Outdoor Plant Production (Crops I)

START A COMMERCIAL CROP PRODUCTION FARM

Learn to Grow a Broad Range of Crops

Designed to gain broad knowledge on outdoor crop production, from flowers to fruits and vegetables, this course is a basic step to start a commercial venture on many types of crops. The course consists of ten lessons that cover site selection, crop selection, soil management, cut flowers, vegetables, berries, nuts, herbs, tree fruits, other crops, managing a market garden and more.

Student comment (M.Simpson): "This course has been excellent - I would be willing to recommend this course to any of my friends and colleagues"

This course is a comprehensive introduction to crop growing which covers a huge amount of ground. Learn about different types of crop systems, how to establish and nurture crops, and techniques used in traditional and organic growing systems. 

Discover growing methods for a wide range of different types of crops from nursery plants and trees to nuts, vegetables, fruits and cut flowers.

See how soil is related to production yield and quality, how organic methods can be applied to any crop and which types of systems are better suited to particular crops.

It is a course of exceptional value to anyone interested in growing food plants.

Inside the course

• Study fruit, vegetables, berries, nuts and other horticultural crops.
• Work on a fruit farm, start a business or develop your self sufficiency.
• Broaden your horticultural skills.
• Learn from highly qualified horticulture tutors who know the industry, plants and growing techniques well. Benefit from their decades of experience.
• Self paced, flexible, 100 hour course.

This course started live as a crops course developed by John Mason in 1980. Over the years it has been revised and upgraded many times with input from over 20 horticulturists in both the UK and Australia.

Today's course is very much up-to-date and an excellent foundation for any type of outdoor plant production.

Lesson Structure

There are 10 lessons in this course:

1. Crop Production Systems
   • Scope and nature of horticultural crops
   • Reasons for growing; subsistence or for market
   • Developing reliable resource information
   • Types of Cropping –row cropping, broadacre, hydroponics, container growing, 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
2. Organic Production of Crops
   • Defining organics
   • Organic certification systems
   • Organic culture techniques
   • Composting
   • Factors that affect Nitrogen release from organic sources
   • Mycorrhizae affect on plants
   • Non mycorrhizal plants
   • Crop rotation
   • Using Legumes for soil improvement –nitrogen fixation
   • Rhizobium bacteria
   • Review of six different crops
3. Soils and Nutrition
   • Understanding soil composition and structure
   • 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
4. Producing Nursery Plants
   • 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 methods -manual and mechanical
   • Choosing cultivars 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
5. Orchard 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
6. 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
   • Brambleberries
   • Review of six different crops
7. 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 and under cover
   • Transplanting seedlings
   • Choosing what to grow & buy
   • Review and comparison of around 40 different types of vegetables
   • Mushroom production
   • Harvesting and grading vegetables
   • Review of six different crops
8. Cut Flower Production
   • Types of cut flower production
   • Flower harvest and Storage
   • Grading and flower standards
   • Alstroemeria
   • Antirrhinum
   • Amaryllis
   • Anigozanthos
   • Aster
   • Carnation
   • Chrysanthemum
   • Dahlia
   • Freesia
   • Gerbera
   • Gladiolus
   • Iris
   • Narcissus
   • Orchids
   • Roses
   • Stocks
   • Review of six different crops
9. Herbs, Nut and Miscellaneous Crop Production
   • Herb culture
   • How herbs are propagated
   • Review of significant herb species
   • Harvesting herbs
   • Nut Growing
   • Significant nut crops
   • Walnut production
   • Chestnuts
   • Almonds
   • Peanuts
   • Macadamias
   • Pecan
   • Hazelnut
   • Filbert
   • Pistachio
   • Cashew
   • Review of six different crops
10. Crop Production Risk Assessment
    • Assessing workplace safety factors
    • Duty of care
    • Employer duties
    • Employee duties
    • Manufacturer duties
    • Duties of visitors or anyone else
    • Protective clothing
    • Sunscreen
    • Tool and equipment safety
    • Safety using electricity
    • Maintenance of tools and equipment
    • Harvest and storage risk
    • Review of six different crops

Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school's tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.

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.

The main systems used for commercial cropping are: 

Row cropping – the most commonly used production system; used to grow vegetables and herbs, cut flowers, fruit and nut trees, field-grown nursery stock. Advantages of row cropping include ease of access for machinery and people during planting, crop maintenance and harvesting. This system enables good water management (i.e. it is suitable for trickle irrigation systems) and weed control (using mulches between plants and mowing between rows).  

Broad acre – most commonly used for large scale vegetable, oil seed, fibre, herb and grain production. Also used for cut flowers, turf growing, and large-scale orchards (e.g. fruit grown for canning and juicing).  This is commonly known as Agronomy. If this is what interests you; we also offer an Agronomy course. 

Hydroponics – a specialised and intensive system most commonly used to grow leafy vegetables, tomatoes and strawberries. Can be used to grow many other crops including cut flowers and root vegetables.

Containerised systems – This involves growing plants in pots or other containers (e.g bags, baskets, veneer tubes), commonly used for growing nursery stock; both in the open, and under cover.

Trellising systems – used for supporting and training deciduous and vine fruits.

Hedging – used for tree and berry fruits, and nuts. Also used for growing nursery stock plants (to provide cutting propagation material).

Monoculture farming involves growing one type of crop or raising one type of animal. This system has been widely practised in recent years, and is favoured by many growers because it potentially gives good economic returns. By only growing one crop farmers are able to specialise and refine their growing techniques, and to concentrate their efforts in developing markets and investing in specialised equipment.

Mixed culture farming involves growing a variety of crops or animals. Until the Industrial Revolution and the advent of chemical fertilisers, all farmers made their living through mixed culture farming, and nowadays many growers are turning back to this system. This system has several important benefits:

• In most cases it is more environmentally sustainable than monoculture farming. Growing a wide range of different plants for different purposes can significantly enhance the land’s productivity over a period of time. This means that as well as growing several different cash efficient crops at any given time, the farmer grows other plants such as windbreaks and companion plants to improve the farm’s sustainability.
• Farmers are buffered against economic loss caused by market over/under supply or by the loss of one crop from pest/disease attack or unfavourable growing conditions
• Crops can be spread over the whole year, allowing better use of resources (such as farm equipment) and better management of labour and finance.