Winter Learning
Winter Learning Opportunities
Winter is the time of year to put the gardening challenges of the last year behind, and dream about what to grow and how to grow it in the new year. It is a great time to
look at seed catalogs and learn new things for the upcoming growing season. This winter offers the possibility of lots of online learning as most conferences and workshops have moved online due to COVID. Perhaps the one great benefit of the current crisis, is the explosion of availability of information and quality educational opportunities online. For instance, I recently visited the Great Lakes Expo to learn more about growing vegetables. I’ve never had the opportunity to travel to this well respected conference in person, but 2020 allowed be to visit it virtually, and learn from some amazing experts.
Like my virtual trip to the Great Lakes Expo, there are opportunities locally and around the country to learn more this winter as you dream about growing things next year. Many of this year’s workshops and talks have been recorded and are still available to view over the winter while you have more time and need to see something green.
The Get Growing Veggies Spring Series and Garden Soil Health Presentations can be found on our website at
https://www.douglas.k-state.edu/lawn-garden/growing-food/foodgarden.html
The Extension Master Gardeners Virtual Gardening Presentations from 2020 are available at:
https://www.douglas.k-state.edu/lawn-garden/index.html
The K-State Garden Hour presentations are available at
Finally, just to highlight one upcoming conference that is a regular source of information and education for local fruit and vegetable producers is the Great Plains Growers Conference (GPGC), which is moving online for 2021 and changing dates from its traditional early January time to February 12 and 13, 2021. The GPGC will have talks for fruit and vegetable growers on marketing, tree fruit, small fruit, vegetable production, integrated pest management, controlled environment production and more. The Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program is organizing a Farmer Forum of previous SARE grant recipients to share what they have learned with fellow farmers. While the online format will certainly have a different feel than a traditional in person conference, it will also spare the worry about travelling on snow packed or icy roads that seems to be a perpetual challenge with the Great Plains Growers Conference.
Early registration is available through the Dec 31, 2020 for $50 for the two-day conference. For More information on the Great Plains Growers Conference, or to register visit-
https://www.greatplainsgrowersconference.org/
