Resources for Gardeners

Horticulture Hotline

Questions on how to make the most of your plot? Try asking other gardeners in your community – they can be a wealth of knowledge, and you’ll make a personal connection. UW-Extension Madison Dane County Master Gardener volunteers are also available to answer questions: call the Horticulture Hotline at 608-224-3721, or send them an email at horticulture@countyofdane.com. The Horticulture Hotline is staffed by volunteers May-October, if you have questions at other times in the season please contact Dane County UW Extension Horticulture Educators.

Gardening to Fight Hunger in our Community

Gardens devoted principally to donated food are generally organized by the   Madison Area Food Pantry Gardens.  You can also donate from your  food directly to pantries.  Not all pantries take fresh produce, due to COVID-19 restrictions and the difficulty of storing perishable goods, so see this list, linked here for where to donate near you.

Dane County Seed Library

Three Dane County libraries – Goodman South, Lakeview, and Oregon, run a self-sustaining seed exchange program. This program offers seed packets of 15+ different vegetable varieties for at-home gardening. After growing the vegetables, participants may choose to return the harvested seeds back to the library offering the program; there is no penalty for not returning seeds.  For more information, visit the program’s website.

UW Extension Diagnostic Services

Common Pests

Jumping Worms

Common mammal pests

Brown and Black Rat (pdf)
Chipmunk (pdf)
Rabbit (pdf)
Raccoon (pdf)
Squirrel (pdf)
Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrel (pdf)
Vole or Meadow Mouse (pdf)
White-Tailed Deer (pdf)
Woodchuck-Groundhog (pdf)

Common diseases

Allium Rust (pdf)
Aster Yellows (pdf)
Bacterial Speck & Bacterial Spot (pdf)
Bacterial Wilt on Cucurbits (pdf)
Blossom End Rot (pdf)
Downy Mildew (pdf)
Early Blight and Septoria Leaf Spot (pdf)
Late Blight (pdf)
Powdery Mildew (pdf)
Verticillium Wilt (pdf)

Common insect pests

Bean Leaf Beetles (pdf)
Cabbageworms (pdf)
Colorado Potato Beetles (pdf)
Cucumber Beetles (pdf)
Cutworms (pdf)
Earwigs (pdf)
Japanese Beetles (pdf)
Flea Beetles (pdf)
Root Maggots (pdf)
Squash Bugs (pdf)
Squash Vine Borers (pdf)

Common weeds

Canada Thistle (pdf)
Crabgrass (pdf)
Creeping Charlie (pdf)
Field Bindweed (pdf)
Garlic Mustard (pdf)
Lambsquarters (pdf)
Pigweed (pdf)
Purslane (pdf)
Quack Grass (pdf)
Reed Canary Grass (pdf)
Wild Parsnip (pdf)