Upcoming events

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• Rooted in water: Home Hydroponic Basics

  • When
    2 Sep 2025
  •  
    6:00 PM - 7:00 PM
  • Location
    Enabling Garden - 1050 1st Ave S. Altoona, IA 50009

  Register

  

  Join Joe and Lindsay Leonetti as they discuss their experience with home hydroponics. 

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• East Side Plant Swap

  • When
    6 Sep 2025
  •  
    10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
  • Location
    2559 HUBBELL AVENUE

  

  Drop in to the East Side Library for a Plant Swap! Bring labeled houseplants or outdoor plants to share. Don’t have a plant? Come anyway; there will be extras! ISU Polk County Master Gardeners will be on hand with tips, tricks, and answers to your questions.

  SAT., SEPTEMBER 6 | 10 AM-12 PM

  EAST SIDE LIBRARY 2559 HUBBELL AVENUE

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• Monarch Days Blank Park Zoo

  • When
    6 Sep 2025
  •  
    10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
  • Location
    7401 SW 9th Street Des Moines, IA 50315

  Polk County Master Gardeners booth pop up at

  Blank Park Zoo Monarch Days! 

  Be a monarch and migrate to Blank Park Zoo to celebrate the great monarch migration! Join our Plant.Grow.Fly partners as we celebrate the monarch’s incredible journey to Mexico! Show your pollinator pride by wearing your favorite butterfly wings, bug antennae, or pollinator apparel, and enjoy family-friendly activities including Pollinator Yoga/Guided Stretching, dancing with Jovenes Embajadores, a pollinator storytime, a lively pollinator dance party, and other fun activities.

  Proud to partner with... 

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• Landscape Design & Herbaceous Ornamentals

  • When
    13 Sep 2025
  •  
    9:00 AM - 11:00 AM
  • Location
    Discovery Garden, 1207 E Iowa St. at the Des Moines fairgrounds next to the Agriculture Building
  • Spaces left
    38
  • Registered
    3 registrants

  Register

  Up your garden designing, knowledge of annuals and more! 

  
  

  Join Kay Oliver, Master Gardener, for education and interactive learning in the Discovery Garden. Kay will be discussion landscape design components of gardening and specifics about various types of herbaceous ornamentals. 

  Strongly encouraged for fall Master Gardener trainees but the event is open to all Master Gardeners and members of the public. 

  
  

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• 2025 Fall Gardening Workshop

  • When
    18 Sep 2025
  •  
    6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
  • Location
    ISU Polk County Extension Office, 1625 Adventureland Dr., Suite A, Altoona, IA
  • Spaces left
    3
  • Registered
    77 registrants

  Register

  

  Test your skills, ask burning questions and do some hands on learning. Come out to Altoona Extension Office for a fun, interactive event on various fall gardening tasks such as propagating coleus, how to make bulb lasagna, installing a bee lawn, and more. 

  2 hrs. CEU for Master Gardeners. This event is open to the public. 

  
  

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• Hello Iowa Appearance with Jordan House

  • When
    7 Oct 2025
  •  
    11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
  • Location
    Hello Iowa - Broadcast Television

  Get the scoop and watch Hello Iowa on October 7th to catch the Polk County Master Gardeners and Jordan House reveal a new project and discuss the upcoming 

  Heritage Jubilee 175th Anniversary!

  Don't miss this inside peak to learn more about Jordan House and how the Polk County Master Gardeners have teamed up to further the Master Gardener's mission of gardening education by adding a twist of history and culture!

   

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• Enabling Garden - Ribbon Cutting New Shed

  • When
    10 Oct 2025
  •  
    12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
  • Location
    1050 1st Ave. S; Altoona, IA 50009, behind the Altoona Hy-Vee

  Polk County Master Gardeners - Enabling Garden Ribbon Cutting Ceremony 

  Join Enabling Garden and the Altoona Chamber for Commerce for a celebration and Ribbon Cutting for the new shed structure at Enabling Garden. The new shed was made possible by Meta. Other stakeholders and contributors are the Carpenters Training Institute, Painter Union, and the City of Altoona Parks and Recreation.

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• Jordan House Heritage Jubilee - 175th anniversary

  • When
    11 Oct 2025
  •  
    12:00 PM - 5:30 PM
  • Location
    2001 Fuller Rd, West Des Moines, IA 50265

  Register

  

  Celebrate History with the Jordan House in West Des Moines. The West des Moines Historical Society and the Polk County Master Gardeners are teaming up for celebration 175 years in the making. Come for food, fun and learning at this one day event featuring: 

  • Wattle Fence Construction
  • Braiding Seeds in Hair
  • Preserving Herbs for Winter and Tea Station
  • Seed Saving
  • PCMG Ambassador Q & A
  • Creating Floral Arrangements
  • Bulb Lasagna
  • Indigenous Gardening - Three Sisters
  • Pressed Flower Art 

  And More! This is a free event and is open to the public. RSVP and let us know you plan to attend.
  

