Soil, water quality, perennials and more will be among the topics of a class starting in January that will train new Master Gardeners.

The Suffolk Master Gardeners will hold the classes in evenings through early April. Free information sessions will be held today at 7 p.m. and Thursday at 2 p.m. at the local Virginia Cooperative Extension office, 440 Market St.

Master Gardeners is a volunteer program associated with Virginia Tech and the cooperative extension. About 50 hours of education are provided, and volunteers must contribute 50 volunteer hours to earn the title of Master Gardener.

The classes cover almost every gardening topic, from insects, trees and shrubs to vegetables, flowers and disease prevention and diagnosis, president Wanda Gerard said.

“We cover just about everything,” she said. “If we don’t cover it, we try to find ways to provide that education in one way or another.”

The cost of the class is $125, which will be collected on the first night of the class in late January. The location of the class meetings will be determined based on the number of people who sign up.

For more information, call Gerard at 255-4823.