![\"people](\"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/news\/sites\/16\/2026\/10\/practicum-1024x768.jpeg\")
The comprehensive 14-week program allows students to learn from the comfort of their homes. Weekly lectures<\/a> are taught by URI Cooperative Extension faculty and staff, with weekly \u201ctry this\u201d assignments culminating in a hands-on, practical final project that brings together concepts learned in class. Optional in-person sessions are also available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Home Horticulture Certificate offers similar in-depth, science-based content to URI\u2019s well-known Master Gardener Program<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Course materials are accessible to students on the URI website and \u201cdrop-in office hours\u201d 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAll are welcome!\u201d said Cooperative Extension Program Facilitator Tricia Lourenco Boucher. \u201cThis 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Boucher is joined by several URI community members in teaching the course, including URI faculty members Rebecca Brown, chair of URI\u2019s plant sciences program, and Camilo Villouta, who dissected URI\u2019s famous \u2018corpse flower\u2019 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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: \u201cGrowing 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,\u201d she said. \u201cI love helping people find practical ways to turn food scraps into a resource, whether through backyard composting or a local collection program.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The course is open to beginning or expert gardeners, landscape business owners or designers, or anyone interested in learning more about horticulture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To learn more, visit the <\/em>Cooperative Extension website<\/em><\/a> or contact Tricia Lourenco Boucher at <\/em>homehorticultureta@gmail.com<\/em><\/a>. To get on the Cooperative Extension email list for other programs, visit the Extension <\/em>email form<\/em><\/a>, email <\/em>coopext@uri.edu<\/em><\/a> or call (401) 874 -2900. Learn more at <\/em>uri.edu\/coopext<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" KINGSTON, R.I. \u2013 November 2, 2026 \u2013 Starting to envision next year\u2019s 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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":111781,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[5,1913],"class_list":["post-111779","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-archives","tag-college-of-the-environment-and-life-sciences","tag-public-engagement"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111779","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=111779"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111779\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":111785,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111779\/revisions\/111785"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/111781"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=111779"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=111779"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=111779"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}