This fully online, asynchronous course is the first part of a series of Garden and Landscape Courses offered by The North Carolina State University Department of Horticultural Science.

This is not an Extension Master Gardener℠ certification course.  If you are interested in becoming an Extension Master Gardener volunteer, please contact the Extension Master Gardener Coordinator in your county for information on training requirements and volunteer opportunities.

Each course in the series includes: You can complete the courses at your own pace within the six-week term. You will have access to the interactive version of the Extension Gardener Handbook forever!

• Hands-on activities,
• Recorded presentations by experts around the state
• Videos
• Slide presentations
• Embedded interactive questions

Topics

• Insects: common insects, insect identification, insect damage identification, and how to encourage beneficial insects
• Diseases: identify unhealthy plants, plant pathogens (fungi, bacteria, nematodes, viruses, parasitic plants), how diseases develop, how to diagnose disease, and the principles of plant disease management
• Plant Disorders: plant nutrition deficiencies, weather damage, moisture damage, and other abiotic plant disorders
• Wildlife interactions with plants: common animals in the garden, strategies to reduce damage, and planning for wildlife habitat
• Diagnosing plant problems: 10 steps for gathering information, how to submit samples for diagnosis
• Integrated Pest Management (IPM): how to develop an IPM plan; cultural, mechanical, biological, and chemical techniques
• You can download a one-page summary of this course.

Fees

• Regular Tuition: $149 
• Discounts:
  • Complete Series: Register for all five courses for one price of $499 (that’s a savings of $246 off the regular tuition). No additional discounts apply. Follow this link to Reporter to enroll in the complete series.
  • Early Bird discount of $10 off the regular price (applied automatically when you register 4 or more weeks before the course start date).
  • Extension Master Gardener℠ volunteer discount of $30 off the regular price:  Contact your volunteer coordinator/agent for the discount code. If they do not have the code, ask them to send a request via email to eg-online-classes@ncsu.edu from their work email account.
  • Extension staff discount of $99 off the regular price: Request the discount code via email to eg-online-classes@ncsu.edu from your work email account.

Registration

The next class term is May 15 to June 30, 2026. Click on this link to Reporter to enroll in this class. Register before April 15, 2026, to get the early-bird discount.

Sign up here to be notified when this and other online classes are offered by Extension Gardener.