Gardening and landscaping can transform your life—by adding green space and becoming immersed in the natural world, you can alleviate stress, increase relaxation, and be rewarded by lush greenery and food that will create a vibrant sensory experience. Being outdoors increases fitness and many gardeners feel a wonderful sense of accomplishment after spending hours cultivating a thriving garden. In short, gardening can make you feel fantastic!

Gardening and landscaping can be a tricky proposition—sustaining plant life is involved work that connects you to an entire ecosystem. However, with the right knowledge and aptitudes, you can turn a bland, boring outdoor space with a lively, colorful explosion of flowers, fruit, vegetables, and foliage. Adding green space is an invaluable way to improve your life, health, and property value too!

If you are looking to learn how to effectively grow and care for a garden, taking one of these online courses can help your garden thrive! From beginning courses to advance-level Master Gardening courses, these interactive tutorials will help you transform any space into an vivid, ornate experience. Whether you are looking to grow your own vegetable or fruit garden, transform a dull space with some handy landscaping, or are trying to simply maintain a few succulents or flowers indoors, we have found some great courses for you!

Gardening can also become a lucrative career for those willing to gain the right credentials or experience. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, gardeners, farmers, and landscapers can make anywhere from around $34,000 to over $60,000. If you are committed to getting your hands dirty, making an impact on people’s lives, or want to provide valuable access to the natural world, you should consider a career or degree in gardening, horticulture, sustainability, or landscaping!

 

 Oregon State University (B.S. in Horticulture): Are you looking to gain a comprehensive education in horticulture? Oregon State University has an incredible online program that covers almost any plant-related topic you may think up and will prepare you to enter numerous horticultural, conservational, and agricultural career paths! OSU’s program has heavy biological emphasis toward mastering the understanding of ecosystems. You will get to take great courses like Forage Production; Plagues, Pests, and Politics; Honeybee Biology & Beekeeping; as well as, bigger picture courses in environmental policy, business management, and sustainability. If you are looking for a serious program invested in making sure its students succeed and become equipped with exemplary skills, look no further than Oregon State!

 

 University of Nebraska-Lincoln (Graduate Certificate in Horticulture): If you have a bachelor’s degree and want to learn more about horticulture and best gardening practices, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln offers an incredible online certificate program with three specialization areas: Advanced Horticulture, Floriculture & Nursery Production Management, and Ornamentals, Landscape, and Turf. These three certificates will equip you with the skills and knowledge to tackle large-scale, professional horticulture projects. If you are intent on mastering advanced-level horticulture, landscaping, and gardening techniques, this certificate program is perfect for you!

 Washington State University Global Campus (Organic Agriculture Undergraduate Certificate): Washington State University offers an 18-credit, 6-course organic agriculture certificate program that will prepare you to take on many small and large scale gardening and farming operations. You will be trained in agriculture science, which includes courses in organic gardening and farming, soil systems, agroecology, a professional internship, and electives in soil sciences, horticulture, business, nutrition, and analysis. A truly unique program, WSU’s certificate will make sure that you are thoroughly prepared to begin working in organic farming, gardening, and horticulture. If you are interested in organic food, sustainability, and horticulture, be sure to check out this fantastic program today!

 Academy of Art University (AA, BFA, and MFA in Landscape Architecture): Landscaping can transform a mundane plot of land, a crowded back yard, or even a gigantic maze of a garden into a magical experience, or even simply be able to help you relax within a space. The Academy of Art in San Francisco offers an incredible experience where you will be able to learn how to design spaces into practical, engaging green spaces. If you are interested in using plants to shape an experience, as well as be able to turn urban spaces into enjoyable, interactive escapes, you should consider becoming a landscape architect. Course work includes classes in: Plants as Design, Grading and Drainage, Computer Aided Design, Site Planning, Garden Design, Water Features for Outdoor Environments, Landscape Social Factors, and many more! Join top landscaping professors and begin to shape the world around you with aesthetically pleasing landscapes!

 UMass Amherst (Certificate in Sustainable Food and Farming): The University of Massachusetts-Amherst has developed a unique and important online certificate program that those seriously committed to sustainability and food production should pay close attention to. This 15-credit, 5 course certificate program will teach you about Sustainable Farming Systems, including “sustainable and organic plant and animal production systems for managing regionally focused (local) farms, organic farms, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farms, and personal homesteads;” Education and Outreach, which will prepare you for promoting, educating, and learning about sustainability and farming; and Public Policy and Advocacy, which will help you navigate the political and organizational waters of sustainability and food-rights campaigns.

