Crops Courses

Learn to grow potatoes, carrots, turnips, and other root crops. With this course, you'll learn important differences and growing practices for many root crops. For farmers or those working in related farm industries this course will help you to understand the benefits associated with growing root crops - from improving world food security through to growing crops that require less water than many other crops; a direction in sustainable farming that you could be at the forefront of.

Root crops such as potatoes, yams, and cassava grains are some of the most food stuffs in global agriculture. They provide vital carbohydrates to people and animals all over the developing world.

Want to Grow Berries?

Learn how to grow berries as an enthusiast or commercial grower.

Covering all aspects of the propagation, care and cultivation of common (and uncommon) berry fruit; with the opportunity to specialize to some degree in one type of berry.

Berry production

• Learn to care for and propagate berries.
• Study in your own time and at your own pace.
• Berry production is a growth industry.
• All tutors are highly knowledgeable and experienced.

ORGANIC VEGETABLE GROWING ONLINE COURSE

Learn the processes required to tap into the commercial organic vegetable market.

A self paced study program, for serious growers; new farmers and staff working on vegetable farms or market gardens.

The demand for organically grown vegetables is currently a major growth area in commercial horticulture. This course is a good starting point in learning all aspects of organic vegetable production.

COMMERCIAL VEGETABLE PRODUCTION

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. Note: Do not undertake Commercial Organic Vegetable Growing as well as this. The two courses do overlap)

Learn to Grow All Sorts of Crop Plants

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. 

Over ten lessons, discover how to develop a site, crop selection, soil management, cut flowers, vegetables, berries, nuts, herbs, tree fruits, other crops, managing a market garden, and more.

Learn Bulb and Flower Production

Everyone loves getting a bunch of flowers – bulbs growing for the cut flower trade can be a rewarding career; this course will equip you with the skills and knowledge to forge a career in this field.

This is a course designed for the flowering bulb enthusiast or commercial bulb grower interested in starting their own business for the cut flower market. There are ten lessons in this course with loads of practical skills to get you inspired and to get you growing! You will learn the basics of all good horticultural practice:  understanding of soil types, plant nutrition, management of pest and diseases, environmental management and also the various types of bulbs used for flower production. If you have always wanted to learn more about flowering bulbs and how to grow them commercially or at home, this is the place to start!

CUT FLOWER ORCHIDS ONLINE COURSE 

This specialist course is aimed at those that would love to work in the orchid growing sector. Greenhouse growing is covered extensively throughout this very rounded course. Improve your skills and gain work or set up your own business.

Orchids occur naturally from very cold temperate climates through to tropical locations; and provided you choose appropriate species and treat them according to location, it is feasible to grow orchids as cut flowers almost anywhere. Orchids are one of the most commercially viable cut flower crops (partially due to their beauty, and also due to their long shelf life). Learn how to produce orchid flowers for the cut flower trade.

Cut Flower Production - Join a Dynamic and Expanding Industry

This course provides a thorough basic training for the commercial cut flower grower. This is a diverse industry with potential in virtually every corner of the world.  Cut flower growing involves many considerations that require unique knowledge and skills such as:

• How to initiate flowering out of season
• How to ensure blemish free product for optimum prices
• Harvest and post harvest treatments to increase shelf life
• Crop selection in the light of changing fashions and supply/demand fluctuations

Cut flower growing has experienced rapid expansion in recent decades, resulting in increased demand for training in the skills and knowledge required by this industry in increasingly affluent countries.

Fruit Production: a course of study for the serious grower

A great all rounded course that covers all aspects of fruit temperate fruit growing from soil management through to plant selection and marketing. All you need to know to set up that fruit growing farm.

Your fruit growing enterprise may be large or small, or a backyard operation - whichever it is or whichever you are looking to set up, the basics are the same, This course covers all those basics.

An eight lesson course that starts by introducing the fruit growing industry, and moves through most of the skills needed for successful fruit growing in a serious way. Topics covered include management, soils, planting, irrigation, pruning, cultural practices (including pest control), pome and stone fruits, and various vines, fruit trees and nuts.

