First of all, Happy New Year! With all the events of the past couple of years, it feels like just making it this far is worthy of celebration. So, today’s a good day to take it easy, watch some football (Go Pokes!), and start thinking about this year’s garden.

If you are planning to start a garden this year for the first time or are just wanting to become a better gardener, we just opened registration for our Spring Urban Gardener classes.

We started this series of classes a few years ago as a way to help provide Tulsa gardeners with a good foundation of horticultural knowledge so you can be more successful in the garden. Covid has tried to derail us a couple of times in the not too distant past, but we’re ready to get back in the classroom.

The Urban Gardener series is divided into two tracks: Seed to Supper and Landscape and Lawn. Seed to Supper is primarily for those interested in growing fruit and vegetables while Lawn and Landscape speaks to those with an interest in flowers, trees and shrubs, and lawn management. There are 3 classes in each track but most people enroll in all six classes which gives them a good knowledge base to help them become more successful.

Seed to Supper covers soil, nutrient and fertilizer management, soil testing, composting for the home gardener, types of vegetable gardens, planning your garden, deciding what to plant, understanding seed packets, starting plants from seed, and how to handle plant disease and pest problems in an environmentally friendly manner.

Lawn and Landscape includes flowers (with an emphasis on pollinator gardens), planting trees and shrubs, best tree and shrubs for Tulsa, pruning, turf selection, turf management, weed basics, and disease and pest problems.

These classes start on Tuesday, February 22 so you will complete the classes before growing season gets into full swing. Each Tuesday (for six consecutive Tuesdays) we’ll meet at the OSU Extension Center from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. The cost for the complete series is $40 but we set these classes up so you can sign up for the whole series, a single track of 3 classes in your area of interest, or just sign up for an individual class. We do suggest you sign up for all six because the information in the classes builds upon the another to give you a really good basic understanding of good gardening practices.

To sign up, just visit our website (www.tulsamastergardeners.org), click on the Urban Gardener logo, and enroll. The site also has more in-depth information about the classes.

If you have an interest, it’s a good idea to sign up pretty quick since these classes always sell out. We hope to see you there!

You can get answers to all your gardening questions by calling the Tulsa Master Gardeners Help Line at 918-746-3701, dropping by our Diagnostic Center at 4116 E. 15th Street, or by emailing us at mg@tulsamastergardeners.org.