The Best Online Gardening Classes

Best Overall: Skillshare

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Why We Chose It: Gardening classes at Skillshare are just the beginning. The site is a one-stop shop for do-it-yourself projects that are loaded with ideas to recycle, upcycle, and reuse what you already own. If you need planters to get your garden going, they've got a class on how to make some. Interested in making herbal teas out of the herbs you’ve just grown? They offer that, too. It’s an excellent resource for learning to live more sustainably by reusing what you already have. 

Pros:

Designed for both urban and suburban gardens

Cons:

There’s no set class time, so you must be a disciplined self-starter

If you’re a newbie gardener, Skillshare’s Gardening 101: A Guide for Growing and Caring for Plants is an excellent place to get the ball rolling.

The instructor, Geraldine Lavin, has taught gardening classes at Yale University and Bard College, plus conferences, food cooperatives, and many other locations. She also runs her own herbal company, Suntrap Botanical, and her general introductory class can be applied to almost any type of plant. 

The beginner class consists of 10 short video lessons spanning about 45 minutes and is designed both for urban dwellers in apartments as well as those with more outdoor space to grow. Topics include plant propagation, basic gardening concepts, planning, planting, maintenance, harvesting, and storage. You can also share photos of projects with classmates or join in online discussions with the instructor in the comments section. The course is included with Skillshare’s premium membership, which costs around $168 a year (after a trial membership).

Once you’ve mastered the basics, Skillshare has a wide range of beginner classes geared toward specific types of plants like the Beginners Guide to Happy Houseplants and the Easy to Grow Vegetables class.

Best Organic Garden: Alison.com

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Why We Chose It: Alison.com believes in providing free education and offers a wide range of topics including courses on sustainability, solar technology, and other environmental studies. Learning how to grow organically is an important skill for any gardener to help them live a more sustainable lifestyle. 

Pros:

Class is free

Covers a wide range of topics

Cons:

Pop-up advertisements can be distracting

Those who are interested in making the switch to an organic garden but aren’t quite sure where to start should check out the free Introduction to Growing Organic Food Sustainably from Alison.com.

The course lasts from one and a half to three hours and is focused primarily on growing organic vegetables such as carrots, cabbage, lettuce, beetroot, spinach, and celery. Classes are broken down into modules containing short videos (around five minutes each) on certain topics, which can be paused or replayed as much as needed. 

The first three modules focus on growing specific groups of vegetables, before shifting to the maintenance of the garden. Crop rotation, testing and improving soil, and making compost are just a few of the topics covered. At the end of every Alison course is a final assessment.

In order to earn a certificate of completion, students must score at least 80% on the test given. Digital certificates cost around $25 (which are optional, but the class is free).

Best Herb Garden: Learning with the Experts

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Why We Chose It: We liked that Dr. Petheram is an organic grower who shares her knowledge about how to utilize herbs and keep pests away naturally, without the need for chemical sprays. 

Pros:

Class has longer 30-minute segments (rather than short video bites)

Courses are pre-recorded so you can watch anytime

Cons:

One of the more expensive classes on the list

Whether you’re a passionate cook who wants to grow your own culinary herbs or are interested in herbs for medicinal use, the Herb Garden course from Learning with the Experts will help enhance your gardening skills.

You can opt for their Expert option of this course for $299 which includes personalized assignment feedback and a completion certificate from Dr. Petheram or the Peer option which doesn't have these extra perks for $99. The course begins with a history of herbs, followed by lessons on how they can help diversify the garden. Determine where the best location is to grow herbs, before diving into culinary herbs, medicinal uses, and multipurpose herbs. The instructor, Dr. Rachel Petheram, is a florist based in Lincolnshire, England, who also teaches at several established gardens and schools in the UK. 

The courses are pre-recorded in a series of 30-minute videos, so you can start, stop, or watch the lessons as many times as you’d like (but it’s suggested to spend two hours per week on the classes). Students can chat with other classmates, or post on the community page if they have additional comments or questions. At the end of each lesson, students are given an optional assignment to help apply what they learned.

Best for Kids: Outschool

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Why We Chose It: Facilitating an interest in gardening at a young age can help make kids more aware of where their food comes from. Outschool has several types of gardening lessons available for different age groups with topics ranging from terrariums to worm farms and also gives back to the community by offering free classes to families in need. 

Pros:

Kids are encouraged to interact with other students

Small class size

Cons:

Weekly commitment can be difficult for busy schedules

Outschool is an online learning community that’s specifically designed for kids, with small group sizes and more than 100,000 online classes to choose from.

In the Grow it, Pick it, Eat it! A Gardening Club course, students will meet virtually for 45 minutes each week to share their interest in edible gardening and learn tips and tricks. It’s designed for eight- to 12-year-olds, with one to eight kids in attendance per class. Before each one, students can submit questions for discussion or share photos or videos of their current garden project to encourage a social club-style of learning. 

During each interactive lesson, the teacher begins with an introduction followed by a set topic to focus on for the week (which varies depending on the season), before finishing with questions and answers. The cost is around $10 for each week's class. 

Most gardening classes at Outschool are ongoing (meeting once per week), but if a busy schedule doesn’t allow that, there are a handful of one-time classes like Margo Mejia’s Introduction to Edible Garden Design: a one-hour course to learn the basics of edible gardening.

Best Butterfly Garden: Udemy.com

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Why We Chose It: The goal of the free course is to “conserve, observe, and attract” butterflies, so, in addition to creating a thriving garden, it helps provide a habitat for butterflies native to your region. 

Pros:

Instructor is very thorough and informative

Course is affordable with Udemy membership

Cons:

Video sections are a bit brief

Learn how to transform your garden into a whimsical butterfly habitat with the Create a Butterfly Garden course on Udemy.com. The beginner course is about an hour in length, but it’s broken down into short video clips starting with an introduction to butterfly gardens, followed by understanding a habitat and garden design elements.

It also explores 10 critical components, some challenges, and what not to do if you’re just getting started. The instructor, Jessica McAtee, is a butterfly conservationist who designed this free course for environmentalists, gardeners, and people who love nature. 

More species-specific classes from McAtee, like Attract Monarch Butterflies to Your Garden or Attracting Florida’s Longwing Butterflies, cost $80 and last about 45 minutes to an hour. All of the courses aim to help gardeners connect with nature and create a calm, peaceful environment.