Join Clackamas County Master Gardeners for this year’s 10-Minute University, a series of short online classes that will expand your gardening knowledge.

All seminars are free but require advance registration, and all sessions count for a one-hour metro area Master Gardener continuing garden education credit.

The series runs every Wednesday through May 14, from noon−1 p.m. If you can’t attend live, register anyway and receive a recording of the seminar afterwards to watch at your convenience. The following are the seminars for January and February.

January 22 — Greenhouse Gardening 101. This is an overview of greenhouse siting, design and construction. Register

• Know best uses for cool house, warm house, hot house
• Learn about different designs and glazing options
• Review choices for watering systems and heating
• Select among accessories – thermometers, fans, lights and heat mats

January 29 — Growing Blueberries. Everyone knows blueberries are delicious and packed with anti-oxidants, but how many are aware blueberry plants can live and bear fruit for decades?  Learn best practices worked out through years of research by Oregon State University scientists. Register

• How to choose varieties
• Soil preparation
• Planting techniques
• Cultural practices: fertilizing, watering, pruning
• Pest and disease management

February 5 — Healthy Soil: Practical Tips for New and Seasoned Gardeners. Learn current “best practices” based on research. Using hypothetical cases, the session will offer strategies for improving and caring for soil. Register

• Soil basics: Types of soil, what makes soil productive for plants
• Special considerations for clay soil
• How to garden in compacted soil
• Steps for making a new vegetable garden and how to refresh established beds
• Tips for filling a raised bed
• How to nurture soil in a mature, ornamental landscape

February 12 — Growing Vegetables in Small Spaces. Don’t be limited by small space.  Get ideas for making the most of space you do have, whether you grow in the ground or in containers. Register

• Types of growing containers and pros and cons of each
• Types of growing media and how to match them with the container
• Tips for selecting vegetable cultivars best suited for small spaces
• Cultural practices: fertilizing, watering, pruning
• Disease and pest management

February 19 — Gardens as Stepping-stone Habitats. Gardens in urban and suburban areas can make critical contributions to the health of wildlife and of humans. Learn how to maximize that potential. Register

• How to restore small land parcels to provide stepping-stone habitats that allow wildlife to move across fragmented urban landscapes
• Methods of replicating nature’s processes to restore water and nutrient cycles
• Strategies for diversifying the vegetation of our urban landscapes to increase garden and community resilience

February 26 — Growing Early-Season Vegetables. Get more production out of your garden. Learn to grow early-season vegetables before warm weather crops like peppers, tomatoes and squash are ready for planting. Register

• What are early-season vegetables?
• How to grow early-season vegetables
• Seed selection
• Soil preparations
• Planting techniques
• Structures and practices to adapt gardening in cooler air and soil