KINGSTON, R.I. – November 2, 2026 – Starting to envision next year’s springtime garden? Working in a field related to gardening and want to learn more about the science behind it? Or just interested in expanding your gardening knowledge?
For individuals near or far hoping to accomplish these aims in a flexible online program, the University of Rhode Island’s Cooperative Extension is offering its convenient Home Horticulture Certificate course starting in January 2027.
The comprehensive 14-week program allows students to learn from the comfort of their homes. Weekly lectures are taught by URI Cooperative Extension faculty and staff, with weekly “try this” assignments culminating in a hands-on, practical final project that brings together concepts learned in class. Optional in-person sessions are also available.
The certificate program is open to anyone interested in enhancing their knowledge as green-related industry professionals, those seeking a career change, or anyone looking for a fun educational experience. The three-month program covers everything from basic botany to soil nutrition to growing veggies.
All lectures are held Thursdays from 6 to 8 p.m., Jan. 21 through April 29, on Zoom. Applications for the course are due Dec. 1.
The Home Horticulture Certificate offers similar in-depth, science-based content to URI’s well-known Master Gardener Program core training and is designed for those who are seeking personal or professional enrichment and/or who want to increase their knowledge and service to clients.
Course materials are accessible to students on the URI website and “drop-in office hours” are offered by instructors each week via Zoom. The course fee is $550 (payment plans are available). In-person pruning practicums with URI Farms Manager Allegra Halverson are an optional add-on for local attendees, held Fridays in April in the URI Botanical Gardens for $75 per session.
“All are welcome!” said Cooperative Extension Program Facilitator Tricia Lourenco Boucher. “This program doesn’t just teach people how to cultivate soil; we are using evidence-based methods to help them cultivate a lifelong relationship with nature.”
Boucher is joined by several URI community members in teaching the course, including URI faculty members Rebecca Brown, chair of URI’s plant sciences program, and Camilo Villouta, who dissected URI’s famous ‘corpse flower’ this summer, along with Andrew Cary, Kate Hardesty, Keiddy Morawicki-Urrea, David Weisberger, Nathan Lambstrom, and Lisa Tewksbury, offering instruction on topics ranging from site assessments and hydrology to fruit culture and ornamental plantings.
Sejal Lanterman has been teaching backyard composting for nearly 20 years and teaches the Composting 101 module, as well as Growing Food Safely, and says she looks forward to helping people connect science to everyday practices they can use at home: “Growing food safely may not sound like the most exciting gardening topic, but understanding how a few simple steps can help prevent foodborne illness is empowering,” she said. “I love helping people find practical ways to turn food scraps into a resource, whether through backyard composting or a local collection program.”
The course is open to beginning or expert gardeners, landscape business owners or designers, or anyone interested in learning more about horticulture.
To learn more, visit the Cooperative Extension website or contact Tricia Lourenco Boucher at homehorticultureta@gmail.com. To get on the Cooperative Extension email list for other programs, visit the Extension email form, email coopext@uri.edu or call (401) 874 -2900. Learn more at uri.edu/coopext.