With the price of groceries continuing to rise, it’s getting more difficult for families to eat healthy. Many families are opting to find alternatives such as home food production.
For those people who are interested in this option, the University of Missouri Extension is offering a free online course in basic vegetable gardening.
“The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has put an added financial strain on many Missouri families,” said MU Extension horticulturist David Trinklein. This has resulted in many people putting out vegetable gardens for the first time in an attempt to lower their food bills.
“Research has demonstrated that home vegetable gardening has a 25:1 return on investment, making it an excellent way to save money while at the same time providing fresh, nutritious food,” Trinklein said.
The free course, “The Beginning Gardener—Getting Stated With Vegetables,” is offered by MU Extension to aid novice gardeners during this stressful time.
According to Trinklein, the course was designed to instill in new gardeners, or those who aspire to grow a home vegetable garden, a basic understanding of the practices involved.
Using the Canvas learning management system, the self-paced course consists of five lessons covering vegetable gardening basics, soils and plant nutrition, insect and disease management, individual vegetable crop culture, and container gardening. Each lesson contains a practicum as well as a knowledge assessment.
Register at extension2.missouri.edu/the-beginning-gardener-getting-started-with-vegetables-2020.