Learn to Start and Operate a Backyard Nursery
This course will give you the skills to start a small backyard nursery or gain work in the field. Many nurseries start as backyard operators, you could grow a range of plants, concentrate on rare plants or a single species - opportunities always exist in selling through mail order or online. at farmer's markets or from your own backyard. You just need the following skills to start:
What this Course Covers
There are six lessons in this course
- Plant Identification and Culture
- Plant Propagation
- Soils and Nutrition
- Seed Propagation and Nursery Business
- Cutting Propagation
- Pest and Disease
Workload
Study when, where and however much you want. For most students, the
course can be completed with a total of around 100 hours of study; and a
commitment close to that may be needed to achieve desired learning
outcomes.
Extra Reading
The following books, available through this web site are relevant supplementary reading for this course
- Garden Design Part I
- Garden Design Part II
- Landscape Gardening in the Shade
- Tropical Landscaping
- Water Gardening
- Landscaping with Australian Plants
- The Environment of Play
Assessment
Self Assessment Tests are presented throughout the course. These are
essentially an automated quiz. When you undertake a "SAT" or "Self
Assessment Test", you will be able to see what you got correct, and what
was incorrect; and in that way, you can identify your weaknesses.
Assignments are given at the end of each lesson. You should
complete this assignment, paying careful attention to follow what is
asked of you. It can be just as important to learn to work to
specification, as it is to learn about the topic you are studying.
Graduates who develop a habit of working to specification in the field
of landscaping, will impress employers, and will be more efficient when
self employed.
A Final Exam is offered upon satisfactory completion of all assignments.
This is optional. If you choose to apply for and do this exam, you will
have the possibility of obtaining a "formal credit" or "Pass
Certification" for this course. A fee applies. The exam may be sat under
prearranged conditions anywhere in the world. This college will award
you a formal transcript, upon successful completion of the exam, as
proof of your results.
Recognition and Ethics
This college is a member of the ACS Affiliates Network; a group of
colleges from several countries, affiliated with each other through ACS
Distance Education.. Courses are developed with input from all of these
colleges, aspiring to reflect internationally accepted standards and
needs.
A strict "No Plagiarism" and "No fraud" policy exists. Assignments are
checked for plagiarism, and assignments will not be deemed to have been
completed, if work is not your own original creation, and is found to
have been copied from elsewhere. If the person doing the course is
discovered to be different to the name enrolled, the enrolment and any
results will be recorded as invalid and any fees paid will be forfeited.
Refund Policy
A full refund less expenses (up to 15% of fees applied) is provided to
anyone wishing to withdraw from a course, within 2 weeks of enrolment.
This does not apply after the first assignment has been submitted and
marked; or after the two weeks has expired.
WHAT IS DIFFERENT ABOUT THIS INSTITUTION?
We believe that we have an ethical responsibility to make good use of
the fees you pay and the time you invest into an education through our
college. To this end, our first priority is always your learning. This
comes before issues such as formal accreditations, speculative marketing
and bureaucratic processes which all too often add considerable costs
to the running of colleges, and take resources away from the provision
of more valuable services to the student.
This college focuses on facilitating your learning and support to
optimise that learning. We recognise that learning is all about
improving knowledge and skills in your long term memory. While some
colleges may focus on getting you to pass exams, by committing knowledge
to short term memory; we understand that such an approach is not true
education, and does little to improve your long term career or business
prospects.
How This Course Could Help You
This course will give you that start you need to work within the nursery industry - whether for an established business or your own operation.