Home Gardening Courses

This course is designed to be the fastest way to learn what you need to grow food on a small scale at home

If you want to avoid serious mistakes and get a solid foundation in growing fruits and vegetables, without committing to the time and cost of a much larger course - you won't find much better than this. All in about 20 hours!

Learn essential gardening skills at your own pace

Gardening can be a lot of fun, a hobby or a job. Without an understanding of the basics though, mistakes are easily made. Time and money can be wasted doing gardening tasks incorrectly, or with the wrong equipment and materials. This short course can be studied in your own time and is great way of learning all of the gardening essentials.

Learn about gardening with tropical plants

Grow them in greenhouses, protected garden spaces, indoors or outdoors in warmer climates. An entry level course suitable for anyone new to horticultural study.

Grow fruit trees, berries, nuts, citrus, vines - any type of fruit

Grow an abundance of fresh fruit, berries and nuts, efficiently and economically. Preserve your harvest and trade or give away excess surplus produce to your friends and neighbours.

Learn how to raise soil fertility, choose the best fruits for your situation, and grow them in a way which controls pests and diseases without using dangerous chemicals.

Cool and warm climate fruits are covered in this course; you are also given the option to concentrate your study on the types of fruits which are of most interest to you.

This is a course for enthusiasts with a passion for gardening

It covers everything a home gardener needs to know to become an expert garden guru. Impress your friends and family with your gardening knowledge or just become confident in your gardening abilities.

Develop garden ideas for your home and garden, refine your gardening techniques and learn from international gardening experts.

With almost 100,000 words (the size of three average books), plus expert tutor support, this course provides a unique and well-structured opportunity to develop a very sound understanding of gardening.

Hydroponics for the gardener - learn the fundamentals

Hydroponics is an environmentally friendly and relatively fool proof way to garden at home. It can cost a little more to set up; but being largely automated, once established the hydroponic garden can in some respects involve less work for greater rewards. It doesn't involve the heavy lifting of other forms of gardening; and that aspect alone has made it particularly useful for disabled or less mobile home gardeners.

This course is a good starting point for those who have little experience in horticulture or hydroponics, whose main interest is growing AT HOME. Learn the theory behind hydroponics culture and gain first hand practical experience setting up your own basic hydroponics system.

Learn the tricks of successful plant propagation

Most gardeners find propagation challenging but there are lots of simple techniques that ensure a better strike rate and healthier seedlings. Learn from experts in this field.

This subject aims to develop a basic understanding of the principles of plant propagation, an overview of propagation techniques and equipment and a general knowledge of the methods of propagation of the more commonly cultivated plants. It is specifically geared to the enthusiast hobby gardener. This course is more than just reading notes though; involving lots of practical work and opportunities to interact with expert horticultural staff and other students (through our student room directory).

Learn how to grow delicious, fresh, healthy vegetables at home!

You will study such things as:

• What vegetables to grow
• How to build a veggie garden
• Cultivation and planting
• The main types of vegetables
• Winter vegetables
• How to make great compost
• Pest, disease and weed control
• Hydroponic and greenhouse growing
• Growing vegetables indoors
• Herbs and uncommon vegetable varieties
• Watering and irrigation systems
• Harvesting, storing and using vegetables 

ACS student comment:
 Great course, tutor was really good with explaining and marking. [She] gave me new ideas for my garden and hints for it too. Learning so many new things about growing different vegetables, how to grow them and what to do. All about soils and garden plots. Kathryn Crossfield, Australia - Home Vegetable Growing

Dream of a beautiful garden but lack confidence?

Learn how to plan, lay out and construct your own beautiful home garden.

Topics covered include: designing gardens, styles of gardens, drawing plans, understanding soils, basic landscape construction, weeds and pests, planting and pruning, lawns and other surfacing, garden features, plus a special project to help you develop your own garden in the final lesson of this course.  This opportunity turns your dreams into reality as you create plans for a stunning garden  in which you can work, play or simply sit back and admire.