Registration is now open for UVM Extension's Vermont Master Composter course, designed to teach the basics of backyard composting.

The online course opens on September 2. Topics to be covered include the biology of composting, soil and decomposition ecology, site and container selection, compost "recipes," the compost process, troubleshooting, disease control, worm composting and Vermont's Universal Recycling Law (Act 148). The course runs for eight weeks and course materials will be available to participants until December 2.

Two tracks are offered to meet participant needs: An at-your-own-pace track that allows participants to move through the course at their own leisure, and a volunteer track where participants become a certified Vermont Master Composter and have access to live discussion sessions with instructors offered via Zoom on six consecutive Thursdays from 6-7 p.m., beginning September 8.

The cost is $50 for Vermonters and $150 for out-of-state residents. To register or learn more, visit: https://go.uvm.edu/mastercomposter. To request a disability-related accommodation to participate, contact Deb Heleba at debra.heleba@uvm.edu or (802) 656-1777 by August 26.

The course is sponsored by the UVM Extension Community Horticulture Program with financial support from the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources. If questions, please contact the UVM Extension Master Gardener Program Office at (802) 656-9562 or master.gardener@uvm.edu.