Workshop: Volunteer to Grow Native Plants

Native plants have tremendous water quality benefits and increase habitat and food sources for pollinators. Because of this, the Dane County Land and Water Resources Department has started a native plant growing program to provide a source of free native plants for schools and community groups. This training will teach you how to become a volunteer plant grower! We will provide an overview of native plants and teach you everything you need to know to grow the plants - no prior experience is needed. Attendees are expected to grow plants for the free plants program and care for them until August 2027. 

Dane County will provide all of the supplies except the potting mix which the volunteers are asked to purchase themselves. The entire growing system is outdoors so no indoor space or grow lights are needed. Volunteers need a sunny, outdoor space to grow the plants. After the workshop, volunteers will take home seeds to sow in milk jug greenhouses over the winter. In the spring, volunteers will transplant seedlings and water them over the summer as they grow. They will bring them back to be distributed in August. Volunteers are welcome to grow plants for themselves at the same time using this growing system.

An email with additional information will be sent to registered workshop participants the week before the workshop.

You must register in advance. Max number of participants is 20.

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REGISTRATION:
To sign up for this workshop you must first register as a Dane County Parks volunteer though our online MyImpact Volunteer Portal. Once you are signed up as a volunteer, you can sign up for the workshop here.

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COMMITMENT:

• Volunteers can grow as many or as few plants as they would like, but they must commit to: 
• Must have a sunny location for growing. A location on a table off the ground (and away from bunnies) is ideal. 
• Must care for their plants until AUGUST and bring them back on a scheduled date or arrange for a friend to bring them.
• Finding a plant sitter to water the plants during vacations/absences. 
• Picking up trays in the spring when an email is sent with info. 
• Purchasing potting mix (we can help with this if it causes a financial burden). It is important that only potting mix is used, not potting soil or soil dug from the ground. 
• Growing location is free of jumping worm. 
• Responding to emails from the program staff.

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Accessibility: 

• Training will be seated in an indoor space with air conditioning and heat.  
• Single stall, gender neutral bathrooms are available on the lower level. 
• Our department is committed to providing meaningful access to our programs and resources to all individuals, regardless of primary language or ability. If you need language assistance services or an accessibility modification for this program, please submit this request form a minimum of 10 business days before the program to make the request. Please note, it is not possible for all programs to be modified.