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Commercial Organic Vegetable Growing
Commercial Organic Vegetable Growing 100 Hours Certificate Course
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Learn About Commercial Organic Vegetable Growing
Commercial Organic Vegetable Growing course online. Successfully farm organic vegetables! 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.
Lesson Structure:Â Commercial Organic Vegetable Growing VHT241
There are 12 lessons:
1 Â Introduction
- Organic Growing and it’s definitions
- Influential people in the organic movement
- Different ways to grow -permaculture, biodynamics, etc.
- Organic certification
- Transition to organic production
- Management Plan
- Industry awareness
- Resources and Networking
- Understanding Plant Names
2 Â Cultivation and Planting
- Cultivation methods
- Crop rotation
- Green manures
- No dig growing
- Planting
- Sowing vegetable seed outside
- Germinating indoors
- Transplanting seedlings
- Crowns, offsets, tubers
- Crop scheduling
- Tillage, Ripping, Harrowing, Dis ploughing, etc
- Tractors
3 Â Soils and Nutrition
- Physical soil properties -profile, texture, etc
- Chemical properties -pH, cation exchange capacity, buffering etc.
- Soil water, air, temperature
- Humus and Organic matter
- Nutrient elements
- Organic Fertilizers
- Animal manure
- Liquid feeds in an organic system
- Rock dusts
- Diagnosing nutritional problems
4 Â Soil Management
- Importance of soil
- Cultivation techniques
- Cover crops
- Green manures
- Nitrogen fixation
- Rhizobium bacteria
- Mycorrhizae
- Composting
- Hot heaps vs cold
5 Â Review of Major Vegetable Varieties
- Getting the best from an organic vegetable plot
- Vegetable Directory -Beans, Beetroot, Broccoli, Sprouts, Cabbacge, Capsicum, Carrot, Cauliflower, Corn, Celery, Eggplant. Lettuce, Onion, Pak Choi, Parsnip, Pea, Potato, Pumpkin, Marrow, Squash, Radish, Spinich Turnip
- Transplanting Guide
6 Â Pests and Disease
- Integrated Pest Management
- Allowable Inputs
- Understanding Pest and Disease
- Understanding Other Plant Problems
- Lifecycles
- Review of common problems
- Companion Planting
7 Â Seed
- Organic seed
- Seed production -preventing cross pollination
- Choosing seed plants for vegetable crops
- Collecting seeds
- Cleaning and storing seed
- Seed germination
8 Â Greenhouse Growing
- Types of greenhouses
- Framing and covering materials
- What greenhouse is appropriate
- Siting a greenhouse
- Benching
- Greenhouse hygiene
- Problems with greenhouses
- Other structures -cold frames, shade houses
- Environmental controls
- Heating, Cooling
- Controlling light
- Growing media
- Fertigation in organic systems
- Carbon dioxide enrichment
- Irrigation Methods
- Crops Directory -Tomatoes, Cucumber, Melons, Zucchini
9 Â Lesser Grown Varieties and Herbs
- Growing herbs
- Review of many culinary herbs-Alliums, Corriander, Mints, Basil, Oregano, Rosemary, Pasley, Savory, Thyme, etc.
- Review of lesser grown vegetables -Amaranth, Artichoke, Asparagus, Cassava, Chicory, Dandelion, Garlic, Endive, Ginger, Horseradish, Chicory, Mint, Leek, Okra, Pigface, Rhubarb, Sweet Potato, Warrigul Greens, Taro, Yams, etc
10 Â Irrigation
- Irrigation objectives and feasibility
- Soil and water
- Understanding classes of soil moisture
- Soil and transpiration
- Field capacity
- Permenant Wilting point
- Tensiometers
- When to irrigate
- Scheduling irrigation
- When to irrigate
- Cyclic watering
- Pulse watering
- Plant root depth
- Irrigation type -flood, sprinkler, ytickle etc.
