Discover The Secrets of Soil with Master Gardeners

Photo by Steve Hoffman.

Join the Door County Master Gardeners Association (dcmga.org) on Aug. 2, 4 pm, at the Peninsular Agricultural Research Station, 4312 Hwy 42 N. in Sturgeon Bay, for a free, hands-on learning experience. 

Jamie Patton, an outreach specialist in UW-Madison’s Nutrient and Pest Management Program, will give a “ground-level” view of soils in their natural environment and demonstrate the importance of continuous living roots, minimizing soil disturbance and the role of beneficial organisms in keeping soils healthy and plants productive. 

She will also give a demonstration and tour of a large milpa garden – a “chaos” garden that isn’t planted in rows. This type of polyculture, in which diverse crops are planted together in a mix, creates synergies that promote soil fertility, soil health and natural pest control. Modeled after the milpa gardens planted by Mesoamericans, chaos gardening is an ancient, but new-to-us way of growing food.

Attendees are encouraged to provide their own lawn chairs. The rain date is Aug. 3, 4 pm.