Part 1: Organic Farming and Gardening Skills
Click on the titles below to access the files from each unit. CLICK HERE to access a pdf of the full manual (700 PAGES, 5.4 MB)
Note: Please help us track the use of this resource. Send email to agroecology@ucsc.edu and let us know what organization you're working with. We welcome your feedback and suggestions for improving this material.
Foreword and Introduction: How to Use This Resource
An introduction to the material and how to use it to teach organic farming and gardening skills. Includes table of contents, list of contributors and reviewers.
Unit 1.1, Managing Soil Health
This unit introduces students to the ways that farmers and gardeners develop and maintain healthy, fertile soil in certified organic farming systems.Unit 1.2, Garden & Field Tillage & Cultivation
This unit introduces the concepts and skills used for French intensive garden beds as well as mechanical tillage techniques.PDF download »
Powerpoint (PDF format) » Garden Bed Double Digging Demonstration
Video » Double Digging DemonstrationUnit 1.3, Propagation, Greenhouse Management
This unit introduces the techniques used to propagate crops from seed, and the basics of managing greenhouses.Unit 1.4, Transplanting and Direct Seeding
This unit introduces the tools and techniques used to transplant and direct seed crops in the garden and field, including a discussion of environmental conditions to consider.Unit 1.5, Irrigation—Principles and Practices
This unit introduces the principles, practices, and decision making involved in irrigating crops in the garden and field, including overhead and drip irrigation systems.Unit 1.6, Selecting and Using Cover Crops
This unit discussed the different types of cover crops and their various benefits and drawbacks, and how they fit into organic farming systems.Unit 1.7, Making and Using Compost
This unit introduces the techniques and benefits of making and using compost at both a garden and field scale, including the biology of the composting process.Unit 1.8, Arthropod Pest Management
This unit introduces the basic biology and ecology of insects, and outlines the various practices for managing arthropod pests in organic cropping systems.PDF download »
PowerPoints (pdf format) » Part 1, Part 2, Part 3Unit 1.9, Managing Plant Pathogens
This unit introduces the basics of plant pathology, including the causes of disease, biology of causal organisms, disease diagnosis, and ecological management.PDF download »
PowerPoints (pdf format) » Part 1, Part 2Unit 1.10, Managing Weeds
This unit introduces the classes of weeds found in farming systems, and the tools and techniques involved in managing weeds.Unit 1.11, Reading and Interpreting Soil Test Reports
This unit discusses the use of soil tests to assess soil quality, the properties measured in a soil analysis, and the methods for applying soil amendments and fertilizers.
See Also