This is a tremendous program design to equip you with the skills and knowledge to partake in sustainable farming, gardening, and policy issues. Credit for this program may be used for credit for UMass Amherst’s Bachelor of Science degree in Sustainable Food and Farming and the University Without Walls Sustainability Studies degree completion program.

 Cornell University (Distance Learning Courses): Cornell University’s extension offers some amazing horticulture and gardening courses that will challenge you to truly green your thumb. Offering courses in Permaculture, Botanical Illustration, and general Gardening, these courses will equip you with the skills needed to dig in and get to know the plants you are growing in your garden. You will learn best techniques for growing a flourishing gardening, as well as the ideas you should be thinking about while planning and designing your garden. Cornell’s program is an incredibly unique program that makes gardening an art. Not a program to be missed!

 

If you have your own garden, count yourself as privileged. This space connects you with nature. What’s better than growing fruits and vegetables? To enjoy the beauty of your garden, you need to put a lot of effort to make it beautiful. The right selection of plants for your garden is critical. Plants give color and texture to your garden. Before you start transforming your garden into something beautiful or fruitful, you need to learn about plants and the operational challenges of each type of gardening. We have put together a list of our favorite self-guided courses to help you with.

Sunny Green, Beginner’s Guide to Gardening with a Raised Bed Garden: The course covers every aspect of how to make a raised bed garden. If you don’t have any previous experience with gardening, this is the right course for you! The instructor will explain which equipment to use. There will be a small demo project, where you follow along with the teacher to make a raised bed garden. The program focuses on minimal materials, cost, and equipment. The step-by-step instructions will encourage everybody who wants to make their gardens beautiful. After the course, you will have enough knowledge to make your own raised bed garden.

Sylvia Bernstein, Aquaponic Gardening: Growing Fish and Vegetables Together: The first thing that you are going to learn in the course is what is Aquaponics? Which are benefits of this system? If you have a dream to grow your own organic food, this course is for you. You will learn how to raise fish and plants together. The lessons will follow the instructor’s book the Aquaponic Gardening. You will learn how to make a plan, how to choose a system you’re going to build. Next, you will learn which hardware and systems to use. By the end of the course, you will learn how to grow an entire dinner, right in your backyard!

Teena Spindler, Vegetable Gardening: How to Grow Healthy, Fresh Food at Home: Do you want to produce lots of great tasting fruits and veggies? If you answer is yes, follow these step-by-step instructions. Whether you are a beginner or advanced gardener, take the course. Everybody will learn something new and exciting. The class has eight sections, and each chapter contains multiple lectures. Through these lectures, the instructor will cover the following fields. You will learn about soil preparation, choosing plants, planting, and maintenance. In the end, you will gain enough knowledge to grow healthy food. The most important thing, you will have enough confidence and stop questioning your actions.

Maria Janowiak, A Beginner’s Guide to Gardening in Cold Climates: Grow flowers, vegetables, and other plants in cold climate regions. If you live in a place in which threes lose their leaves in autumn, then you live in a cold climate! People who want to start with gardening in a cold climate should enroll in the course. The course is designed for beginners. If you wish to try a new hobby or start a gardening business, the course will provide you with essential fundamentals. The teacher will talk about gardening styles, improving garden soils, planting and tending plants.

Rick Stone, The Beginner’s Guide to Vegetable Gardening: This is a two-hour basic gardening course. It is designed for people with no or a little gardening experience. The course consists of three sections. Students will learn where to plant a garden, when to plant a garden and what they should be planting. These are the basics that every person who has a garden should know. Whether you are a gardener or not, the course is helpful and full of useful information. Enroll in find out interesting things about gardening.

Meg Smolinski, Easily Grow Flowers, Herbs, & More With Container Gardening: Gardening is a fulfilling hobby. People who don’t have enough space often avoid growing flowers. This shouldn’t be the main reason to avoid such a beautiful hobby. This course is designed for people who have small places. If you are new to container gardening, the course is for you. You will learn how to choose containers and where to place them in your garden. Next, the teacher will explain which plants to choose for optimal plant growth. People who live in apartments are ideal candidates for the course.

Linda Kelso, Gardening Know How: Attracting Birds and Butterflies: Why do we want birds and butterflies in our yards? Birds and butterflies can make a beautiful picture of our yards. Students will have an opportunity to learn how to attract birds and butterflies to their yards. Beauty is not the only benefit of having a birds and butterflies friendly yard. They can increase vegetable and fruit yield, reduce the number of mosquitoes and eliminate pesticide use. If you have these problems, it would be good to take this course. By attending the class, you will find out which flowers and trees attract birds and butterflies.

