Home and Garden Briefs, Aug. 22

Workshop series to focus on professional landscape skills

Clark County Cooperative Extension is offering a free workshop designed to enhance employability skills and increase job retention in the green industry (nursery, landscaping and landscape maintenance) in Southern Nevada. The trainings will be from 5:30-8:30 p.m. each Tuesday in September at the Lifelong Learning Center, 8050 Paradise Road.

Topics to be discussed are fertilizers and soil, Sept. 3; proper planting techniques, Sept. 10; insect and pest control for native and non-native plants, Sept. 17; palms: growing, pruning and maintenance, Sept. 24.

The training also includes materials focusing on improving English and math skills, meeting job expectations, paying attention to details, and safety/worker protection topics (lifting techniques and industry safety standards). The classes will be taught in Spanish and English. Participants will receive a certificate for each class.

The training sessions are open to any private or public employer and the public.

For more information or to register, contact ’Chelle Reed at 702-257-5536 or Marcel Fernando at 702-275-5580.

Free fall gardening class offered by master gardener

Preparing for your fall/winter garden will be the topic of a free class at 10 a.m. Aug. 27 at the Family Resource Center at University Medical Center, 1120 Shadow Lane.

Clark County Cooperative Extension master gardener Helen Brown will present the class, which focuses on what to plant in the next two months. It’s also time to begin starting seeds for your fall/winter garden. This season is all about greens and root vegetables, she said.

The class is open to the public, but participants must preregister.

To reserve a space, contact Amy Runge at the Family Resource Center at 702-383-2229. For general gardening questions contact the master gardener help line at 702-257-5555.

For more information and upcoming classes visit: http://www.facebook.com/mastergardenersofsouthernnevada or http://www.unce.unr.edu/blogs/southernarea.