  
  

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• Fall Clean UP- Enabling Garden

  • When
    18 Oct 2025
  •  
    9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
  • Location
    1050 1st Ave. S; Altoona, IA 50009, behind the Altoona Hy-Vee

  Enabling Garden Fall Clean Up

  
  

  Still need volunteer hours? Join Enabling garden for their fall clean up. A second fall clean up date is on Tuesday, October 21st at 4 pm. 

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• 2025 - Plant Propagation Lab, IPM, & Seed Starting 101

  • When
    20 Oct 2025
  •  
    5:30 PM - 7:30 PM
  • Location
    Greater DM Botanical Garden, 909 Robert D. Ray Dr, Des Moines, IA 50309
  • Spaces left
    54

  Register

  

  This event is for Master Gardeners (MGs) only. This event is required for new trainees for Fall 2025 MG Class. Up to 20 more slots for already active MGs. 

  GROUP A - Trainees_ Starts with Seed Starting 101, goes to Plant Propagation, then ends with IPM.

  GROUP B - Trainees _Starts with Plant Propagation, goes to IPM, then ends with Seed Starting 101.

  GROUP C - Active MGs _Starts with IPM, then goes to Seed Starting 101, ends with Plant Propagation

  Choose your group when you register. All groups will attend each session. The group determines where you begin and end. 

  Please remember your group assignment, when you arrive and check in we will also have the list with instructions.

  Overall lab descriptions:

  Master Gardener Trainees will have the opportunity to practice seed starting and propagation skills at the DM Botanical Gardens. This event is only open to MG Trainees. There are 3 groups so please remember your group assignment, or look on your app, when you arrive. This counts as 1 of 3 required in-person sessions. 

  Sow Seeds and transplant basil in your kitchen window this winter! You can transplant what you grow next spring. 

  Training includes Integrated Pest Management Techniques, Watering and Soils/Potting Media, Sowing Seeds including Supplemental Lighting, Transplanting, "Watering in" transplants, and Care for you transplants at home, as well as Propagation where you can learn how to propagate leaf cuttings, divisions, and more!

  
  

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• 2025 Fall Harvest Celebration

  • When
    30 Oct 2025
  •  
    6:00 PM - 9:00 PM
  • Location
    Polk County Extension Office, 1625 Adventureland Dr., Suite A, Altoona, IA. 50009

  Register

  The Polk County Master Gardener Program Committee invites you to our Fall Harvest Celebration!  Join Polk County Master Gardener's for an evening of learning and fun!   

  5:30     Arrival, Directory Photos, and Year End Slideshow 

  6:00    Dinner - Pulled Pork Sandwiches – Bring a Salad or Dessert  

  6:30    Housekeeping and Social Time

  6:45   Education:  Dustin Reese from Ted Lare Garden Center, presents
                               "Fantastic Fall Perennials"

  7:45    Social time and Photos for Directory 

  This event is open to the public.

  Master Gardeners and Trainees are encouraged to attend this important yearly meeting and celebration.  Non-Master Gardeners are welcome. Master Gardeners receive 1 hour of education for attending. 

  Please bring your own drink container. Water and coffee will be provided. 

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• Spring Kick Off PCMG Awards and Recognition

  • When
    9 Apr 2026
  •  
    6:00 PM - 9:00 PM
  • Location
    Polk Extension Office 1625 Adventureland Dr. Suite A
  • Registered
    3 registrants

  Register

  This evening is to celebrate all the accomplishment of 2025! There will be special awards and dinner is provided. 

  Education Session is TBD soon. This evening will include 2025 Awards and Recognition.

  Evening Agenda:

  Agenda:

  6-6:30 dinner & social time

  6:30 p.m. Speaker TBD  (earn 1 hour of education)

  7:30 p.m. Break

  7:40 Awards and Celebration. In addition to the MG Special Awards, folks with milestone MG years will be honored.

  This event is open to the public. Please bring family and friends! Master Gardeners and non-Master Gardeners are welcome. Master Gardeners receive 1 credit CEU for attending. 

  UPDATE: The Program Committee will be supplying the main course- chicken, hamburgers and the vegetable dishes for this event, as well as coffee and water.  Please plan to bring your favorite dessert to share for this event.  

  Let's keep it green, please bring your own reusable water bottle. 

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