Back to school for gardeners

No matter how much you know, there's always more to learn. That's one of my favorite sayings. I use it often in lectures and live by it personally. And when it comes to learning about plants, there's no substitute for being in the garden. Even through our failures, we become better gardeners. Yet it's not the only place to sharpen your horticultural saw. Anytime is a great time to step out of the garden and into the classroom. Whether you want to know more about growing vegetables, planting trees, designing your garden or using native plants, chances are there is a class for you in your area.

For the curious to the serious gardener, the sky's the limit. At Temple University and other such institutions around the country, there are several certificate programs such as Environmental Sustainability, Horticultural Therapy, Landscape Plants and Native Perennial Garden Design. The Native Perennial Garden Design 14-credit certificate program involves five in-depth courses related to residential planting design.

Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania, near the Delaware border, offers a Certificate of Merit in Ornamental Horticulture. This program, to name one, is designed for serious gardeners who want to know more about horticulture in categories such as plant sciences, plant identification and horticultural techniques.

If an actual classroom environment is not your cup of tea, online learning is a popular option. Cornell University's horticulture department, for instance, offers organic-gardening distance-learning courses (http://hort.cals.cornell.edu/cals/hort/teaching/distance-learning/organic-gardening.cfm). This course helps "experienced gardeners broaden their understanding of organic techniques for all kinds of gardens." During eight weeks, this noncredit course covers vegetables, fruits, flowers and ornamentals, lawns, soil health, composting and organic pest management.

Continuing education is a major factor in public-garden programming. Whether you just want to take one course on a Saturday or a class that meets once a week for multiple weeks, you can find a wide offering through your local public garden.

For instance, in Austin, Texas, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Institute is offering "Nature Nights" on Friday evenings this fall. The Institute encourages everyone to come for "a fun exploration of plants, animals and the ecology of Central Texas"through lectures, hikes and nature crafting. For those who want to learn everything there is to know about native plants, it offers "Go Native U." In this informal program, you can learn about the sustainable use and conservation of native wildflowers, plants and landscapes.

For those who want an inexpensive (or even free), informal approach, consider attending an educational event at your local garden center. Garden centers across the country frequently offer classes, seminars and workshops. On the West Coast this fall, for example, the Common Ground Organic Garden Supply and Education Center in Palo Alto, Calif., is offering a five-part edible-garden lecture series, "From Design to Harvest."You will learn garden design and planning, composting, soil testing and preparation, seed propagation and transplanting, and how to nurture healthy, edible crops.

If you live in the Seattle area, Seattle Tilth (seattletilth.org) offers a variety of interesting courses including its wildly popular Master Composter certification. Want to learn how to grow organic food, raise chickens or preserve food? I like "Lawns to Lettuce," where you can learn techniques for removing your old turf and putting in your new garden bed. Urban homesteaders can learn more from "City Chickens 101" and "City Goats 101." We did an episode for "Growing a Greener World" at Seattle Tilth and were really impressed with all they have to offer.

Speaking of impressive, another stop on our episode tour was a recent visit to the Rodale Institute in Kutztown, Pa. In inexpensive, hands-on workshops at their organic farm, you can learn anything from getting your garden started to composting. This fall, the workshop topics include natural agriculture, planning an English herb garden, backyard trees, pruning basics and herbal gifts from the garden.

So, what are you waiting for? Whether you dig into a certificate program or ease into a short lecture, you'll be sure to learn something new about a favorite subject and meet fellow gardeners that share your interests. If only college could have been that way!

Joe Lamp'l, host of "Growing a Greener World"on PBS, is a Master Gardener and author. For more information, visitwww.joegardener.com.

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