Outdoor Plant Production (Crops I)

Learn to Grow Horticultural Crops -Study at Home or Study online

• 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
   • To explain different cropping systems and their appropriate application for the production of different types of crops
      
2. Organic Crop Production
   • To evaluate and explain organic plant production, and the requirements in at least two different countries, to achieve organic certification.
      
3. Soils and Nutrition
   • To understand the function of soils and plant nutrition in outdoor cropping systems.
      
4. Nursery Stock Production
   • Describe the commercial production of a range of nursery stock.
      
5. Tree Fruit Production
   • Describe the commercial production of a range of tree fruit crops.
      
6. Soft Fruits Production
   • To develop an understanding of the techniques used to produce a range of soft fruits.
      
7. Vegetable Production
   • To develop an understanding of the techniques used to grow a range of vegetables.
      
8. Cut Flower Production
   • To develop an understanding of the commercial production of outdoor cut flowers.
      
9. Herbs, Nuts and Miscellaneous Crops
   • To develop an understanding of the commercial production of herbs, nuts and other miscellaneous crops.
      
10. Crop Production Risk Assessment
    • To understand the risks that may occur in outdoor crop production.
    • 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.

How are Crop Plants Grown?

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 (eg 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 vs. Mixed Culture / Companion Planting
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.