Commercial Vegetable Production BHT222 Course Online

Online Course Commercial Vegetable Growing

Develop skills and knowledge required for commercial vegetable production, including a variety of production methods. This is a very sound 100 hour foundation course in general vegetable production.

• Study commercial vegetable production for improved crops and job prospects.
• Study in your own time and at your own pace.
• Understand production methods for vegetable production.
• Learn from experienced tutors

Note: This is not Organic Vegetable Growing.

Course Aims

• Select appropriate vegetable varieties for different situations.
• Explain general cultural practices used for vegetable production.
• Explain the management of potential problems, including pests, diseases, weeds, and environmental disorders, in vegetable production.
• Explain alternative cultural techniques, including greenhouse and hydroponic production, for vegetables.
• Determine specific cultural practices for selected vegetable varieties.
• Determine the harvesting, and post-harvest treatment of different vegetables.
• Develop marketing strategies for different vegetables.

Course Outline

There are 8 lessons in this course:

1. Introduction to Vegetable Growing
   • Making the farm Pay
   • Understanding economic principles – supply and demand, scale of economy, etc.
   • Planning for the farm
   • Production planning
   • Financial planning and management
   • Land care and land management
   • Marketing
   • Personal welfare
   • Risk management – spreading risk, quality management, contingency planning, liquidity
   • Creating a sustainable farm enterprise
   • Planning for sustainability
   • Planning for drought
   • Crop selection
   • Monocultures
   • Alternating crops, broad acre or row crops
   • Growing Brassicas -Cabbage, Cauliflower, Brussel Sprouts, Pak Choi, Broccoli, Radish, Turnip
   • Growing Legumes -Beans, Broad Beans, Peas
   • Growing Lettuce, Onions, Potatoes
2. Cultural Practices for Vegetables
   • Explain general cultural practices used for vegetable production.
   • Crop rotation
   • Soils
   • Plant foods
   • Cover Crops
   • Legumes and inoculation
   • Growing various cover crops -Barley, Buckwheat, Canola, Lucerne, Field pea, Lupins, Oats, Sorgham, Clover, etc.
   • Ways of using a cover crop
   • Cultivation techniques
   • Compost
   • Crop Scheduling
   • Planting Vegetables -seed, hybrid seed, storing seed, sowing seed
   • Understanding Soils
   • Dealing with Soil Problems
   • Plant nutrition and feeding
3. Pest, Disease & Weed Control
   • Weed control -hand weeding, mechanical, chemical and biological weed control methods
   • Integrated Pest Management
   • Non chemical pest control
   • Understanding Pesticide labels
   • Understanding the law in relation to agricultural chemicals
   • Plant Pathology introduction
   • Understanding Fungi
   • Understanding insects, virus and other pathogens
   • Insect control -quarantine, clean far5ming, chemicals, biological controls
   • Review of common diseases
   • Review common pests
   • Review common environmental problems
   • Review common weeds
4. Hydroponic and Greenhouse Growing
   • Introduction to hydroponics
   • Types of systems
   • Nutrient solutions
   • NFT and other systems for vegetable production
   • Growing in a greenhouse (in the ground or hydroponics)
   • Components of a Greenhouse System
   • Types of Greenhouses and common greenhouse designs (venlo, mansard, wide span, multi span, poly tunnel, Sawtooth, Retractable roof, etc)
   • Shade houses, Cold Frames
   • Environmental Control -heating, ventilation, lighting, etc
   • Controlling moisture (misting, fog, etc)
   • Review of various vegetables – Cucurbits (Cucumber, Melon, Pumpkin, Watermelon, Zucchini)
5. Growing Selected Vegetable Varieties
   • Determine specific cultural practices for selected vegetable varieties.
   • Tropical Vegetables – Sweet Potato and Taro
   • Less common vegetables – Globe Artichoke, Jerusalem Artichoke, Asparagus, Chicory, Endive, Garlic, Leek, Okra, Rhubarb
   • Other Crops -Beetroot (Red Beet), Capsicum, Carrot, Celery, Sweet Corn, Eggplant, Parsnip, Spinach
6. Irrigation
   • Water and Irrigation
   • Infiltration
   • Internal Drainage
   • Flood, Sprinkler and Trickle irrigation
   • The objective of irrigation
   • Transpiration and Wilting Point
   • When to irrigate Timing irrigations
   • Detecting water deficiency or excess
   • Understanding soil moisture
   • Pumps, sprinklers and other equipment
   • Water hammer
   • Improving Drainage
   • Managing erosion
7. Harvest & Post-Harvest
   • Introduction to harvesting
   • Post harvest treatment of vegetables
   • Cooling harvested produce
   • Harvesting tips
   • Storing vegetables
8. Marketing Vegetables
   • Introduction
   • Standards for cost efficiency, quality and quantity
   • Options for Marketing Produce
   • Market Research
   • How to sell successfully

Enrol Now

• Experienced Tutor support
• Certificate sent to you
• Online study (Printed notes available)
• Self paced - no set timetable
• 12 months to complete course

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