Want to plan ahead for a fall gardening course from Michigan State University Extension (MSU Extension)? MSU Extension’s next Foundations of Gardening course runs from Sept. 3 – Nov. 19, with live sessions taking place on Tuesday evenings from 6-8:30 p.m. The online format enables you to participate from home with a variety of learning materials, including videos, readings and weekly live speakers. 

Foundations of Gardening is a 10-week online course designed for the gardening enthusiast who wants to understand how to create beautiful, productive and sustainable gardens for personal use, a business or a community. It is also the first step needed to apply to become an MSU Extension Master Gardener Volunteer. 

This course reveals the science behind growing your best garden ever. Learn how to create healthy soils and plants, manage diseases and pests, attract pollinators and so much more. Units include plant science, soils, propagation, entomology, plant diseases and pests, lawncare, growing flowers, trees and shrubs, fruits and vegetables and environmental gardening. Weekly units are comprised of readings, online activities, videos and a 2.5-hour live virtual lecture with MSU horticulture experts. 

The cost of the course is $350, with several scholarships available for the next session. A scholarship reduces the cost to $200 and requires a short application. The scholarship application for the fall session runs from May 29 – June 26, 2024. Visit Foundations of Gardening for more information on how to apply for a scholarship and for more fall 2024 registration information.  

Here’s what our 2023 students had to say about their Foundations of Gardening experience:

“I thought the course offerings were thorough and informative.”

“I have told many people about this course, and highly recommend it.”

“This was a great, great course and I’m sad that it is over.”

“I thought the course was very informative. I was in awe of the knowledge of the instructors and faculty at MSU. Their enthusiasm for the subject was great.”

“I appreciated the live sessions. I truly loved the course. I learned far, far more than I had expected to.”

“I learned so much during the classes. My friends have learned a lot also because every week I would say ‘Did you know that…’.” 

Foundations of Gardening is also the pre-requisite course for those wanting to apply to become an MSU Extension Master Gardener Volunteer. Students need to successfully complete all unit learning materials and achieve an 80% or better score on all unit post-assessments and the final exam. Students who finish the course with a satisfactory score will earn a Certificate of Completion and are eligible to apply to the MSU Extension Master Gardener Program®.

You may also wish to take the course without the desire to become an MSU Extension Master Gardener Volunteer. That is OK! This course will help you understand what goes into creating a healthier garden, what is best for the environment, and how to source reliable information. With numerous online resources that can be downloaded for future use, you will have resources available even after the course ends. Join the MSU Extension consumer horticulture team this winter and learn what MSU Extension has to offer by signing up for Foundations of Gardening.

For additional questions about this course, email us at MSUE.FOG@msu.edu.

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