Have you ever wanted to grow your own food or create a beautiful landscape? Or, maybe you are tired of watching YouTube videos and are ready to do it yourself.

If so, the DIY (Do it Yourself) Gardening Series may be for you. Now that I have you hook, line and sinker, let me give a caution: Do not go out and plant your entire garden this weekend, since it looks like we are about to have a few frosts or freezes this weekend.

Other than that, I want you to plan on attending some of these upcoming DIY events. All of the events will be held at the Cooperative Extension office at 2727 Old Concord Road from 9 to 11:30 a.m.

The events will be held outside in the demonstration gardens, so be sure to bring gloves and clothes that can get dirty.

Last week, at our kickoff event on how to build raised beds, we had more than 30 participants. We built two beds within an hour and a half. If you missed out on the raised beds, you missed a great program, but stop by the office to see the work and collect some great information on how to start your own.

Shade & compost

Our next class will be on how to create a shade garden and how to do your own vermicompost. We all have shady areas that won’t grow lawns and seem to always grow moss. This DIY session will show you how to have the perfect shade garden!

If you are interested in compost, you will love vermicompost, since it is composting with worms. During this class, you will learn everything you need to know about how to get your worm bins started and how to use your food scraps to create beautiful compost.

This class will be held April 23; mark your calendar since it will be here before you know it.

Poor soil & slopes

On May 21, the DIY Gardening Series will cover how to garden in poor soil and on slopes. If you have steep slopes or what locals call “bull tallow” soil, this class is for you.

Extension Master Gardeners will help guide you into proper soil sampling and amending techniques, as well as provide great ideas on gardening with slopes.

Growing herbs

A class to be held July 30 will be, “How to Grow Herbs!”

Whether you want to use them for your culinary masterpieces or medicinal salves, the Extension Master Gardeners know how to grow your herb gardens. Extension Master Gardeners will help you create and design your own herb garden using everything from drom apple mint to yarrow.

Pollinators

The last DIY Gardening Series will focus on pollinators. As we know, many of our pollinators are facing issues with habitat loss, overuse of pesticides, and diseases.

If you would like to learn how to grow flowers and plants for pollinators, sign up for the “Gardening for Pollinators” DIY class. This program will be the last of the series and will be held on Aug. 27.

All of the DIY Gardening Series classes are free, but pre-registration is required. To register for the classes, please call the Cooperative Extension office at 704-216-8970.

Danélle Cutting is horticulture agent with the Rowan County Cooperative Extension Service.