Carbon and Emery County USU-Extension Offices will be offering a Master Gardener Class beginning on January 11 till February 24, 2022. The Tuesday and Thursday evening classes will be held from 6:00 pm to 8:30 pm. Castle Country Radio was able to sit down with Agriculture Assistant Professor, Steve Price and Extension Assistant Professor, Rowe Zwahlen to discuss all the details.

“We cover pretty much all aspects of gardening. So for a one year program, which is our Master Gardner program now, we’ll have 14 different classes. So we’ll cover everything from basics, meaning, soil science to botany, clear up to more advanced things, like landscape design or irrigation, but we cover everything in between. The cool thing about it is really rather than looking at online classes that might be taught outside of the area, really the information we are giving you is locally relevant,” stated Price. The material shared through the program will cater to our own unique climate and soil in the area.

The course use to be offered as a two-year program but this year organizers have decided to offer the two-year program in one session. “So we’re going to have all 14 classes offered in 2022 in one year. It used to be a two-year rotational session but this year we’ll be able to get everybody through and you’ll be able to get a certificate in one year,” said Price. The classes will be offered with instruction coming from the USU Extension Offices in Carbon, Emery and San Juan County.

All classes will be online with some in-person opportunities. “We actually had a really great response last year; we were worried doing everything online would decrease attendance but it actually increased. So a lot of people really enjoyed being able to sit on their couch, when it’s cold outside, and talk about gardening. So we’re going to give people that option. There will always be a live-stream option, you can watch it on zoom if you never want to meet us in person. But if you enjoy that meeting with other gardeners and getting to meet the community when I’m teaching in Castle Dale it will be live and I’ll be there and you can come in person; the same with Steve in Price,” explained Zwahlen.

Organizers are offering a discount if you register before December 14. “So before December 14 is a 40 percent discount so the normal price is $200.00 per person and before that would be $120.00. We also have a couples discount if you want to do it with your significant other. It’s roughly 40 hours of classroom time, and then the manual, and then some, we usually do some hands-on workshops as well that you would be able to participate in,” stated Zwahlen. The manual attendees will receive is full of information that will be covered in the program and will assist one to become a successful gardener.

Any questions or further information is needed please call the USU Extension Office in Carbon at (435) 636-3235 or in Emery at (435) 381-3535.