Rick Stone, Year Round Gardening: Do you like to eat fresh and organic food? Everybody does. You can try to find a store that sells organic food. But, how can you be sure that it is 100% organic food? The truth is, you can have organic vegetables in your own garden. Just follow the instructions from the course and you will learn to do that. You need a little planning and finding the right structure to protect your crops. The course is designed for everyone who lives in cold freezing areas. For example, you will learn how to grow lettuce in December or carrots or spinach in January. At the end of the course, you will know how to grow your favorite vegetables at any time of the year.

Marleny Franco, Soil, The Key To Organic Gardening: Marleny Franco has 25 years of experience in gardening. She has a Master’s degree in Plant Physiology from Rutgers University. Many people avoid talking about soil because it is boring to them. But, soil plays the most important role in organic gardening. If a soil is healthy, a plant will be healthy and our food will be healthy. Since the instructor considers this important and relevant to the field, the course will be dedicated to this topic. You will learn about fertilization, maintaining soil and learn which organisms live in it. Everyone who wants to improve the quality of their soil should consider the course.

Doug Green, Vegetable Gardening: Smart Techniques for Plentiful Results: Doug Green is a gardening expert. The primary mission for the course is to provide instructions for people who want to grow healthy and stronger vegetables. Doug is going to teach you master techniques for developing soil and pest control. Which are the best ways to give your plant nutrition? What are the main benefits of this? How to make a greenhouse with only two materials? Enroll in the course and find out the answers to these exciting questions. People with the previous experience in the field of gardening should consider the course.

Ellen Ogden, Designing Elegant Edible Gardens: Turn an ordinary vegetable garden into a kitchen garden! If you are interested in kitchen garden history, sign up for this course. That is what you are going to learn in one of the course’s chapters. After these lessons, you will be inspired to make your own kitchen garden. Ellen Ogden, the teacher of the course, will help you to design an elegant garden. By using Ellen’s five steps to successful design, you will make a garden that is memorable and functional. Every plan starts with a pen and paper. You will learn how to design your dream garden and transform it into a reality.

Andy & Karen Chapman, Building a Raised-Bed Garden: Andy and Karen will help you to build a raised-bed garden. The teachers are going to take you through the project step by step. You will learn which materials, tools, and skills you need to build your own raised-bad garden. They combine their talents and expertise to demonstrate how to perform the task. Andy is going to show you how to design and construct a raised bed. Karen will talk about soil and planting, irrigation systems and how to extend your garden. Join the course and keep your plants healthy and hardy.

Jenny Peterson, Gorgeous Garden Design: Function & Style: Create a beautiful outdoor garden that is appealing. What is garden style? How do you find your own style? If you don’t know the answers, join the course and get some inspiration. Jenny Peterson is a garden author and speaker. In the class, she will provide three different styles of gardens. These are peaceful, entertaining and mixed styles. For each of these styles, the teacher will explain design principles and illustrate the details. Jenny will also take into consideration your space and your budget. The course will cover cool features like subtle water and soothing lighting.

Stefani Bittner, Grow Better Greens From Seed to Salad: The most delicious salad is from your garden. In this course, you are going to learn how to grow healthy greens and herbs in your own backyard. You need to find the perfect spot in your yard where plants will get all essential nutrients. You will learn how to water and fertilize your plants and how to keep pesticides out of your garden. The most delicious salads are made from freshly collected ingredients. Following this, the teacher will teach you how to combine different ingredients to make a delightful salad.

Ed2Go: Grow delicious, nutritious fruit and vegetables in your own backyard! With these courses, you’ll learn how to give your garden a healthy start and keep it growing strong all season. You’ll begin by figuring out which type of garden is right for you. Not everyone has the same amount of time, space, or sunshine, so the first step to a great harvest is selecting the right crops. You’ll explore climate considerations, learn how to read a zone hardiness map, and find out how to spot a micro-climate in your yard.

 MyGardenSchool: Offering over 26 advanced-level and beginner courses, MyGardenSchool is a phenomenal and affordable option for those looking to gain some serious skills and experience in the garden. These courses will prepare you to think critically about how to approach the sustainability and viability of a long term and short term planting. If you want to grow your own food, strategically plant to attract butterflies or hummingbirds, or even learn the basics of apiary studies, these courses will blow you away! Be sure to check these courses out immediately!

