Alachua County and UF are teaming up to offer classes in sustainability this month.
Starting Saturday, the classes, which have been offered before, are open to anyone with beginner to intermediate experience in gardening, said Denise DeBusk, an environmental and community horticulture agent. Most of the classes will take place at UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, located at 2800 NE 39th Ave.
“The majority of these classes are workshops,” DeBusk said. “They give a baseline of how to either grow food or grow plants, as well as how to protect the environment.”
The classes include Managing your Pests on your Favorite Plants, which is free, Vegetable Gardening 101, Irrigating your Edible Garden and Water Efficiently. They cost between $5 and $35 per person.
Previous classes have held more than 70 students but will now only have 25 to 30 available seats for more hands-on experience.
Small sizes will be an advantage, especially in the vegetable gardening class, she said.
“Some of the new ones — the Vegetable Gardening 101 — they are actually going to get to build a square-foot garden,” DeBusk said.
Ella Donaho, 22, said she plans to attend the Irrigating your Edible Garden program March 14. She has been gardening since she was 10.
“I want to go so I know how not to over-irrigate, and what’s the proper amount, so I don’t destroy my edible garden,” the UF sustainability and the built environment senior said.
She said she’s excited to see what the class can offer her and how much she can learn.
“I want to be able to get the quality that I want out of my edible garden, while still being productive and healthy.”
