Dane County Food System Helps Solve Local Gardening Problems

Summer in Madison means local gardeners can finally get around to planting backyard vegetable plots and growing food in community gardens. But as any seasoned gardener knows, when it comes to growing plants, questions, problems and unexpected outcomes are inevitable.

To address these plant woes, the local Dane County Food System helps provide research and expert-based solutions to gardeners, farmers and consumers alike.

Whether a commercial farmer has acres of corn plagued by disease, a local organic farmer’s tomatoes have attracted pesky insects or a hobby gardener wants to grow new fruits and vegetables, the program acts as a resource for citizens looking for answers to questions regarding plant disease, insects, mending soil, growing organic produce and more.

As a division of the University of Wisconsin-Extension, the Dane County Food System helps implement UW-Extension’s mission to provide university resources to communities throughout the state. It offers gardeners a variety of online information, such as plant solutions and financial tips, through educational websites based on university research and resources.

The System also runs its own blog, which serves as another resource for information about events, organizations, brochures and news, Dane County UW-Extension Department Head and Community Food Systems Educator, Carrie Edgar said.

“We want [the blog] to be the one place to find out everything going on in the county with food systems,” she said. “It’s not a commercial website, but for non-profits or educational programs to put up helpful information for Dane County residents.”

As a community-focused program, Dane County Food System aims to facilitate communication between the many organizations that focus on food and agriculture in Dane County, Edgar said.

“We are fortunate in Dane County to have this multitude of educational and non-profit organizations… we want to help support them and the farmers and consumers they work with,” Edgar said.

A workshop or meeting planned for later this fall will gather these organizations together to network, share information and find ways to collaborate with one another on projects throughout the County, she added.

Dane County Food System also hosts other workshops and programs, including afterschool programs and the Master Gardener Program. The latter program trains residents in botany, horticulture and other topics so they can spread their knowledge throughout the community as a resource and volunteer.

Master Gardeners host informational sessions at community events and gardens throughout Madison, Dane County Food System Horticulture Educator, Lisa Johnson said.

Residents can attend the public events or seek additional help for gardening troubles by calling the Dane County UW-Extension office at 608-224-3700. They can also e-mail a picture to the office, or visit them in person with a sample of the problem, such as an insect or diseased plant, Johnson said.

We asked Johnson to share some tips and information about popular insects and diseases Dane County gardeners should watch out for.

What insects should residents around Madison be aware of in their gardens?

Right now, squash vine boar and squash bugs are looking for cucumbers, zucchini and melons to lay their eggs in. Many of these bugs have already laid their eggs, so gardeners should look for adult beetles around their plants.

The squash vine boar has a red-orange body with black dots and dark wings. These insects burrow into plant stems and feed for weeks. Squash bugs are a brownish to grayish color with a tear drop-like shape and disturb water flow within the plant, causing it to wilt.

The Colorado potato beetle and European corn borer are also present in the southern and central Wisconsin areas. Learn more about them in the UW-Extension Vegetable Crop Update.

What about disease?

Early blight, a fungal disease characterized by dark-colored circular splotches on leaves, are present in potatoes and tomatoes around Wisconsin. While it may affect vegetable quality and yield, early blight often fails to kill plants.

Late blight, however, is another fungal disease characterized by fuzzy gray spots on leaves and stems that can kill plants quickly. Recent reports have found late blight in Waukesha.

Septoria leaf spot on tomatoes is yet another fungal disease characterized by spots with a white inside and dark outer edges. This disease also affects quality and yield but rarely kills plants.

Any other tips on how to ensure a healthy, successful gardening season?

This season has been very dry, which is good in terms of avoiding fungal diseases that need moist weather to spread. [If a gardener gets a fungal disease], put mulch down to separate the crop from the soil to help prevent the spread of the disease.

Gardeners can also cut off lower leaves of tomato plants that touch the ground to alleviate soil-born problems. Also, when it’s dry we see a lot of tomato blossom-end rot. Gardeners can alleviate this disease by keeping soil consistent and continuing to water the plants.

For more information on these insects and diseases, check out the UW-Extension Vegetable Crop Update.