Portage County Master Gardeners

10/25/2026

Loving this creative pumpkin carving!

Make a Sunflower Pumpkin - so fun! 🌻🎃

10/24/2026

It can be so tempting to do a thorough clean up at this time of year. Check this out though. It looks neat and you leave stalks for pollinators!

RESTORING NATURE: Approximately 30% of native bees excavate cavities or use existing cavities in deadwood or plant stems. Intentionally planting native plants that have pithy or hollow stems is a great way to attract and support these native bees. Examples include perennials, such as Cup Plant, goldenrods, and asters; grasses like Little Bluestem; native vines in the Rubus genus; and shrubs like hydrangeas, sumacs, and elderberries.

The stems of these plants need to be retained through the winter and cut back to various heights between 8 and 24 inches in the spring for use by the bees who are looking for places to create and provision nests for their young. New growth of the plants will cover up the bare stems which should be kept into the spring of the second year, allowing any new adult bees to emerge.
For more information, see page 7.11 to 7.13 in Nature’s Action Guide.

10/22/2026

Well, yes. They have a point. 🤔😮😂

10/20/2026

What is better than a garden visit monthly meeting (ok, or at least as good as)? A Harvest Festival monthly meeting! Portage County Master Gardeners Volunteers brought something from their fall garden to display. We shared in a delcious soup, salad, and bread dinner with caramel apples for dessert. Several project leaders created display boards of their work. Great conversation, great food, fun displays! Many thanks to everyone who worked on putting this together, including event coordinators Rita Connelly and Claudia Miller.

10/19/2026

This is a great resource for us as well! Check it out.

Most serious gardeners are aware of the hardiness zone in which they're gardening, but did you know that knowledge of your zone provides limited information? "Hardiness zones represent years of plant trials over a wide area," write Don McMoran, Sheri Hunter, and Sacha Buller in the WSU publication pictured here, "but they are of limited value unless coupled with local knowledge and experience. When you recognize your microclimates and pair this information with USDA hardiness zone recommendations, you will make better plant choices and site plants wisely."

This interesting and informative free 10-page publication describes such influences on microclimate as elevation and topography and describes how microclimate affects soil and spring warming. The publication closes with strategies for successful gardens based on microclimate. The publication links to an online tool, AgWeatherNet, that helps users establish a picture of their regional climate; however, the link provided leads to a warning of a non-secure site. Instead, use this link to get to the AgWeatherNet tool: https://weather.wsu.edu/. Download the publication here:https://wpcdn.web.wsu.edu/wp-ecommerce/uploads/sites/2/product-3742-sku-FS181E.pdf

10/18/2026

Are you planting garlic? Now is the time! See comments for more information about growing and harvesting garlic.

It’s Saturday and the many of you Gardeners will be either planting garlic or preparing to plant garlic .
Some of you will be turning over compacted soil to get ready to sow
Unlike tomatoes and other garden veggies , garlic ( and its other allium cousins ) requires only 5” of soil depth .
Tilling down 10-14” is great but unnecessary 

Yup you only need 5” or about 12 1/2 cm 

10/17/2026

Are you ready? If not, be sure you get any houseplants indoors today. Most plant material from tender bulbs will die back tonight, but as long as your soil doesn't freeze you can still pull the bulbs tomorrow to clean up, dry and store for the winter.

A Freeze Warning has been issued for portions of north central, northeast, and northwest Ohio and northwest Pennsylvania from 1 AM to 9 AM EDT Sunday. Sub-freezing temperatures as low as 30 are expected. Frost and freeze could kill crops and sensitive plants and may damage unprotected outdoor plumbing.

10/16/2026

This series of webinars is a real favorite for Master Gardener Volunteers. So many great topics and speakers, it's hard to choose just one!

We are excited to launch our 2026-2027 Horticulture Webinar Series, beginning at noon on Tuesday, October 20.

Join us for an engaging presentation by Laura Akgerman from Ohio State Disability Services, who will be speaking on "Gardening Across the Lifespan."

As we grow older, gardening does not have to stop. Laura will discuss a variety of tools, techniques, and adaptive strategies that can help gardeners continue enjoying their favorite hobby, even when faced with challenges such as arthritis, mobility limitations, or other disabilities. Her presentation will highlight practical ways to make gardening more accessible, comfortable, and enjoyable throughout all stages of life.

Whether you are looking for new ideas for yourself, a family member, or members of your community, this is a presentation you won't want to miss.

We hope you'll join us for this informative and inspiring session! For more information and free registration, please visit go.osu.edu/mgvlearn