By Aidan Mortensen | KOAL News

A staple of the Castle Country is the unique and diverse displays of gardening present throughout the area. These botanical creations leave many inspired to begin their own gardening journey, yet unsure where to start. This is where the Eastern Utah Master Gardener program comes in.

Program coordinators Rowe Zwahlen and Steven Price joined the KOAL newsroom to discuss the program and what attendees can expect to learn throughout the seven-week program.

“The Master Gardener Program has been around in Utah for a really long time. And we’ve had a local group for Carbon and Emery County for quite a while, actually,” explained Price of the program. “And then for the past few years, we’ve kind of integrated Eastern Utah into its own group. That way, we can serve everyone from Uinta Basin all the way down to Mexican Hat.”

Part of the benefit of attending the Master Gardener Program is the knowledge available on soil and growth techniques specific to the Castle Country and its surrounding areas. “Eastern Utah is its own thing. We have to be, I think, the best gardeners. We’ve got some tricky conditions, even compared with other parts of the state. So this is going to be information tailored to our specific conditions,” shared Zwahlen.

The series of classes begins at the bottom with the most basic information, slowly building up to more advanced techniques and theories. “Our goal is to grow you into a Master Gardener. So we start with very base level concepts of soil science, of plant science, you know, even basic pest management,” said Price. “And then we work our way up into kind of more niche topics like landscape design, irrigation, fruit trees, small fruits and vegetables, of course. So we really try to give you a good base to kind of build on.”

Becoming a master gardener is more than making plants grow; it also includes service to the community, with each participant required to complete 40 hours of service to the community using the skills they have learned. “If you want to call yourself a Master Gardener, we insist that you do the community service aspect. We have some people that are just interested in the class, but really to get the most out of it, we want you out there practicing the things that you’ve learned in class and giving back to the community.”

Delving into the nitty-gritty of the class, Zwahlen shared,” We’re starting Jan. 13. It’ll run through the end of January and into February. It’ll be Tuesday and Thursday evenings, 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. All of these will be live webinars, so it’ll be online. You can stay home in your sweatpants and eat your own snacks. And then there’s also the option if you miss one, they’ll be recorded, and you can catch up on those.”

Registration for the Master Gardener Program is open on Eventbrite. The class costs $200 but offers a 50% early-bird discount to those who register before Dec. 15.

“We really like to be able to offer this early bird discount just to make it a little bit easier,” said Price. “Plus, we really like people to get signed up for the end of December, in case anyone’s looking for a great Christmas present out there for your horticulturally minded loved ones.”

The Utah State University – Extension Eastern Utah Master Gardener Program begins on Tuesday, Jan. 13, and runs through Thursday, Feb. 26, on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Registration is open on Eventbrite.