Commercial Vegetable Production

There are 8 lessons in this course:

1. Introduction to Vegetable Growing
   • Understand the planning processes required in setting up a farming enterprise. Select appropriate crops.
2. Cultural Practices for Vegetables
   • Explain general cultural practices used for vegetable production.
3. Pest, Disease & Weed Control
   • Explain the management of potential problems, including pests, diseases, weeds, and environmental disorders in vegetable production.
4. Hydroponic & Greenhouse Growing
   • Explain alternative cultural techniques, including greenhouse and hydroponic production, for vegetables.
5. Growing Selected Vegetable Varieties
   • Determine specific cultural practices for selected vegetable varieties.
6. Irrigation
   • To develop understanding of how efficiently manage the availability of water to vegetable crops in order to achieve optimum growth.
7. Harvest & Post-Harvest
   • Determine the harvesting, and post-harvest treatment of different vegetables.
8. Marketing Vegetables
   • Develop marketing strategies for different vegetables.

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.

• Select appropriate vegetable varieties for different situations.
• Explain general cultural practices used for vegetable production.
• Explain the management of potential problems, including pests, diseases, weeds, and environmental disorders, in vegetable production.
• Explain alternative cultural techniques, including greenhouse and hydroponic production, for vegetables.
• Determine specific cultural practices for selected vegetable varieties.
• Determine the harvesting, and post-harvest treatment of different vegetables.
• Develop marketing strategies for different vegetables.

• Compile a resource file of sources of information regarding vegetable varieties.
• Describe the classification of different vegetables into major groups.
• Prepare a collection of plant reviews of different vegetable varieties.
• Determine three appropriate cultivars from each of different species of vegetables to be grown on a specified site.
• Prepare a planting schedule of vegetable varieties, to be planted over a twelve month period, in your locality.
• Differentiate between soil management practices for different vegetable varieties.
• Explain the establishment of vegetables by seed.
• Explain how to establish three different vegetables from seedlings.
• Prepare a table or chart showing the planting distances, and planting depth of seed for different vegetable varieties.
• Describe the application of pruning techniques to the production of specified vegetables.
• Prepare a crop schedule (ie. production timetable) for a specified vegetable crop.
• Prepare a pressed weed collection of different weeds.
• Differentiate between different specific techniques for weed control in vegetable crops, including different chemical and different non-chemical methods.
• Determine pest and disease problems common to different specified types of vegetables.
• Identify appropriate control methods for the pest and disease problems you determined (above).
• Develop pest and disease control programs, for the lifespans of different vegetables.
• Determine the environmental disorders occurring with vegetable crops inspected by you.