Outdoor Plant Production (Crops I) 100 Hours Certificate Course

There are 10 lessons:

1 Crop Production Systems

• Introduction
• Where To Get Helpful Information
• Statistics: Outdoor Crop Production Systems, Monoculture vs Mixed Culture
• Consider Your Crop Options: Citrus, Berry Fruits, Nuts, Vibes, Pome Fruits, Stone Fruits, Vegetables, Cut Flowers, Bulbs, Nursery Crops, Herbs, Fibres, Oils And Essences, Seeds, Other Crops
• Crop Plant Reviews
• How To Present A Plant Review

2 Organic Crop Production

• Introduction
• Organic Certification
• Organic Techniques
• Organic Definitions
• Composting: What To Use In Compost, What can go Wrong? Factors Affecting Nitrogen Release From Organic Sources
• Mycorrhizae
• Vesicular-Arbuscular Mycorrhiza (i.e. VAM)
• Some Plants Are Not Mycorrhizal
• Crop Rotation
• The Use Of Legumes: Nitrogen Fixation in Legumes, The Rhizobium Bacteriartification.

3 Soils and Nutrition

• Introduction
• Soil Structure
• Water And Air
• Soil Temperature
• Soil Life: Earthworms, Mycorrhiza, Nitrogen Fixing
• Improving Soils 1
• Soil Problems: Types of Soil Problems, Erosion, Common Human Causes of Erosion, Types of Erosion, Control of Erosion, Salinity, Control Methods for Salinity, Soil Structural Decline, Soil Acidification, Causes of Soil Acidification, Chemical Residues
• Improving Soils 2
• Adding Non-Organic Materials To Soils: Lime, Acidic Materials To Lower Soil PH, Sulphur, Gypsum
• Cation Exchange Capacity
• Soil PH
• Nutrient Availability And PH
• Conductivity: Conductivity and Plants, Salinity Build Up
• Plant Nutrition: The Nutrient Elements
• Major Elements: Choosing the Right Fertiliser, Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium, Magnesium, Calcium, Sulphur
• Minor Elements
• Total Salts
• Diagnosis Of Nutritional Problems
• Fertilisers: Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium
• Natural Fertilizers
• A Look At Organic Fertilizers: Animal Manures, Poultry Manure, Blood and Bone Meal, Rock Dusts, Seaweed, Seaweed Extracts

4 Nursery Stock Production

• Introduction
• Growing Plants In Containers: Factors to Consider
• In-Ground Production: Factors to Consider
• Propagation
• Seed Propagation
• Cutting Propagation
• Potting Up Plants
• Removing The Plants From The Container
• Potting Machines: Possible Problems to Consider
• What To Grow
• How To Grow: Comparison of Container versus In-ground Nursery Production
• Nursery Standards: Cost Efficiency, Quality Standards, Size Standards
• Starting Out As A Nursery Producer
• Revamping an Existing Nursery
• Nursery Products: Open Ground Grown Plants, Tropical Indoor Plants And Ferns, Perennials, Seedlings, Turf, Trees And Shrubs

5 Tree Fruit Production

• Introduction: Deciduous Tree Fruits, Evergreen Tre Fruits
• Site Selection: Climate, Soil, Aspect, Wind
• Rootstocks
• Field Preparation: 2 years prior to planting, 18 months prior to planting, 12-8 months prior to planting, 6 months prior to planting, 4 months prior to planting, 1 month prior to planting
• Fruit Tree Production And Training Systems
• Pollination
• Pollination Requirements: Usually Self Unfruitful, Usually Self Fruitful, Sometimes Require Cross Pollination
• Winter Chilling Requirements
• Grading Systems: Mechanized Grading, Fruit Grading in the USA, Fruit Grading in the UK (European Union), Equipment that may be needed in a Grading Shed
• Fruit Types: Apples, Apricots, Avocdo, Banana, Cherry, Cumquat, Fig, Grape, Grapefruit, Lemon, Lime, Loquat, Mango, Medlar, Nectarine, Olive, Orange, Passionfruit, Paw Paw, Pear, Peach, Pineapple, Plum (European), Plum (Japanese), Pomegranate, Quince, Tree Tomato Or Tamarillo
• Pruning Fruit Trees: Before Pruning, Points to Consider when Pruning

6 Soft Fruits Production

• Introduction
• Growing Grapes
• Where To Grow Them
• Harvesting And Selling Grapes
• Influence Of Weather
• Harvest Techniques
• Strawberies: Where to Plant Strawberries
• Grading Soft Fruit
• Berry Fruit: Strawberries, Raspberries, Chinese Gooseberry, Cape Gooseberry, Gooseberry, Mulberry, Blueberry, Elderberry, Redcurrents, American Cranberry
• Bramble Fruits: Loganberry, Youngberry, Boysenberry, Lawtonberry, Mammonthberry, Phenomenalb

