Organic Gardening

Overview

Organic produce currently has a high profile with the British public. There are many myths about the production process and the impact of organic production on the environment. This course aims to set organic gardening in the context of relationships between plants, animals and the environment. During the course, participants will consider how these factors can be manipulated to maximise production and allow optimum use of the resources available, and how organic production can affect the environment.

This organic gardening module will give you the basic knowledge of how to garden organically at the home scale. We will discover the history of the organic gardening movement, take a deep dive into the main principles of organic gardening and how to use them for your own growing, discover some key biological and ecological concepts of organic growing, discuss how organic products are certified and dip into a discussion around other growing systems such as regenerative, nature friendly and permaculture.

Programme

Activities and tasks will be embedded into each unit so students can practise the techniques they have learned and develop their skills. Students will be encouraged to share their own work and participate in discussions on Blackboard. Alongside the learning materials on Blackboard the tutor will be on hand via email to answer any queries and provide guidance throughout the course. They will also participate in the online discussions.

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this module, students should be able to:

1. Understand the development and history of organic gardening.
2. Explain the key concepts of organic gardening.
3. Awareness of other gardening concepts and how they interact with organic gardening.
4. Interpret the knowledge learnt and apply it to a unique organic garden design.
5. Use of different media types to convey knowledge of organic gardening to different audiences.

Assessments

1. 30% - Engagement activity - Design a poster, infographic, video, social media post/s etc explaining one of the following: the history and importance of the organic gardening movement, the five principles of organic gardening or one principal of organic gardening in depth.
2. 70% - Organic garden design - Describe and design your own organic garden. Key questions may include: What are the key features? Which plants are you growing and why? How will you rotate them? ~1500 words 

Reading Suggestions

Reading suggestions will be offered throughout the course. 

Entry Requirements

This course is for everyone. No previous experience is needed and there are no formal entry requirements. 

What Do I Need?

As this is an online course, you would need the following:

• Internet access.
• Access to a laptop or computer with a web camera and microphone; the use of headphones might also benefit.
• Use of the Chrome web browser where possible.