Pests and disease can very often be a roadblock to urban or back yard garden vegetable and fruit production. In this workshop we plan to teach an integrated approach to managing pests in the backyard urban environment that will help to ensure that both organic and conventionally minded growers are successful in their efforts to grow produce. We will teach participants how to use cultural controls to help turn their garden into an ideal environment to avoid pests, how to identify pests and diseases in gardens, and actions that should be taken once these pests and diseases are found. Join us for classroom instruction plus hands-on experience scouting for pests in vegetables and fruit at the Campus Garden.

Instructor Dr. Aaron Cato is an Extension Specialist in Horticulture Integrated Pest Management for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture – Cooperative Extension Service. Dr. Cato is an Entomologist whose work focuses on sustainable management of pests (insects, pathogens, and weeds) in fruit and vegetable crops by employing systems approaches that rely on pest prevention and cultural controls, scouting, economic thresholds, and use of targeted and specific pesticide applications.

Registration available at UA Little Rock Extended Education

Class size capped at 25

Location: DSC 201 transitioning to the Campus Garden

Time: 9 a.m. – noon