Frequently Asked Questions

New to our classes? Here is some information to help your experience be trouble free! Have a question that isn't listed here? Ask us at gardening@usask.ca

All of our classes are open to all adults in the general public. Anyone is welcome regardless of gardening experience. You do not need to be a student at the U of S, nor pay student fees. All classrooms are wheelchair accessible. All instructors are LGBTQ friendly. Everyone is welcome!

At this time we only offer classes for adults aged 16+. In special circumstances, we may accept especially keen teenagers under 16 years of age into our existing classes and tours. Of course, nursing mothers are welcome to bring their young infants to class providing that other students are not excessively disturbed.

When we do host in person classes, almost every class we host is held in the Agriculture Building on the University of Saskatchewan campus in Saskatoon, SK. It is the large glass building found at 51 Campus Drive.

We do not advertise the room numbers of our classes but the building (and possibly the room number) are always listed on your registration sheet. If you forget what room you are in, once you arrive at the Agriculture Building, inside of the main doors you will find a large atrium with an information booth. We will post the location of the class at the information booth.

If your class is not held in the Agriculture Building, we will not have the room number posted in the Agriculture Building. It is most likely still held on campus (and is probably a special event at our Greenhouse or at Patterson Gardens). In these special situations, your building and room number will be listed on your registration receipt and in the class description.

Unfortunately, our classes are currently live-stream only. Due to copyright and instructor consideration, there are no recordings available and we cannot share the instructor's slideshow.

No. All class fees are non-refundable.

Our classes are typically held evenings and weekends. There is metered parking outside of the building and pay parking below the building. During the weekends, sometimes staff lots are open to public parking as well. For the most detailed location and rates, please see the Parking information website.

We encourage everyone to register in advance to save your seat for all classes - especially free events. Classes often fill up and we can't know what room to book and how many handouts to print without knowing how many people to expect. That said, we do accept walk in registrations. If you decide to show up for a class, please go to the Agriculture Building Atrium to find out where the class is. When you arrive, you will be asked to register online or we will get you in contact with our registration personnel. Please note that we can't guarantee a spot for you if you haven't registered in advance.

Bring a pen, a notepad or paper, a water bottle to stay hydrated, and an enthusiastic attitude. You will be expected to take notes. We provide detailed handouts for core courses but you may still want to jot down additional notes for these topics. Some classes have extensive hands-on experiences, but we will usually provide everything you need for these activities. For some classes, such as the landscaping classes or pruning, you can use your own equipment, but we will provide specialty items for you to borrow and share with your classmates. If you need any materials beyond the typical pencil/pen and paper, we will say so in the class description before you register.

There are many great hotels in Saskatoon but why not stay right here on campus? The student dorms are open for inexpensive rentals throughout the summer - it's a short but lovely walk to class and the food on campus is fantastic. For more information on staying in student residences, check out their website for individual accommodations.

MGCC stands for Master Gardener Core Course. All courses that say MGCC count as credit towards your Master Gardener Certification. Anyone can take a MGCC, regardless if they want to eventually certify or not. For more information on Master Gardener certification, click here.

Yes, all of our courses are open to anyone even if they are labeled MGCC (Master Gardener Core Courses). You don't need to be registered in the Master Gardener Program to take them, and you don't have to be interested in future certification. For more information on Master Gardener certification, click here.

That's great! It's no problem if you decide down the road that you've taken a few courses and now want to certify. Simply register in the certification program itself and all your previous courses will be transfered to the accreditation system and you will get credit for them. For more information on Master Gardener certification, click here.

We are very proud of the plants the U of S Fruit breeding program has released - especially the sour cherries, haskap, and new apple cultivars! Any plants that have been released to the public can be purchased at your local greenhouses. Once a year, typically in very early June, we also hold a plant sale where we sell a wide variety of young plants. What is available is a suprise from year to year, depending on what's in stock, but we often have a fair amount of haskap, sour cherries, apples, plums, apricots and hazelnuts. We may also have raspberries, strawberries, saskatoons, ornamentals, houseplants, succulents, or water plants. Proceeds from the sale are used to hire summer students for the fruit breeding program.

Hort Days offer the public engaging and practical (and fun) classes and tours from enthusiastic gardening professionals aimed towards both new and experienced gardeners. Usually held in the spring, it's a great way to connect with like-minded individuals and pick up some new tips on how to keep your garden healthy and your yard beautiful. Workshops may be taken for personal interest or for credit towards the Master Gardener Certificate Program. Come make new gardening friends!

We have been offering gardening classes on campus since 1989 and our department's horticulture program celebrated its 100th year in 2021.