We are excited to introduce you to our new online gardening courses.
1) Landscape Design – Create a Design for Your Own Garden
Do you look at your garden and think, that’s kind of boring!
Do you want to create a better looking garden but don’t know how to start the process?
Do you ask yourself why some gardens seem so special?
If you answered yes to these questions then this course is for you.
This course will guide you through the process of creating an exciting garden design for yourself. You will watch me go through the process with a sample garden, step by step, and then repeat the process with your garden.
School Options
Udemy – is a pay as you go program where you pay for each course as you select it. It’s a less expensive option if you only take a couple of courses.
2) Pruning Trees and Shrubs
Do you stand in front of a tree or shrub and wonder what to prune?
Are you afraid that you will kill the plant?
Do you ask yourself why a plant needs to be pruned?
If these questions sound familiar then this course is for you.
This course will take you through the complete process of pruning trees and shrubs. It is designed for the gardener that wants to understand their plants better, and use pruning to produce healthier plants that produce more blooms.
Udemy – Pruning Trees and Shrubs
School Options
Udemy – is a pay as you go program where you pay for each course as you select it. It’s a less expensive option if you only take a couple of courses.
3) Understanding Soil
Usually given through the University of Guelph, Arboretum. Check back in spring for details.
10 Workshop Course:
- Why Should I Understand Soil? Introduction to the soil course. Meet the instructor, Robert Pavlis, learn about his background and enjoy and aerial visit to his 6 acre botanical garden.
- Introduction to Soil This lecture explains the main components of soil, defines what good soil is and the role of microbes in creating good soil.
- Selecting the Right Soil Learn the pros and cons of different kinds of soil and soilless mix. Then review a number of common gardening situations and Robert helps you select the best soil.
- Plant Nutrients Learn about the nutrients that plants need and understand the NPK numbers on a container of fertilizer. Then learn the pros and cons of both organic and synthetic fertilizers.
- Selecting the Right Fertilizer This section takes a deeper dive into fertilizer and helps you select the right one for your gardening needs.
- Testing Soil Nutrients This lecture will compare several different soil test options and compare the results from each. Robert shows you how to properly take a soil and explain what the results mean.
- Testing Soil pH In this section Robert defines pH, explains why it is important to plants, shows you how to test it and then discusses if, when, and how you should change it.
- Testing Soil Texture This section will take a deep dive into soil texture. Robert explains what it is, how to measure it, and how to use it to determine the type of soil you have. Then he examines how soil texture affects gardening and plant growth.
- Soil and Fertilizer Myths Soil myths are common and in this segment you’ll look at a number of gardening myths that deal with soil. Understanding these myths will save you money!
- The Rhizosphere The rhizosphere is a thin layer around plants roots. Gardeners don’t know about it, but it is critical to growing better plants. It also shows why the pH of soil is not that important and why microbes are.
You can take either course at your leisure.
4) My First Vegetable Garden
Note: this course is now finished – we may run it again next year
This course is designed for the new gardener or the gardener that has only been growing vegetables for a couple of years. We’ll start at the very beginning, with designing your garden, ordering seeds and end with a detailed discussion of the 10 best vegetables for new gardeners. Focus is on hardiness zones 4 – 6.
These are just some of the topics we’ll cover:
- Creating a new bed and different systems; in the ground, raised beds and growing in containers
- Best soil selection and how to get it ready for the growing season
- When to use seed vs transplants, and starting early indoors
- Dealing with weeds and other gardening tricks
- Watering, sun and fertilizer – keep them growing for a maximum yield
- Harvesting and fall crops
- Common vegetables myths
5) Garden Fundamentals
Note: this course is now finished – we may run it again next year
I developed this course about 8 years ago and presented it annually through the University of Guelph Arboretum. It was their most popular course ever. I have updated the course with new material and will be offering it again this year.
Garden Fundamentals will focus on ornamental gardens including trees, shrubs, perennials, bulbs and grasses. You will gain a good understanding of how these plants grow and their relationship with the soil. We’ll cover lots of practical topics such as planting, maintenance, plant selection, sun/shade requirements, and I’ll give you some of my top picks. This course is suitable for the beginner and intermediate gardener.
- Week 1: Understanding soil
- Week 2: Selecting the right soil for gardens, raised beds and containers
- Week 3: Perennials
- Week 4: Trees and shrubs
- Week 5: Spring and summer bulbs
- Week 6: Ornamental grasses and garden myths
- Week 7: Weeds, pests and diseases