend Online at Home" to register. It takes one minute. Type in your email address carefully. We will update you with handouts for each presentation every week.  

Hundreds of gardeners attend at their homes every year. It's easy and convenient.

ARCHIVED SESSIONS

Don't worry if you miss a forum. All 2023 presentations are archived on this page. All presentations of past years are available on the Spring Fever Garden Forums web page.