The hour plant lovers have been waiting for is nearly at hand. South Dakota State University Extension’s 2023 Garden Hour series will debut tonight (May 2, 2023).
The weekly webinar series is from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. CST every Tuesday through the end of August. During the webinars, an SDSU Extension horticulture team member hosts a featured speaker and panel of experts who give short, topical presentations and answer audience questions.
This is the third year of Garden Hour, an heir to the Garden Line TV show that ended in 2011. The regular season typically runs from May through August, with bonus episodes every other month during the off-season.
Amanda Bachmann, SDSU Extension Pesticide Education and Urban Entomology Field Specialist, will host the first regular season episode and said it will be a chance to introduce the horticulture team and provide some early season gardening tips as South Dakotans come off a harsh winter. Bachmann said they like to keep Garden Hour’s topics timely and relevant. During a drought, they may discuss rain gardens, while in late summer hosts often interview food preservation specialists.
“It’s not necessarily all about growing,” Bachmann said. “It’s about how to use what’s coming out of your garden. It’s for anyone who is interested in plants, or in what is going on in their backyard.”
SDSU Extension’s other horticulture team members include John Ball, professor, SDSU Extension Forestry Specialist & South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources Forest Health Specialist; Rhoda Burrows, professor and SDSU Extension Horticulture Specialist; and Kristine Lang, assistant professor and SDSU Extension Consumer Horticulture Specialist. The team members alternate as hosts throughout the season.
“I’m a bug person, so I always learn something new about plants from Kristine and Rhoda. I’ve read all of John’s tree pest alerts,” Bachmann said. “The odds are high that every week you’re going to learn something new.”
Garden Hour will be recorded and published on the SDSU Extension YouTube channel. Bachmann said a perk of attending the webinars is the ability to submit questions and get answers during the event.
“It’s really one of the best ways to hear directly from our SDSU Extension horticulture experts,” Bachmann said. “You have immediate access to them.”
People can also submit questions any time via the Ask Extension widget on the Garden & Yard Problems & Solutions page, and Bachmann said hosts will answer them during Garden Hour as time allows.
Registration for Garden Hour is free and available on the SDSU Extension events page by searching “Garden Hour”. One signup will register participants for the entire series. Confirmation Zoom links and reminders will be emailed. Master Gardeners can also receive continuing education credit for attending the live sessions.
To receive regular updates and the latest resources on gardening and landscaping, South Dakotans are also encouraged to subscribe to SDSU Extension’s bi-weekly Garden and Yard newsletter at https://extension.sdstate.edu/
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