The wintertime is a great opportunity to brush up on your gardening skills in preparation for the spring planting season ahead.
But let’s face it: the holidays — as cheerful as they are — can be expensive.
While we want to encourage you to deepen your gardening knowledge, we also understand spending constraints. So we’ve gathered these 8 free or low-cost gardening talks and courses that you and the other garden-lovers in your life can take.
Spending time with loved ones who enjoy sustainable gardening this holiday season? They may be interested in this list of free and low-cost courses!
Gardening Talks & Courses from University Ag Extensions
We cannot praise your local Ag Extension enough as a true wealth of gardening resources. We love our local TN Ag Extension, and encourage you to make contact with your own local Ag Extension reps!
Several Ag Extensions across the U.S. offer free or low-fee online gardening talks and courses. Here are just a few of those.
University of Arkansas
While their events calendar isn’t yet fully fleshed out for the new year, the University of Arkansas does have a free Grow Your Own Groceries: Microgreens virtual class happening in January.
Cornell
Cornell’s Small Farms Program offers a host of online courses covering the gamut of starting your own farm. Some of these are self-paced courses, while others adhere to a schedule. These courses, like the self-paced, free Plan Your Farm Hub course, are great for those looking to start a farm to operate as a business.
Texas A&M
The Texas A&M Ag Extension offers quite a few online courses in agriculture, some free, others at a low cost. Their Gardening courses all have a small fee.
University of Oregon
The OSU Extension began a free monthly Zoom series for the experienced gardener this year, covering topics from seed characteristics to season extension techniques. They are planning an entirely new series for 2022. This is a great option for our friends in climate zones similar to Oregon!
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona Extension offers several free online gardening talks open to the public throughout the month of December. Some of the classes will only apply to those living in desert zones 8 – 10, but others, like “Short Take: Master Gardeners’ Favorite Gloves” on December 20 apply no matter what zone you call home!
A final takeaway: this list only covers a handful of Ag Extensions in the United States. Do a quick Google search for your own local extension — you’ll be amazed at all the (often free) resources, like guides and classes, you can discover!
Growing Organic Food Sustainably Online Course
This free course through the online learning website, Alison, is a great introduction to new gardeners who are interested in growing not just organic food — but growing it in a way that is sustainable for the planet, too.
This 6-module course takes about 1.5 – 3 hours to complete. You can join the more than 4,000+ students who have already taken this free course here.
Access dozens of gardening courses with Skillshare
Skillshare offers several different online gardening classes. Right now, Skillshare is offering a 7-day free trial. After that, it’s about $14/month. Keep in mind, for that price you get access to thousands of courses, from learning new hobbies to sharpening business skills. If you are someone always itching to learn, a Skillshare membership might be a good investment in the new year.
Learn from my free Gardening 101 Youtube video
Last but not least… I created this Youtube video packed with resources to make your 2022 garden successful. In it, I cover soil testing, companion planting, and more. Grab your favorite coffee, tea, or hot cocoa and dig in here. Be sure to send me an email to ask for the files that go with the video.
Email us with your gardening questions.
If you have any questions at all about gardening, don’t hesitate to reach out! Our mission is to guide you to a life of more joy and less stress by teaching you to grow your own healthy & pesticide-free food, use natural resources wisely, and save money through simple, sustainable practices. Send us your questions at stoneycreekfarmtennessee@gmail.com.
Merry Christmas from our family to yours!
