May gardening courses will help cultivate your green thumb

WATERBURY (April 30, 2008) — Now that spring is here, green thumbs everywhere are itching to start digging in the dirt.
 
Beginning in May, Naugatuck Valley Community College is offering three gardening classes for both novice and experienced gardeners.
 
“Vegetable Production” will be held four consecutive Wednesdays from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. starting May 7.  The class will teach individuals how to grow their own food, build a backyard greenhouse, and utilize both hand and gasoline-powered gardening tools.  Cost is $99.
 
“Soil Health/Sustainable Lawns” will be held three consecutive Thursdays from 6 to 8 p.m. starting May 8. The class will address the challenges of planning, designing and maintaining a healthy, green lawn and also discuss grass alternatives in the homescape.  An off-campus field trip on Saturday, May 17, is also included in the $75 cost.
 
“Plants and Society” is a new class at NVCC that will be held two consecutive Tuesdays from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. starting May 13.  The class will discuss how people get food, how it affects the population, and how we, in turn, affect the food system.  It will also look at the Farm Bill and its subsidies, genetically modified crops, battles over water and who gets to use it, as well as other issues about what we eat.  Cost is $49.
 
For more information or to register, call (203) 575-8029. Course information is also available at www.nvcc.commnet.edu by clicking on the latest course schedules and then on NVCC’s Spring 2008 Non-Credit Catalog.
 
Naugatuck Valley Community College serves approximately 10,000 credit and non-credit students across western Connecticut. The college is a non-residential institution, located at the intersection of Route 8 and Interstate 84, with more than 100 accredited programs leading to associate degrees or professional certification.