Grow Your Own, Nevada! returns

RENO — University of Nevada Cooperative Extension’s fall Grow Your Own, Nevada! Program presents eight classes statewide to help Nevadans get on the path to more sustainable, local, healthy living by growing and preserving more of their own food.

The series features back-to-basics information for backyard or small-acreage edible gardening.

“Many Nevadans are interested in getting back to their roots,” said Cooperative Extension Horticulture Specialist Heidi Kratsch. “We’re offering these courses to help Nevada growers turn their backyards into sustainable, edible gardens.”

The program runs 6 – 8 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, Aug. 30 to Sept. 22. Classes will be held live at the Washoe County Cooperative Extension office, 4955 Energy Way in Reno, and via interactive video at several Cooperative Extension offices throughout the state.

Along with Kratsch, presenters include Cooperative Extension Certified Master Gardener Volunteers Earstin Whitten and Michael Janik, Horticulturist Wendy Hanson Mazet, Urban Integrated Pest Management Program Coordinator Melody Hefner, Extension Educator Joy Paterson, and Native American Programs Coordinator Randy Emm.

“I think it’s satisfying to be able to grow things and consume them yourself,” said Whitten. “You can’t get any closer to farm-to-table than growing stuff in your own backyard and eating it at your own table. Take these classes, and walk away with more confidence of having success.”

Workshop topics include the following:

Aug. 30: Raised Beds

Sept. 1: Garlic Selection

Sept. 6: Pressure Canning

Sept. 8: Freezing, Drying and Storing

Sept. 13: Fruit Tree Selection and Storage

Sept. 15: What the Tribes are Doing With Hoop Houses

Sept. 20: Preemptive Pest Control

Sept. 22: Cover Crops

To register for any or all of the upcoming Grow Your Own, Nevada! classes, visit http://www.growyourownnevada.com/. The class fee for those attending at the Washoe County office is $15 per class or $60 for all eight classes. The cost covers class supplies, materials and refreshments. Reno participants attending all eight classes will also receive a USB flash drive containing gardening resources. K-12 teachers and Master Gardeners in Reno receive a discount on registration cost. Class fees in other locations vary.

Residents should contact their local Cooperative Extension office for information on attending the workshops in those locations. Persons in need of special accommodations or assistance should call at least three days prior to the scheduled event.