Discover How To Grow All Sorts of Crops

This course has ten lessons.

1. Crop Production Systems
2. Organic Crop Production
3. Soils and Nutrition
4. Nursery Stock Production
5. Tree Fruit Production
6. Soft Fruits Production
7. Vegetable Production
8. Cut Flower Production
9. Herbs, Nuts and Miscellaneous Crops
10. Crop Production Risk Assessment

• 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 the techniques used to produce a range of soft fruits.
• Explain the techniques used to grow a range of vegetables.
• Explain the commercial production of outdoor-grown cut flowers.
• Describe commercial production of herbs, nuts and other miscellaneous crops.
• Identify the risks that may occur in outdoor crop production.

 DURATION:  100 hours

How are Crops Grown Outside

There is many different ways (systems) for crop production. These systems vary in how they are managed and the plants they are used to grow; from place to place. Some crops are grown in a number of different systems in a locality; while others, tends to be grown using variations of the same type of system.

Common types of crop growing systems include:

Broad Acre Cropping 
This involves crops being grown in large paddocks, as a monoculture. The intention is that the crop variety being grown across the area is one variety.
By doing this, it becomes possible to do everything you need to do on a large scale. The same harvesting equipment, fertilizing programs and anything else, can apply to dozens of acres at the same time; which can create efficiencies of scale. It can also create vulnerabilities of scale too though. This is used for some vegetable, as well as oil, fibre and grain crops

Row cropping
This is common practice for growing many vegetables, herbs or cut flowers. It is similar to broad acre farming, but often on a smaller scale, with plants grown in long raised beds.

Hydroponic Production
This involves growing plants without soil; often in beds filled with an inert material like gravel or channels. Hydroponics is more common inside greenhouses, where annual rainfall may interfere with managed nutrient solutions; but in drier climates, it can often be a good choice for growing produce; because it can make more efficient use of water.
It is an 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.

Container Growing
This is most commonly used to produce nursery stock outdoors; but in cold climates, large containers are sometimes used to grow plants that can be placed outside in summer, and moved under cover in winter. Citrus for instance, have been grown this way in England, France and other places for hundreds of years.

Trellising
This is used to support and train deciduous and vine fruits. 

Hedges
Hedging is sometimes used for tree and berry fruits.It is also used for growing nursery stock plants (to provide cutting propagation material). 

This course is relevant to any type of growing system, mentioned above, or anything else.

Comment from a graduate of this course:

"I’ve been really happy with the course, and the tutors and feedback that I have had. I will be willing to recommend the course to any of my friends and colleagues."

M. Simpson