Do you want to plant a garden but don’t know where to start? West Virginia University’s Davis College of Agriculture, Forestry and Consumer Sciences may have the solutiona summer course in home gardening.

Available during both summer sessions, the class will teach students about tilling, sowing, mulching, watering, pest and disease control, harvesting, seed saving, and storage of vegetables, flowers and fruits.

The class is open to all WVU students and community members who want to have fun while learning more about home horticulture.

I want to teach people the basics of home gardening in an environmentally responsible way,said Sven Verlinden, associate professor of horticulture.On a larger scale, students will learn about the other benefits of gardening such as exercise and healthier eating habits.

The three-credit-hour course will be hands-on, with students maintaining their own vegetable and flower garden, a 10-foot by 10-foot space, for the duration of the class.

Following the completion of the course,if they are interested in maintaining the garden, they will be able to do so until the fall,Verlinden said.

Since this is the first time the class is being offered, Verlinden is eager to see if there is interest in the topic.

If there is, hopefully we’ll make it a regular course,he said.

During both summer sessions, the class will meet from 7-8:15 p.m. every Monday and Thursday at the Agronomy Farm in Morgantown . Summer Sessions A and B run from May 22-June 30 and July 3-Aug. 11 respectively.

For more information, contact Verlinden at sverlind@wvu.edu .