There's a particular kind of frustration that comes with gardening in southern Gila County. You plant something that thrived in a magazine photo or a YouTube tutorial, and it withers anyway, because that advice was written for someone else's soil, someone else's climate, someone else's pests. This fall, Gila Community College and the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension are offering a way to fix that problem for good.
Starting August 18, GCC's Gila Pueblo Campus and Cooperative Extension are offering AGR230, “Gardening and Landscape,” a course built specifically for growers in this part of the state. Classes meet Tuesdays from 9:00 to 11:45 a.m., running through December 8, at the Gila-Pueblo Campus, 8274 South Six Shooter Canyon Rd.
The instructor is Christopher Jones, county extension agent, who will bring in expert guest speakers from Gila County and the University of Arizona for lectures and hands-on activities throughout the semester.
*****This isn't generic gardening advice — it's regionally specific instruction on soil, irrigation, native and adapted plants, and the pest and disease pressures unique to southern Gila County.****
The course follows standard GCC tuition and fees, and the required text is the Arizona Master Gardener Manual, available online through UA Cooperative Extension Publications. Arizona residents 55 and older should ask about the senior tuition waiver.
Registration:
The last day to register is August 21. If you haven't registered at GCC recently, you'll need to do so in-person with two forms of identification; returning students can register directly online.
Completing AGR230 isn't just about learning, it's the entry point into becoming a certified master gardener.
The master gardener program is a volunteer program run through university extension services, and it works on a simple exchange: You get real, science-based horticultural training, and in return, you commit to giving some of that knowledge back to your community.
Certification is granted after successfully completing the course, registering as an official UA volunteer, and completing at least 50 hours of volunteer educational service within the following 12 months.
Whether it is helping your neighbor diagnose a pesky problem with his tomatoes, teaching a workshop in container gardening, or helping with a community garden, the goal is to pay it forward. And of course, your own garden will thank you.
Persons with a disability may request reasonable accommodation, such as a sign language interpreter, by contacting Elisa Oros at 928-351-6029. Requests should be made as early as possible to allow time to arrange the accommodation.
For more information about the class or becoming a master gardener volunteer, call Chris Jones at 928-719-4475.
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