I like winter, okay? I like having a little break from weeding and watering and I love having a break from the heat. But, dang. When our recent snowstorm hit, I groaned. I’m definitely trying to eke out some winter fun activities in these last few weeks of snow, but my brain has already completely switched gears to spring. I mean, it’s seed-starting time!

Question: What’s a good way to find out about inexpensive or even free gardening classes for northern gardeners?

Answer:

Uffda, have we got resources for you!

Start with the website you are currently reading! The hort society recently revamped their community events calendar, and I’m bookmarking it right now. It’s packed full of interesting events, most of which are low-cost or free. Although most of these are in the Twin Cities metro area, I easily found several in greater Minnesota. You can also use the navigation at the top of the website under Events to toggle between all community events or just classes and webinars.

There are lots of radio and TV shows and podcasts for Northern Gardeners if you prefer to learn in a more casual way. Whenever I’m on the North Shore I love to tune in to WTIP community radio station in Grand Marais—they have a regularly-scheduled Northern Gardener radio program. Grow with KARE, featuring local TV newscaster Belinda Jensen, is also very popular in the Twin Cities. To get information right from the source, listen to the University of Minnesota’s own horticulture expert Julie Weisenhorn, who regularly appears on WCCO’s Smart Gardens show.

Local Master Gardeners are also a great resource for finding out about events in your specific area. Try googling “(Your County Name) Master Gardeners,” for example “Mille Lacs County Master Gardeners.”

March and April are also great months to take gardening classes and get excited about spring, because, come May, it’s plant sale and planting time! The hort’s event calendar has lots of plant sales listings in the Twin Cities area and beyond. Simply skip forward in the calendar to May and you’ll soon be dreaming plant dreams, too.

If you are a member of a nonprofit garden club or society that puts on events, you can submit your event for inclusion on the online calendar. Your event may even be included in the next print issue of Northern Gardener magazine. Let’s work together to expand this resource.

Got indoor or outdoor gardening questions? Ask them in the comments below. If we don’t get to yours, you can Ask a Master Gardener via our online form, or call the yard and garden line at (612) 301-7590.

Other helpful resources:

Yard & Garden Home

The Master Gardener Volunteer program

Jennifer Rensenbrink is a University of Minnesota Extension Master Gardener Volunteer for Hennepin County. She somehow has two mini-prairies on her tiny south Minneapolis property.

@jenniferrensenbrink