Cooperative extension offices

Wisconsin Horticulture Extension

Madison, Wisconsin, serving Wisconsin. Listed as a reference, not an endorsement.

Overview

Wisconsin Extension Horticulture provides new gardener resources, gardening education, and answers to lawn, landscape, and garden questions. This listing is provided for reference, not as an endorsement, certification, ranking, or guarantee of current availability.

Services and programs

  • New gardener resources
  • Gardening questions
  • Master Gardener program

What to verify before you go

Contact the organization or review its official source before making a trip, placing an order, joining a garden, or applying for funding. Details that commonly change include:

  • Current question form
  • Local Master Gardener services
  • Seasonal programs

Related directory resources

Browse all extension offices or return to the directory hub.

Sources and last verified

Source: University of Wisconsin Madison Extension. Last checked 2026-10-04.

Wisconsin Extension Horticulture provides new gardener resources, gardening education, and answers to lawn, landscape, and garden questions.

What this listing covers

The source connects gardeners with horticulture specialists, educators, and the Wisconsin Master Gardener program.

Before contacting the program

Use the current question form and check local program availability. Seasonal classes and response channels may change.

More tools

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Choose

What should I plant

Match plants to your sun, space, and goals.

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Can I grow this

Check a plant against your light, space, pH, and season.

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Calculate

Soil pH amendment calculator

Get pounds of lime or sulfur to move your soil pH.

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Plant pH preferences

Look up the soil pH range your plants prefer.

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Garden guides

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Greenhouse growing

Greenhouse temperature guide for seeds and seedlings

Use crop-specific greenhouse temperatures for seed germination, seedlings, frost protection, and ventilation, with practical day and night ranges.

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Diagram of a raised bed cross section showing timber walls, a layer of existing soil or coarse fill, and the measured depth of new soil being added.

Materials

How much soil does a raised bed need?

How to measure a raised bed and turn the volume into bags or bulk cubic yards, with a worked example for a common 8 by 4 bed.

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October calendar diagram showing planting windows for garlic, spring bulbs, hardy greens, and cover crops closing as the first fall frost approaches.

Seasonal

What can I plant right now in my garden?

In early October, most US gardeners can still plant garlic, spring bulbs, hardy greens, and cover crops. Here is what is still open and what has closed.

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Diagram of a tulip bulb in a soil cross section planted at about three times its own height, pointed end up, with a depth marker of 6 to 8 inches.

Fall planting

When should I plant tulip bulbs?

Plant tulip bulbs in fall, about 6 to 8 weeks before the ground freezes. Here is how the window shifts by region and how deep to plant.

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Plant library

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Illustration of a strawberry plant with two berries on curved stems

Fruit

Strawberries

A perennial fruit crop that bears for several seasons when beds are mulched, thinned, and renewed.

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Illustration of a blueberry branch with leaves and a cluster of berries

Fruit

Blueberries

A long-lived shrub that demands acidic soil, then repays the preparation for decades.

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Illustration of a raspberry cane with clusters of berries

Fruit

Raspberries

A perennial cane fruit that bears on first-year or second-year canes depending on the type you grow.

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Illustration of a striped watermelon resting on the ground

Fruit

Watermelons

A sprawling warm-season vine that needs heat, space, and a long frost-free window.

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Glossary terms

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seeds

Seed viability

Seed viability is the ability of a seed to remain alive and capable of germinating under suitable conditions. It is different from germination speed or vigor.

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soil

Soil aggregate

A soil aggregate is a cluster of sand, silt, clay, organic matter, and biological material held together as a crumb or soil structural unit.

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soil

Soil pH

Soil pH measures how acidic or alkaline a soil solution is. It affects nutrient availability and should be interpreted with the crop and a reliable soil test.

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soil

Soil salinity

Soil salinity is the concentration of dissolved salts in soil water. High salinity can make water harder for roots to absorb and injure sensitive plants.

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Gardening directories

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Nurseries and garden centers

Native Texas Nursery

Native Texas Nursery publishes a wholesale catalog of Texas native plants and a separate availability process for established customers.

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Nurseries and garden centers

Native Plant Trust Garden Shops

Native Plant Trust Garden Shops offer plants native to New England and its ecoregions through Garden in the Woods and Nasami Farm.

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Seed companies

Ernst Conservation Seeds

Ernst Conservation Seeds publishes native seed and seed mix resources for habitat, meadow, pollinator, wetland, and restoration sites.

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Seed companies

Vitalis Organic Seeds

Vitalis Organic Seeds publishes an organic vegetable and culinary herb seed catalog for North American growers.

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