- Portable, permenant or travelling sprinklers
- Sprinklet spacings
11 Mulching and Weeds
- Understanding mulch
- Types of mulch materials
- Rules for using mulch
- Living mulch
- Weed Management
- Preventing weeds
12 Harvesting and Marketing
- Harvesting techniques
- PostHarvest quality considerations
- Harvesting hints
- Post harvest treatment of vegetables -field processing
- Cooling
- Quality standards
- Monitoring and reviewing
- Marketing
- Business capabilities
- Market research
- Target marketing
- Understanging economics
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.
Learning Goals: Â Commercial Organic Vegetable Growing VHT241
- Discuss general horticulture and plant taxonomy principles
- Describe a range of cultivation and planting techniques
- Explain soil properties, and their relationship to organic plant production
- Diagnose basic soil nutrient deficiencies
- Discus major and minor commercial vegetable varieties
- Describe a variety of pest and disease management principles
- Explain the use of seed in commercial organic agriculture, including storage, viability, germination, genetic purity, and hybridisation
- Discuss the principles of greenhouse growing
- Describe a variety of irrigation methods suitable for organic vegetable production
- Explain organic weed control methods
- Explain issues relating to harvesting and marketing of vegetables
What You Will Do:
- Compile reference lists of vegetable varieties, industry contacts, organic fertilisers and pest control products, etc.
- Evaluate the merits and deficiencies of agricultural equipment and products
- Build a no-dig garden and monitor its progress
- Classify soils
- Evaluate the role of soil organisms
- Identify nutrient deficiencies such as nitrogen deficiency
- Build composts
- Evaluate seed sources and plant varieties
- Perform sowing and germination trials
- Evaluate the merits and deficiencies of greenhouse growing
- Evaluate the principles of irrigation
- Perform mulching trials
- Evaluate pricing, packaging and presentation of retail vegetables
Your tutor for this course is:
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.Â
Assessment is based on a combination of completing all assignments and sitting for a final short one and a half hour exam, in your own location.
If you don’t cope well with exams then you may elect to undertake a project instead. This is a popular option.
In addition, most modules have a Set Task at the end of each lesson placed before the assignment. This is an opportunity to undertake practical work to help you acquire knowledge and skills and practical experience. This ADL feature is an added bonus not found at most online schools. Set Tasks are not required for assessment.Â
Some courses also have optional Self-Tests which are available on our online learning platform. These are not available by correspondence or by USB, and do not form part of your overall grade.
- Choose Your Learning Method
You choose how you would like to receive your course material, i.e., Online, USB or Correspondence. The choice is yours. You may also work on online or offline. - Tutor Allocation
Every student is assigned their own dedicated tutor who is an expert in their subject area. They provide as much or as little individual contact as you require. You can contact your tutor whenever you need – your hours are not limited. - Feedback and Assignments
Tutor Feedback is an essential component in helping you understand the subject matter. Tutor feedback is given in the form of notes written on the assignment. We encourage you to contact your Tutor where help with clarification and understanding of course material may be required.
Your assignments are located at the end of each lesson. You submit them for marking whenever you are ready. There is no time limit.  - Set Tasks and Self-Tests
Most modules have a Set Task at the end of each lesson before for the assignment. This is where you get the opportunity to undertake practical work to help you acquire knowledge, skills and practical experience. Many modules also have short Self-Tests. - Exams
Once all assignments have been completed you may then elect to sit for a one and half hour exam in your own location. If you prefer not to take the exam you do have the option to undertake a project instead.
Once the exam or project part of the course is completed, your Certificate is then processed. Please allow approximately 4 weeks for this. - Design Your Own Qualification
ADL offers students the flexibility to self-design their own qualification – bundling together a combination of 100-hour modules into a qualification higher than a certificate.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Here is a list of the most often asked FAQ’s.
General
Q. Why should I enrol with the Academy for Distance Learning?
A. Here at ADL, our students are our priority – we treat everyone as a unique individual.
Q. Do I need to buy text books?
A. No, as each module has been written by highly qualified industry professionals. The content of the material is presented in such a way that text books are not required. However, if you require additional reading your tutor will be able to supply a list.
