Hoping to encourage beginning gardeners to get their hands dirty in a vegetable plot this year, the Utah County office of the Extension Service held an introductory gardening class on Friday afternoon.

Certified master gardener Rick Lewis brought his favorite tools -- a modified trowel, a winged weeder, his grandfather's pitchfork and an oscillating hoe -- to show to the dozen people gathered.

A family garden will give a higher return per acre than any other crop, Lewis said. And there are other benefits as well.

"If you pick fresh tomatoes off your vines, they taste totally different," he said, comparing home-grown to grocery store fare. "I have a friend who will not buy store-bought potatoes" because he prefers to grow his own.

Carrots can be grown in summer, then left in the garden over the winter, covered with bags of lawn leaves, to be dug as wanted, he said. A simple method of food storage, and the taste can't be compared.

Julia Tuck, also a certified master gardener, said the best way to ensure a great harvest is to start with great soil -- "and then don't step on it," she said, noting this compacts the soil.

Lewis said that after planting carrot seeds, cover the patch with boards to help keep the soil moist in order to get better germination. As soon as the first leaves appear, remove the boards so the leaves can get sunlight.

Lettuce should be planted early, and does better in a part-shade environment.

"I grew lettuce last year in the shade of a walnut tree, and it was the best lettuce I've ever grown," Lewis said.

Spinach should be planted now or in the fall for best results, avoiding the scorching heat of summer. Tuck said that a variety called New Zealand spinach will be less likely to bolt in Utah's hot summer.

Corn should be planted in blocks instead of single rows because it is wind-pollinated, rather than pollinated by insects, both said.

Max Blackham, a Pleasant Grove resident, encouraged everyone to try an old American Indian harvesting method for corn.

Rather than pick it, blanch it, freeze it, thaw it and cook it, simply pick it at perfection, shuck it and let it thoroughly air dry. Store the dry kernels and later, when you want corn, simply boil the kernels, he said.

"My gosh, it was good corn," Blackham said. "It's sweet."

"If you are a good gardener, you are going to experiment every year," Lewis said.

Tuck and Lewis both said they make their own garden soil by composting. Lewis adds fall leaves to horse manure for his compost.

Janae Rowley of Santaquin came seeking recommendations for trellising cucumbers. She has never trellised them before but would like to try it this year, she said.

Tuck recommended using 4-inch concrete mesh, a sturdy and inexpensive trellis material that is available at home improvement stores.

That advice was valuable, said Rowley after the class on Friday.

Why is she so interested in trying trellises this year?

"So I don't have to bend over," she said with a laugh. "It was a really good class and I enjoyed it. It is nice to have a teacher that has a lot of experience doing different things."

If you have garden or pest questions, or to sign up for a free Slow-the-Flow lawn water checkup, call the Utah County office of the Utah State University Extension Service at (801) 851-8470.