Even a “Black Thumb” can be taught a thing or two.
I have a confession to make, dear reader, and it isn’t pretty. I am the unfortunate bearer of a “Black Thumb.” If you entrust me with a plant, you’d best be prepared for it to meet an untimely, tragic end. Over the years, I’ve sent a number of houseplants, decorative plants, and even some poor, unsuspecting cacti to their botanical afterlife—not by overwatering, but by sheer neglect. Yes, it takes a special kind of talent to let a cactus go thirsty.
My husband, however, is a bit of a miracle worker in the garden—let’s just say he’s a freak in (the garden) bed. With his help, I’ve managed to bumble my way into some gardening success, growing a few veggies and flowers that survived my amateur attempts. But I needed to step up my game, especially here in Northern Nevada, where our summers routinely hit the high 90s to 100s, our winters are arctic, and the wind makes it feel like we’re living in a dust bowl. Seriously, we have regular dust storms on a regular basis that blow our topsoil into the next county.
So, you can imagine my excitement when I found the Home Horticulture 1 (HH1) course offered online by the University of Nevada, Reno’s Cooperative Extension. It promised to be the perfect resource for navigating our unique climate challenges and offered the possibility of one day earning a coveted Master Gardener certification. Armed with my credit card and my dreams of actually keeping a plant alive, I enrolled and dove in.
The Course Experience
The course, priced at a cool $275, was fully online and hosted on the Top Hat platform. Thankfully, Top Hat is pretty straightforward, with clear instructions and resources from the Cooperative Extension (CE) team for those unfamiliar with online learning. HH1 was divided into 11 modules, covering everything from soils and nutrients to native plants, composting, and even pest management (a.k.a., learning how to evict uninvited bug guests without resorting to scorched-earth tactics).
The material was thoughtfully organized, with each module containing recorded lectures, lecture slides, and reading chapters compiled by the CE team. These readings weren’t just informative—they were easy to understand, and each chapter had interactive study questions embedded within. I got two tries for each question, which was especially reassuring when I realized my ADHD had attacked and I’d accidentally skipped some content.
For those of us who wanted a bit more interaction, the course also included weekly live Q&A sessions via Zoom. I loved this part, as it added a real-time connection with instructors and other students, giving us the opportunity to clarify anything that seemed, well, clear as mud.
Highlights from a Black Thumb’s Perspective
I was surprised how much I enjoyed the topics covered —particularly the modules on soils and native plants. The soils module took me on a journey back to college-level chemistry, a place I’d hoped never to revisit. But this time, the pain of organic chemistry felt worth it because I was using it to learn things that could help me keep plants alive! Yay!
The native plants module was another favorite of mine. I finally learned what qualifies a plant as “native” (those that evolve naturally in a region without human intervention, in case you were wondering) and discovered hardy, low-maintenance plants I could actually grow around our home without feeling like I needed to apologize to them in advance.
Strengths and Weaknesses
The course’s focus on Nevada’s climate was its greatest strength. It’s designed specifically for the Great Basin region, making it a fantastic resource for those of us contending with extreme temperatures, limited water, and merciless winds. I’ve yet to find another online course that’s accessible to non-degree-seeking students yet offers such targeted, practical information for our area.
That said, if you don’t live in or near Nevada, some of the information might not be directly applicable. But for anyone in our neck of the woods, HH1 is a jackpot of regional knowledge.
Final Thoughts
So, would I recommend HH1? Absolutely. This course gives you the tools to approach gardening with confidence, even if you’re starting from scratch (or with a history of plant casualties like me). The fee might seem a bit steep, but when you consider the savings from not having to replace dead plants, it more than pays for itself.
If you’re ready to go from Black Thumb to, well, maybe a Gray Thumb, Home Horticulture 1 is a great place to start. Who knows? Maybe you, too, could one day earn that Master Gardener title.
To learn more, check out the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension’s Home Horticulture course series at UNR Cooperative Extension. Happy planting, my fellow garden adventurers!
– Valerie