Cooperative Extension’s free Gardening in Nevada classes return in February

University teams up with Washoe Parks and Bartley Ranch

January 22, 2016
Apple Fruit Tree

Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Michael Janik will offer tips on selecting and caring for fruit trees at 6 p.m., Feb. 2 at Bartley Ranch, as part of Cooperative Extension’s Gardening in Nevada series. Photo courtesy of Wendy Hanson Mazet, University of Nevada Cooperative Extension.

Cooperative Extension’s free Gardening in Nevada classes return in February

University teams up with Washoe Parks and Bartley Ranch

January 22, 2016

Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Michael Janik will offer tips on selecting and caring for fruit trees at 6 p.m., Feb. 2 at Bartley Ranch, as part of Cooperative Extension’s Gardening in Nevada series. Photo courtesy of Wendy Hanson Mazet, University of Nevada Cooperative Extension.

Apple Fruit Tree

Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Michael Janik will offer tips on selecting and caring for fruit trees at 6 p.m., Feb. 2 at Bartley Ranch, as part of Cooperative Extension’s Gardening in Nevada series. Photo courtesy of Wendy Hanson Mazet, University of Nevada Cooperative Extension.

Northern Nevada's high elevation means Nevada has a short growing season, which makes gardening more of a challenge. So as the planning season begins, University of Nevada Cooperative Extension and their Certified Master Gardeners offer a chance to help you get the most out of your garden. Cooperative Extension has teamed up with Washoe County Regional Parks and Open Space to offer "Gardening in Nevada: The Bartley Ranch Series." Classes are free and run 6 - 8 p.m. every Tuesday, Feb. 2 - March 29, at Bartley Ranch Regional Park, 6000 Bartley Ranch Road in Reno.

The classes are taught by Cooperative Extension horticulturists and experts, and Cooperative Extension's certified Master Gardener volunteers. Classes include:

 - Feb. 2: Selecting and Caring for Fruit Trees - Certified Arborist and Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Michael Janik, who grows more than 100 varieties of fruit trees in northern Nevada, gives tips on fruit tree selection, planting, maintenance and soil and pest management.
- Feb. 9: Heirlooms, Past and Present - Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Pamela Van Hoozer discusses the importance of biodiversity, marketability, advantages and challenges of successful crops, and how to work with locally adapted varieties.
- Feb. 16: From Buds to Vines and Grapes to Wine - Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Joe Bernardo covers the basic skills of growing grapes and making wine in Nevada.
- Feb. 23: Dealing With Pests in the Landscape and Garden - Cooperative Extension Urban Integrated Pest Management and Pesticide Safety Program Assistant Melody Hefner discusses the steps to create a pest management plan, including alternatives to chemicals for pest control.
- March 1: Training and Pruning Fruit Trees - Certified Arborist and Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Michael Janik discusses the basics of fruit tree pruning, pruning to maximize production and the art of espalier (training fruit trees to grow on trellises or against a flat surface).
- March 8: Landscape Gardening for Wildlife - Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Becky Colwell discusses cover food, nesting, and water and shelter needs of backyard wildlife, along with how to attract wildlife such as butterflies, birds and earthworms.
- March 15: Designing a Water-Efficient Landscape Using Native Plants - Cooperative Extension Horticulture Specialist Heidi Kratsch shares how to use the natural environment and physical characteristics of local native plants to create a soothing and aesthetically pleasing landscape.
- March 22: Growing Succulent Succulents - Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Liz Morrow discusses the vast selection of succulents well-suited for our area, as well as their growing conditions, care and maintenance.
- March 29: Successful Vegetable Gardening - Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Randy Robison shares how he produces abundant crops and tips on improving garden soil, crop rotation, companion planting and gardening in raised beds.

For more information on "Gardening in Nevada: The Bartley Ranch Series," or for general horticultural inquiries, contact University of Nevada Cooperative Extension at 775-784-4848 or mastergardeners@unce.unr.edu, or visit www.unce.unr.edu. Persons in need of special accommodations or assistance should call at least three days prior to the scheduled event.

January 22, 2016

Editor's Picks

Two bike riders along a paved path with views of pine trees and Lake Tahoe.

Earth Month events focus on increasing campus sustainably, gardening, thrifting and more
Kendra Isable.

Anthropology doctoral candidate places second in regional Three-Minute Thesis Competition
A photo collage with all the faculty members mentioned in the article.

A look at careers of substance and impact
Woman holding a microphone, an image of a rocket in the background.

NASA astronaut Eileen Collins shares stories at Women in Space event
Latest From

Nevada Today

Education & Public Service

Center for Urban Water Conservation celebrates 30 years of research

Public invited to tours, presentations and native plant sale

A row of wine grapes in an orchard.
4/18/2024
Education & Public Service

Reno/Sparks selected to be part of Urban Heat Mapping Campaign

The summer 2024 effort will involve community volunteers and is supported by the National Institutes of Health, NOAA, Climate.gov and Heat Watch

A boy works with a woman to affix a device to a passenger car window. The device looks like a mallet with a long handle.
4/18/2024
Education & Public Service

Join Extension to celebrate Arbor Day with a tree planting ceremony

Registered attendees will have the opportunity to learn from arborists and win a prize

A desert museum palo verde tree.
4/17/2024
Media & Society

Journalism school hosts 59th Scripps Dinner and Lecture, honors four students with scholarships

Steven Waldman, founder and president of Rebuild Local News, was this year’s Scripps lecturer

Four student scholarship recipients, each with a gold medal around their necks.
4/16/2024
Health & Medicine

Wilderness medicine program director leads a life of adventure

Wilderness and sports medicine specialist Arthur "Tony" Islas, M.D., wields his expertise on and off the path

David Fiore and Arthur Islas holding up a sign that says "Wilderness Medicine" in a forest next to a waterfall.
4/16/2024
Research & Innovation

Grand opening of new School of Public Health building

Ribbon cutting ceremony marks the new home of the School of Public Health at the Edna S. Brigham Building

A cheerleader, Brian Sandoval, Muge Akpinar and Jeff Thompson smiling while holding large commemorative scissors at the School of Public Health's ribbon cutting ceremony.
4/17/2024
Arts & Culture

Classical Tahoe returns to the University of Nevada, Reno at Lake Tahoe

Celebrate music and the beauty of the natural landscape from July 7-August 4

A woman plays the violin on a path in the middle of a forest.
4/16/2024
Research & Innovation

Ask the Professor: Which bees will my garden attract?

A recently published article outlines the relationship between bee nutrition and flower visits

A bee on top of a starburst-looking plant with the desert Nevada landscape blurred in the background.
4/17/2024