University of Nevada Cooperative Extension rolling out Grow Your Own series

The average carrot travels over 1,800 miles to get to our dinner plates. Processing and shipment of food accounts for 93 percent of our food cost.

University of Nevada Cooperative Extension is offering eight new “Grow Your Own, Nevada!” classes at 10 locations statewide to help Nevadans who want to get on a path to more sustainable, local, healthy living by growing more of their own food.

“Anyone can become a better gardener by attending these classes,” Cooperative Extension Horticulture Specialist Heidi Kratsch said. “From the beginner to the advanced gardener, everyone can benefit from a Grow Your Own class.”

The series of workshops will run May 3-26 from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. The workshops will provide gardeners and those interested in growing healthy foods with a back-to-the-basics guide to producing bountiful harvests in Nevada.

Topics include: Warm-season Vegetable Gardening on May 3; Gardening in Nevada’s Soils on May 5; Know Nevada Insects: Decomposers and Pests on May 10; Know Nevada Insects: Pollinators and Beneficials on May 12; Tomatoes 101 on May 17; Composting Made Easy on May 19; Preserving the Harvest: Hot-water Canning on May 24 and Seed Saving on May 26.

The workshops will be held at the Washoe County Cooperative Extension office, 4955 Energy Way in Reno. They also will be available via interactive video at Cooperative Extension offices in Battle Mountain, Carson City, Elko, Fallon, Gardnerville, Hawthorne, Lovelock, Pahrump, Winnemucca and Yerington.

“Gardening in Nevada is a challenge,” Kratsch said. “But you can learn to deal with our harsh climate and poor soils by building on the success of others. Grow Your Own educators are experienced gardeners and growers and are excited to share what they know with the community.”

To register for any or all of the upcoming “Grow Your Own, Nevada!” classes, go to 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.