My grandmother-in-law died two years ago, just a few years short of 100, and her children are still sorting through a lifetime of left-behinds. That’s how one of her treasures came to be mine recently, and a treasure it is. Grandma Wanda kept a garden scrapbook. For about two years, she cut articles out of The Sunday Oregonian’s Farm Home Garden section and pasted them onto the now-yellowed pages of her book.

There isn’t much advice in those pages that I wouldn’t follow. Some clips read more like a horoscope (planting your rose bush between Feb. 26 and March 4 will ensure that the bush bears blooms in time for Portland’s Rose Festival), but the basics of plant care haven’t changed – with one glaring exception.

On Page 3 of the Feb. 23, 1947 issue, a large ad proudly exclaims that Miller’s sells a quality 20 percent DDT dust. Two pounds cost a mere $1.50. Twenty-five years after the ad came out, DDT was finally banned in the U.S., long after the devastating effects it had on the environment came to light.

I’d like to say that we’ve come a long way. Truth is, we still have a lot to learn when it comes to gardening without pesticides. While DDT is no longer available, there are countless poisons still in use, and new ones are being developed all the time. DDT was a slow-motion bomb. Some of today’s pesticides may well have similar effects, to be tallied later, by the grandchildren that sort through the then-yellowed pages of our own garden scrapbooks.

Fortunately, we can learn from history. The Oregon Master Gardener Program of the OSU Extension Service has done just that. Using current research, it has completely revised its program. This year, the class has expanded its content and now offers extensive training in sustainable gardening techniques.

“A lot of focus now is on growing your own food,” said Sunny Hunt, food, nutrition, and horticulture instructor at the Clatsop County OSU Extension Service. Instructors of the 10-week Master Gardener class are OSU Extension faculty and local experts in their fields. Beneficial insects, integrated pest management, ornamentals, soils, lawns and water quality are some of the topics covered in the class. Students come from all backgrounds.

“It’s the whole spectrum. It’s people that have never gardened before at all but they have an interest in it, to people that have some experience, to people that have a lot of experience, who just want to know more,” said Hunt.

Not on the class list: how to start your own garden scrapbook. If you do it anyway, remember that history will be your judge. Will your grandchildren scratch their heads at your meticulous schedule of pesticide application to the apple tree? Will they remember eating those apples? (And will it take them two years to sort through your stuff?) It’s up to you.

The 2009 Master Gardener class begins Jan. 7 and runs through March 18. Classes are held from 8:45 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays. Space is limited to 25 students.

The fee of $75 for 10 classes includes the textbook, “Sustainable Gardening: A thoughtful balance between resources used and results gained” and the monthly newsletter, “The Cultivator.” Any additional presentations and talks of the Master Gardener Association, as well as future Master Gardener classes, are free to students.

The 60 volunteer hours aspiring Master Gardeners are expected to donate to the community can be completed in a variety of projects. From answering garden questions at the Sunday Market to participating in the Growing Healthy Kids program in local elementary schools, volunteer hours are meant to give the gardener experience while having fun.

To register, call Sunny Hunt at (503) 325-8573.