Fancy a garden but no green thumb? Charlotte gardeners host free classes during COVID

Have you got your garden set up, or are you still planning out your curbside plant pickup? Mecklenburg County’s master gardeners are ready to step in and help with a weekly series of free online classes.

This week, you can tune in via Zoom to three one-hour classes: a Q&A forum on Wednesday, where you can ask any question about a plant or pest issue, a Good Bug, Bad Bug session on Thursday and a Friday class on lawn care that’s specific to south-central North Carolina.

You can register here — and there’s a bonus. You can also find videos on past classes covering horticulture topics such as introductory gardening, composting and backyard chickens at the same link.

Anne Sheffield, a master gardener volunteer for the Mecklenburg County branch of the NC Cooperative Extension, said gardening is a good thing to do when you’re stuck at home under coronavirus stay-at-home measures.

“It’s a sure-fire way to keep you sane during these stressful times,” Sheffield said. It’s great exercise, but being outside in this beautiful weather can renew your spirit.”

She noted that gardening can also help you feel more productive in the era of COVID-19. “If you like having a sense of accomplishment at the end of the day, add gardening to your to-do list. And that includes weeding.”

What to plant

Noting that we’ve had periodic rain and favorable weather conditions, Sheffield said, “There’s not a better time than now to plant perennials and annuals and to think about warm-season vegetables. As temperatures get warmer (closer to 70 degrees), you can plant a variety of vegetables, like beans, cantaloupes, corn, cucumbers, eggplant, okra, peppers, pumpkins, southern peas, squash, sweet potatoes, tomatoes and watermelons.”

You can also take things small. “If you’re not ready to jump in with both feet, try growing one or two plants in containers. Just make sure your container plants get watered daily,” Sheffield added.

If flowers are more your thing than veggies, Sheffield advised gardeners to consider adding native plants to your landscape, which can help the environment, as well. “Native plants tend to be well-behaved in the garden. They are rarely invasive. And local wildlife, birds and butterflies rely on them for food, shelter and nesting,” she said.

Mecklenburg County’s Master Gardener Help Desk is also open for business to answer questions about plant or pest issues, which you can submit online.

This story was originally published April 28, 2020 at 4:25 PM.