Academy for Distance Learning: Providing a compendium of over 120 gardening and horticulture courses, the Academy for Distance Learning provides expert education in topic specific areas such as African Violets or Carnivorous Plants. These thorough, fully-developed courses will challenge you to learn and engage your learning with hands-on, interactive assignments. ADL offers almost every gardening course you could think up and will be a boon to your learning, especially if you want to learn unique and diverse gardening techniques for esoteric or rare horticulture areas. Do not miss this amazing courses!

 Universal Class: Universal Class offers some great short courses where you can even earn professional development for an affordable price. Whether you are looking to learn about the basics of gardening, landscaping, floral arrangement, or even vegetable gardening, these courses present incredible, useful skills and knowledge and engaging, informational tutorials. Building upon previous lessons, these courses will also make sure you actually learn and retain applicable experience so that you can create a magnificent garden! For the price alone, these courses are a great investment if you want to green your life!

 Udemy: Udemy is an excellent resource for those looking to learn about gardening, but not pay too much. Offering courses in organic gardening, growing a permaculture-style food garden, aquaponics, and the mountain plants of southwest China, these diverse courses will train you about unique aspects of gardening, soil maintenance, and plant diversity. You will learn how to scale your projects to maximize your garden’s output, which can benefit any gardener! Perfect for those who want to wet their interest in gardening!

 The Great Courses: Are you looking for an affordable, short course on learning how to garden or looking to learn a comprehensive approach to gardening through biology? The Great Courses offers a great learning opportunity for those wanting to green their thumbs and don’t have a lot of space to grow anything. These courses are perfect for those looking to add vivacity and pride to their green spaces, as well as those wanting to grow their own fruit, vegetables, herbs, and other colorful plants. If you want to learn how to grow anything, or haven’t had much success as a gardener, you should check out these amazing courses!

 Tufts University: Tufts University’s Open Courseware has two important courses archived. If you are engaged in any small to large scale agriculture projects, Tufts offers a two section “Agricultural Science and Policy,” that will help you understand the science and politics of farming. You learn the major biological, chemical, and physical components of agriculture systems, as well as the scientific basis for their management and systems. This is important, because the second part of the course will engage you in the policy side of farming, which gets into the minutiae and practices of how agriculture interacts on an economic, sociologic, and politic scale. This is especially recommended for those wanting to learn more about sustainability practices and the policies that surround those issues. Be sure to not miss the latter half of this two-part course!

 MIT OpenCourseWare: MIT OpenCourseWare is a tremendous resource for those looking to learn online for free. Their course offerings for gardening, horticulture, and landscaping do not disappoint. Offering advanced-level courses in soil science, environmental ecology, and plant biology, these courses will intrigue and astound even the most pedestrian horticulture hobbyist. If you are looking to seriously learn about the processes and sciences that go into gardening, MIT courses will prepare you with professional skills and knowledge to take your garden to the next level. Advanced Soil Mechanics is a must for those looking for studying agriculture, sustainability practices, and large gardening projects!

 Coursera: Starting October 26^th, Coursera, partnering with Tel Aviv University, will be offering a fascinating course titled, “What a Plant Knows (and other things you didn’t know about plants).” This course will examine how plants interact with the world and how we can learn from their responses. This course will examine basic plant biology, explore memory and conscious, and mostly blow your mind with its amazing information! Sign up today!

 Saylor.org: Saylor.org is a great source for free, open-source course materials drawn from professional and academic sources into one full course. Saylor’s course on Botany is one exemplary course drawing from diverse, challenging sources that will engage you to learn more about Botany and plant biology. If you want to take your gardening to the next level, Saylor’s courses will allow you to explore the scientific and research-based side of horticulture. Presented in four units (Plant Anatomy, Plant Physiology, Evolution and Taxonomy, and Plant Ecology), you will gain a cornucopia of knowledge and have lifetime access to resources, quizzes, and exams in case you ever want to refresh your knowledge. Additionally, this course is great for supplementary material if you are taking any other courses!

 PlantVillage: Do you have a specific question about growing a plant or want to learn about what you grow? PlantVillage is a community forum dedicated to helping people grow their own food and an excellent resource for those looking to grow new kinds of foods, prevent plant infections, and ask questions to an engaged community. It’s a perfect resource for those looking for specific questions, just beginning to garden, and those who are having a tough time in the garden.

Iowa State University Horticulture Extension: Iowa State University has one of the best Agriculture programs in the world. Luckily for everyone, ISU offers an exemplary extension and outreach for pressing, hard to solve gardening questions. Offering a vast array of access, resources, and publications, ISU’s Horticulture Extension is a resource that you cannot miss! Tune in to Iowa Public Radio on Fridays at noon, CST for Horticultural Fridays, where Iowa State’s Richard Jauron and others answer horticultural questions from callers!