Q. What happens if I have to stop studying for a while? (eg. become sick, go on holidays, have a baby, move house, etc)
A. It’s OK to take a break and start up your study at a later point in time. Just let us know.
Q. Is there an age limit?
A. There is no maximum age limit. We do however, have a minimum age limit of 18 years. Below that age parental consent would be required.
Q. Are your courses up-to date?
A. Our courses are revised and updated on a rotation system.
Q. Do you have a Cancellation policy?
A. Yes. We have a cancellation policy that is fair and equitable. For further details please click here.
Q. Will I have any opportunity to engage with other students?
A. We have a Student Community group based on facebook! If you don’t have a facebook account already, you could make one just for talking with fellow students on the group.
Enrolment
Q. When can I enrol/start?
A. You may enrol and start at any time of the year – it’s all self- paced.
Q. Can I study from anywhere in the world?
A. Our courses are available to anyone, anywhere in the world from the comfort of your own home. The course content is relevant to any country, culture or economy.
Q. How long do I have to complete the course?
A. You complete the course at any time that is convenient for you.
Q. Completing a 100 hour module – how long will it take?
A. For some students a 100 hour module will take approximately to 3- 6 months to complete. Others take less time and some even longer.
Assessment
Q. Assessment – how does it work?
A. For each 100 hour module you are assessed by assignments (at the end of each lesson) and a final one and a half hour exam (or you may elect to complete a Project, instead of sitting the exam) – the choice is yours – you sit for the exam in your own location.
Q. I don’t cope well with exams – what can I do?
A. You may elect to undertake a Project (set by your tutor) instead of sitting the exam. Projects are completed from your home and can usually take a couple of weeks to complete.
Q. If my assignment is not up to standard is there an opportunity to resubmit my work?
A. Yes –
Q. How many assignments do I need to complete for each module?
A. At the end of each lesson, there is an assignment – so if a course has say, 10 lessons, there would be 10 assignments.
Q. I am having difficulty attending workshops/industry meetings, what can be done?
A. If your course requires attendance at workshops, conferences, or industry meetings; alternative arrangements can be made in your country.
Qualifications
Q. What qualification will I receive?
A. For individual modules, you would be awarded a Certificate endorsed by TQUK (Training Qualifications, UK), providing you complete all assignments and the exam. If you just want to complete only the assignments and not sit for the exam or finish a Project, then a Letter of Achievement would be awarded. For more details on qualifications available please click here.
Q. Can I customize my diploma/higher qualification?
A. Not all educational institution’s certificates /diplomas meet everyone’s needs. The opportunity to Design Your Own Diploma at the Academy (subject to our approval) is an added bonus, not found at other colleges. You choose modules that you think will help you in achieving your goal.
Q. What do I get when I complete the course? Will I receive a transcript?
A. At the completion of all courses and providing all assignments and exam requirements have been met, you will receive your Award and a Transcript.
Tutors
Q. Our tutors – who are they?
A. We appoint Tutors and require that they must be currently active in their industry, with at least 5 years’ experience in their chosen profession.
Q. Can I contact my tutor at any time?
A. Yes – you have unlimited access to your tutor via email through our Online Classroom. You can always leave a message with ADL requesting your tutor to contact you. You decide on how much or how little contact you wish to have.
Q. Practical work – How is this done?
A. To find out more about this part of the course please visit the section on How Our Courses Work here.
What your tuition fees include
- All Course Material via Online, USB or Correspondence
- Assignments Marked
- Professional Tutor Feedback
- Set Tasks - Practical Exercises to help you develop skills
- Self-Tests – multiple choice questions at the end of lessons in most modules
- Unlimited Personal Tutor Support – via our student classroom
- Committed and Friendly Admin Support – vital to your success
- All ADL Exam or Project fees (exception RHS exams)
- Qualification Certificate
- Official Transcript with assignment grades
- Student Manual
Plus FREE
- Academic Writing course (optional - 10 hours only)
- Critical Thinking course (optional - 10 hours only)
- Job Seekers Careers Guide
- Study Tips on How To Study Better
- Career Counselling by ADL Staff
- CV Writing Help, Tips and Advice