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CROP GROWING COURSE ONLINE – NUTS, FRUITS, BERRIES, HERBS, VEGETABLES & CUT FLOWERS
LEARN TO GROW CROPS SUCCESSFULLY OUTDOORS
Learn about site & crop selection, soil management, cut flowers, vegetables, berries, nuts, herbs, tree fruits, other crops, managing a market garden and more. This course provides a thorough knowledge framework in outdoor production of outdoor plants and is a solid foundation for market gardening, orchards, cut flower production or broad acre cropping.
- Gain skills and knowledge necessary to grow and sell many different crops.
- Study in your time and at your own pace.
- 100 hours self paced study.
- Friendly, expert tutors.
Course Aims
- Explain different cropping systems and their appropriate application for the production of different types of crops.
- Evaluate and explain organic plant production, and the requirements in at least two different countries, to achieve organic certification.
- Explain the function of soils and plant nutrition in outdoor cropping systems.
- Describe the commercial production of a range of nursery stock.
- Describe the commercial production of a range of tree fruit crops.
- Explain techniques used to produce a range of soft fruits.
- Explain techniques used to grow a range of vegetables.
- Explain the commercial production of outdoor-grown cut flowers.
- Describe the commercial production of herbs, nuts and other miscellaneous crops.
- Identify the risks that may occur in outdoor crop production.
Course Outline
There are 10 lessons in this course:
- Crop Production Systems
- Scope and nature of Crop Production
- Purpose for Growing –Subsistence crops, Marketable Crops
- Finding reliable resource information
- Types of Cropping –row crops, broad acre, hydroponics, container crops, etc
- Monoculture vs Polyculture
- Citrus
- Berry Fruits
- Nuts
- Vines
- Pome Fruits
- Stone Fruits
- Vegetables
- Cut Flowers
- Nursery Crops
- Fibres
- Oils Seeds
- Other Crops
- Review of six different crops
- Organic Crop Production
- What is organic growing
- Organic certification
- Organic Growing Techniques
- Composting
- Factors that affect Nitrogen release from organic sources
- Mycorrhizae
- Versicular – Arbuscular mycorrhizae
- Non mycorrhizal plants
- Crop rotation
- Using Legumes for soil improvement –nitrogen fixation
- Rhizobium bacteria
- Soils and Nutrition
- Review of six different crops
- Soil and Nutrition
- Understanding what is in soil-solid particles, air, water
- Soil structure –types of particles (gravel, sand, silt, colloids)
- Peds
- Water and Air
- Soil Temperature
- Soil Life –earthworms, bacteria, mycorrhizae
- Improving soils
- Sampling soils for testing
- Naming a soil type
- Soil problems
- Loss of soil fertility –causes, implications, control
- Erosion–causes, implications, control
- Salinity –causes, implications, control
- Soil compaction –causes, implications, control
- Soil acidification –causes, implications, control
- Build up of dangerous chemicals –causes, implications, control
- Increasing organic matter
- Phytotoxicity
- Adding non organic materials to soil –lime, sulphur, gypsum, etc
- Cation exchange capacity
- Ph –acidity and alkalinity
- Nutrient availability
- Conductivity
- Salinity
- Plant Nutrition
- Choosing a fertiliser
- Total salts
- Diagnosis of nutrient problems
- Natural Fertilisers
- Manures
- Blood and bone
- Rock dusts
- Seaweed
- Review of six different crops
- Nursery Stock Production
- Container or Field Growing
- The Process -Propagation, Transplanting, Growing on, Marketing
- Growing in containers
- In ground nursery production
- Propagation in the nursery –seed, cuttings
- Potting up plants
- Potting machines
- Choosing what to grow and how to grow.
- Nursery Standards
- Cost Efficiencies
- Quality control
- Starting a production nursery
- Revamping an existing nursery
- Scope and nature of different plant products
- Review of six different crops
- Tree Fruit Production
- Scope of tree fruits –deciduous and evergreen
- Site selection for an orchard or plantation
- Rootstocks
- Field preparation
- Production and training systems
- Understanding Pollination
- Understanding chilling requirements
- Grading the harvest
- Mechanised grading
- Grading in different countries
- Post harvest handling equipment
- Review of six different crops
- Soft Fruits Production
- Scope –berries, bush and vines.
- Growing grapes
- Selecting a site for grapes
- Climatic effects on grapes
- Harvesting and marketing grape production
- Strawberry Production
- Where to plant strawberries
- Grading soft fruits
- Strawberry growing
- Raspberries
- Chinese Gooseberries (Kiwi Fruit)
- Cape Gooseberry
- Gooseberry
- Mulberry
- Blueberry
- Elderberry
- Currants
- Cranberry
- Bramble berries
- Review of six different crops
- Vegetable Production
- Groupings of vegetables –brassicas, root and bulb crops, leaf and stem crops, cucurbits, fruit crops, etc
- Factors affecting production
- Planting methods –direct seeding, seedlings, crowns, tubers, offsets, etc
- Seed sources –hybrid seed, collecting seed, etc
- Storing seed
- Sowing seed outdoors
- Sowing seed under cover
- Transplanting seedlings
- Buying seedlings
- Choosing what to grow
- Review and comparison of around 40 different types of vegetables
- Mushroom production
- Harvesting and grading vegetables
- Review of six different crops
- Cut Flower Production
- Scope of cut flower production
- Harvesting and Storage
- Grading
- Cut flower standards
- Alstroemeria
- Antirrhinum
- Amaryllis
- Anigozanthus
- Aster
- Carnation
- Chrysanthemum
- Dahlia
- Freesia
- Gerbera
- Gladiolus
- Iris
- Narcissus
- Orchids
- Roses
- Stocks
- Review of six different crops
- Herbs, Nuts and Miscellaneous Crops
- Growing Herbs
- Propagating herbs
- Review of 16 significant types of herbs
- Harvesting herbs
- Nut Production
- Comparing eight significant nut crops
- Walnut production
- Chestnuts
- Almonds
- Peanuts
- Macadamias
- Pecan
- Hazelnut
- Filbert
- Pistacio
- Cashew
- Review of six different crops
- Crop Production Risk Assessment
- Assessing the workplace –factors to consider
- Consequences of an undesirable event
- Keeping a work site safe
- Duty of care –employer duties and employee duties
- Manufacturer and other person duty of care
- Protective clothing
- Safety with tools and equipment
- Safety with electricity
- Tool maintenance
- Harvest and storage risk
- Review of six different crops
