Instructional Videos

Photo: Jim Clark

The following instructional videos feature demonstrations from Center for Agroecology instructors on various organic farming and gardening topics including fruit tree planting and maintenance, seedling production, vegetable production and more. The development of these videos with videographer Jim Clark has been funded by Organic Valley Farmers Advocating for Organics, the UC Santa Cruz Foundation Board Opportunity Fund, the Friends of the UCSC Farm & Garden, and individual donors. The translation of these videos into Spanish has been funded by the UC Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program. Find more videos on the Center for Agroecology YouTube channel.  

Organic Farming (Vegetable production, cover cropping, equipment)

Intro and Setup of John Deere 71 Flexi Planter

Organic Pepper Production: Soil Preparation to Harvest

Organic Weed Management

How to Setup and Run the Planet Junior Seeder

Growing Potatoes At Field Scale

Principles and Practices of Growing Cover Crops

Spring Cover Crop Incorporation, Compost Application, and Spading

How to Setup the Stanhay Robin Precision Seeder

First Irrigation After Transplanting and Direct Seeding

Planting and Weeding of Winter Squash

Tillage and Maintaining Good Soil Aggregation

How to Use a Tine Weeder

Overview of a Combo Rototiller/Shaper Implement

Field Preparation for Mixed Block Planting in an Organic Production System

Merced Rye Crimp Down

How to Improve Soil Fertility in an Organic Production System at Both Garden and Farm Scales

The "Power" of Cover Cropping PART 1
The "Power" of Cover Cropping PART 2

Organic Seedling Production, Propagation

DIY Dibbler for Efficient, Consistent Dibbling

How to Use a Vacuum Seeder

Irrigation Methods and Tools in a Greenhouse Setting

Seed Sowing by Hand and Using a Dibbler

Seedling Containers

Seedling Development, Container Blocking and Holding Strategies.

Seedling Propagation Mix Ingredients

Seedling Soil Mix Assay Test

Getting Started with Fruit Trees Organically 

Beginner Level

BEFORE YOU DO ANY PRUNING...Fruit Tree Structure and a Demonstration of the Basic Pruning Cuts 

Apple Tree Anatomy - Introduction to Bud Types, Formation and Growth

Where Should I Plant My Fruit Trees?

How to Properly Prune a Just-Planted Pear Tree? See Several Different Examples - PART 1 of 4
How to Properly Prune a Just-Planted Pear Tree? See Several Different Examples - PART 2 of 4
How to Properly Prune a Just-Planted Pear Tree? See Several Different Examples - PART 3 of 4
How to Properly Prune a Just-Planted Pear Tree? See Several Different Examples - PART 4 of 4

Pruning A Young Apple Tree To An Open Center Form - PART 1 of 2
Pruning A Young Apple Tree To An Open Center Form - PART 2 of 2

Orchard Floor Management - the Key to Producing High Quality Fruit

Planting a Bare Root Fruit Tree

Planting Citrus Trees

The Essential Fruit Tree Pruning Tools and How To Use Them

How to Select High Quality Bare Root Fruit Trees

How to Avoid Damaging Your Apple Tree's Fruit Buds When Harvesting Its Fruit

Peach Trees’ Unique Structure: How They Grow, Bloom, and Fruit

Pruning Peaches to the Perpendicular "V" Form

Peach Tree Buds - How They Grow

How to Thin Peaches

Intercropping Peppers Between Fruit Tree Rows

Apple Tree Care for Winter/Spring

How to Control Fruit Tree Size by Rootstock Selection

Important Things to Know About How Your Fruit Trees Grow

Where’s the Best Place to Plant Fruit Trees

Harvesting Apples...How to Tell When They are Ripe. Yummm!

How to Help Your Fruit Trees Get Pollinated Using Mason Bees

Advanced Level

How to Reduce the Size of a Santa Rosa Plum Tree That has Grown Too Tall

How to Reinvigorate a Weak Growing Apple Tree - PART 1 of 3
How to Reinvigorate a Weak Growing Apple Tree - PART 2 of 3
How to Reinvigorate a Weak Growing Apple Tree - PART 3 of 3

The IMPORTANCE of Summer Pruning an Apple Tree - Part 1 of 2
The IMPORTANCE of Summer Pruning an Apple Tree - Part 2 of 2

How to use Spreaders to Train a Pear Tree to an Open Center Form

Winter Pruning and Training a 3 Year Old, Golden Russet, Apple Tree

Peach Trees - Renewing A Major Scaffold Branch

How to Renew 50 Year Old Plum Trees   

How to Graft Fruit Trees

SO IMPORTANT for grafting fruit trees...a sharp grafting knife! Here's how to sharpen yours

Organic Gardening, Soils, Compost

Checking Progress on Beds of Mixed Greens

Soil Mixes for the Home Gardener 

Intensive Gardening Bed Layout

Weeding and Mulching in Perennial Beds

How to Weed with a Collinear Hoe 

Weed Pressure and How to Manage it

Thinning and Weeding in Cross Bed Rows 

The 3 MOST IMPORTANT Reasons to Plant Flowers in Your Yard, Garden or Farm

Growing Mixed Salad Greens and How to Thin Them

How to "Chop and Drop" a Cover Crop at Garden Scale and Incorporate into the Soil

How to Sow Seeds Directly Into the Soil

Heavy Rain Can Damage Uncovered Soil! Learn How to Protect It

Don't Damage Your Soil! How to Test For Proper Soil Moisture Before Working It

It All Starts with Good Soil

Introduction to Making Compost - Building a Microbial Layer Cake - PART 1 of 3
Introduction to Making Compost - Building a Microbial Layer Cake - PART 2 of 3
Introduction to Making Compost - Building a Microbial Layer Cake - PART 3 of 3

Winter Raspberry Pruning

Winter Blackberry Pruning