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
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
Overview of a Combo Rototiller/Shaper Implement
Field Preparation for Mixed Block Planting in an Organic Production System
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
Irrigation Methods and Tools in a Greenhouse Setting
Seed Sowing by Hand and Using a Dibbler
Seedling Development, Container Blocking and Holding Strategies.
Seedling Propagation Mix Ingredients
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
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
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
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
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