Fruit growing in tropical and sub-tropical climates

Similar to the temperate fruit course, but adapted to cover tropical and sub-tropical conditions. The course includes sections on Avocados, Pineapples, Macadamias, Paw Paws and Cashews.

 GREENHOUSE CUT FLOWERS ONLINE COURSE

Learn how you can extend the growing season by expanding your cut flower range and supplying markets year-round. This is a diverse course for the serious grower.

Greenhouse Cut Flower Production is intensive horticulture. It requires less land but a greater investment in equipment (compared with production in the open). This form of production can also be more complex -requiring not only an understanding of the plants and related horticultural skills; but also an understanding of how to provide and manage artificial environments.

This course is unique and ideal training for anyone looking to work in this exciting and rewarding field of horticulture.

HOME STUDY HYDROPONICS COURSE

Learn how to grow plants with hydroponics

The content of this course does overlap with the other two short hydroponic courses to some degree, but assumes you have a greater knowledge of hydroponics to start with, and therefore goes into greater depth than the Hydroponics or Home Hydroponics course. Emphasis is placed on the horticulturally valuable crops such as cut flowers and vegetables.

There are ten lessons which outline:
The course covers all types of systems including NFT, gravel bed, capillary, flood & drip feed, growool, & vertical bags. All types of media are dealt with including scoria, gravel, sand, vermiculite, perlite, expanded clay, polystyrene, stone chip, and rockwool. Major techniques and problems are dealt with, including salinity, nutrient balance, disease control, temperature and humidity, light requirements, pest control, pruning, propagation, harvesting, and more.

Design and maintenance of crop irrigation systems.

 Water is a precious and often scarce resource. Using it effectively can make all the difference to whether a crop is profitable or not. This ten lesson course develops an understanding of how plants use water and how to deliver it more effectively to the plant. Learn about the design, installation, maintenance, operation and evaluation of simple irrigation systems.

This course is similar to BHT210 and BAG213, but focuses on irrigation systems for row crops (eg. vegetables & cut flowers) and orchards.

MUSHROOM PRODUCTION ONLINE STUDY

Ever wanted to grow mushrooms and didn’t know where to start?

Here is a comprehensive 8 lesson course covering how to grow mushrooms on either a small or large scale. Emphasis is placed on the Agaricus species (the Champignon), though other commercially important edible fungi are also considered. Growing, harvesting, marketing, storage, pest and diseases and even ways of cooking and using mushrooms are covered.

NUT PRODUCTION ONLINE COURSE

For the enthusiast or commercial grower.

Learn to Grow Nuts, Correspondence Course

Gain a sound foundation for growing a wide variety of nuts, particularly in temperate climates. This course also provides opportunities for you to focus more on types of nuts that are of greater interest and relevance to you.

Nuts have some distinct advantages over other crops:

• Long shelf life (so you don't need to sell them quickly) or use costly storage or processing to extend the marketing period
• High in protein - nutritionally intensive foods

  A detailed study on nut growing with the opportunity to specialise, to some degree, according to your interests.

  Nuts can be grown in most parts of the world - there are species suited to a variety of climates.

  Nuts are an exceptionally valuable food crop that can be harvested and stored for long periods and can also be processed into a variety of products. These characteristics make them particularly useful for commercial growers, for the home gardener, or those striving towards self sufficiency.

Successful protective plant cropping requires the practical skills and knowledge you will gain when undertaking this course. A specialized field of growing covering all types of crops and ornamentals – this course with give you broad practical plant husbandry skills.

Develop your broad understanding of practices and processes involved in successful plant cropping. It will develop a clear understanding of environmental control and plant growth within a protective environment, together with a practical knowledge of plant husbandry techniques.

DISTANCE LEARNING SOIL MANAGEMENT COURSE

Study Viticulture:

And know how to choose the right place, the right varieties, the right growing techniques, the right harvesting techniques and the right marketing techniques: learn to produce better grapes, on a small or large scale.

Learn to grow

WARM CLIMATE NUTS