7 Vegetable Production

• Introduction
• Production Factors To Consider: Production Materials and Equipment
• Planting Vegetables
• Seed
• Hybrid Seed
• Storing Seed
• Sowing Seed Outdoors
• Sowing Seed Indoors
• Transplanting Seedlings
• Buying Seedlings
• Transplanting Crowns, Offsets, Tubers Etc
• Some Useful Suggestions On Planting: What to Grow, Crop Rotation
• Varieties And Seed
• Summary Of Vegetables For Quick Reference
• Mushrooms
• The More Common Crops: Broccoli, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Bean, Pea, Lettuce, Onion, Potato, Tomato
• General Harvesting Guidelines
• General Guidelines for Storing Vegetables
• Harvesting And Grading
• What Is Considered Within A Grading Standard

8 Cut Flower Production

• Introduction
• Harvesting And Storage
• Grading: Summary of the EU common quality standards for cut flowers, Summary of EU common quality standards for fresh ornamental foliage
• Directory Of Flower Crops

9 Herbs, Nuts and Miscellaneous Crops

• Herbs - Introducton
• Nuts
• Quick Guide To Choosing And Growing Nut Trees
• Nut Varieties> Walnut, Chestnut, Almond, Peanut, Macadamia, Pecan, American Hazelnut, Filbert, Pistachio, Cashew, Other Edible Nuts
• Prpagating Herbs: Self seeding
• Herb Varieties: Angelica, Basil, Borage, Chives, Dandelion, Garlic, Horseradish, Lavender, Lemon Grass, Marjoram, Mint, Parsley, Rosemary, Sage, Sorrel (Garden), Thyme
• Harvesting Herbs: Harvesting Leaves, Harvesting Roots, Harvesting Fruit and Seeds

10 Crop Production Risk Assessment

• Risk Assessment Of A Crop Production Site: Background Information and the Purpose of the Project, The Area(s) and People that may be at Risk, The Risks, The Consequences of an Event Happening, The Adequacy of Existing Controls, A Rating of the Consequence, Likelihood and Level of Risk
• Keeping The Work Site Safe
• Duty Of Care: Employer Duties, Employee Duties, 'Other person' Duties, Manufacturer Duties
• Work Place Safety
• Protectve Clothing: Winter Gear for Horticultural Workers, Gloves, Eye Protection, Ear Protection, Face Masks, Clothing, Knee Protection, Footwear, Sunscreen, A Good Hat
• Safety With Tools And Equipment: General Safety Rules
• Safety For Different Equipment: Chainsaws, Mulchers/Shredders, Brush Cutters, Hedge Trimmers, Lawn Mowers
• Safety With Electricity
• Tool Maintenance: Harvest and Storage Risk

Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the academy and marked by your tutor and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.

The quality of this course is second to none, from the in-depth learning you will get to the expert individual mentoring you will receive throughout your studies. The mentors for this course are:

Susan Stephenson

BSc in Applied Plant Biology (Botany) Univ. London 1983.

City and guilds: Garden Centre Management, Management and Interior Decor (1984)

Management qualifications in training with retail store. Diploma in Hort level 2 (RHS General) Distinction.

Susan Stephenson is a passionate and experienced horticulturist and garden designer. She has authored three books, lectures at 2 Further and Higher Education Colleges, teaching people of all ages and backgrounds about the wonders of plants and garden design, and tutors many students by correspondence from all over the world.

Susan studied botany at Royal Holloway College (Univ of London) and worked in the trading industry before returning to her first love plants and garden design. She is therefore, well placed to combine business knowledge with horticulture and design skills. Her experience is wide and varied and she has designed gardens for families and individuals. Susan is a mentor for garden designers who are just starting out, offering her support and advice and she also writes, delivers and assesses courses for colleges, introducing and encouraging people into horticulture and garden design.

In 2010, Susan authored a complete module for a Foundation degree (FDSC) in Arboriculture.

Susan holds the RHS General with Distinction. She continues to actively learn about horticulture and plants and (as her students will tell you) remains passionate and interested in design and horticulture.

Steven Whitaker

Diploma in Garden Design (Distinction) – The Blackford Centre, Gold Certificate of Achievement in Horticulture, Level 2 NVQ in Amenity Horticulture, Level 1 NOCN Introduction to Gardening, – Joseph Priestly College, BTEC Diploma in Hotel, Catering and Institutional Operations (Merit), Trainer Skills 1, & 2, Group trainer, Interview and Selection Skills – Kirby College of Further Education

Steven has a wealth of Horticultural knowledge, having ran his own Design and Build service, Landscaping company, and been a Head Gardener. His awards include five Gold awards at Leeds in Bloom, two Gold awards at Yorkshire in Bloom and The Yorkshire Rose Award for Permanent Landscaping. Steven has worked with TV’s Phil Spencer as his garden advisor on the Channel 4 TV Programme, “Secret Agent”.

He is qualified to Level 2 NVQ in Amenity Horticulture and has a Diploma in Garden Design which he passed with Distinction. Steven’s Tutor and Mentor was the Chelsea Flower Show Gold Award-winning Garden Designer, Tracy Foster. He also works for a major Horticultural Commercial Grower in the field of Propagation and Craft Gardening. Steven lives in Leeds where he is a Freelance Garden Designer and Garden Advice Consultant.