This vegetable production course is designed to benefit beginner vegetable producers who have 0-3 years of vegetable growing experience or no formal training in agriculture. The participants will learn answers to the basic questions about farm business planning, planning and preparing for vegetable farm, warm and cool-season vegetable production techniques, season extension, identification of biotic and abiotic issues, and marketing.

• The course consists of seven online modules, each of which include a self-paced video, supplemental material, and a short quiz.
• The slides presented in the video are also provided in a downloaded PDF file for note-taking and future reference.
• The supplemental materials are great addition to your personal reference library and valuable resources for all farmers.
• The module quizzes are designed to test your knowledge of the key points within the specific module.
• Each module is expected to take you approximately one hour to complete, although this varies by user.

Comments from course participants:

“For an online course, it was very good. I thought the presentations were concise and effective. It was also easy to navigate. The case studies within the warm/cold season vegetable modules were great. I think this is a great introductory course for young people.”

“I really enjoyed the course.  I would love more…maybe a part 2.”

Course Learning Objectives

At the end of this course, you will be able to:

• Develop a farm business plan, which will help you keep records, manage time more effectively, and price products.
• Explain the characteristics of a suitable site for commercial vegetable crop production and adjust as needed.
• Perform soil sampling protocols for nutrient analysis.
• Explain full season tasks involved in vegetable farming including planting, in-season care, harvesting, and post-harvest considerations for some warm-season and cool-season vegetables.
• Scout and identify biotic and abiotic issues.
• Explain tools for season extension.
• Understand different strategies, resources, options, and models for direct-to-consumer retail.
• Identify additional reliable and fact-based informational resources on topics related to vegetable farming.

Table of Content

1. Pretest: 25 questions
2. Farm business planning: Developing a farm business plan and enterprise budgeting
3. Plan and prepare for vegetable farm: Site selection, soil test, and cover crops
4. Warm season vegetables: Crop selection, planting to harvesting and post-harvest management
5. Cool-season vegetables: Crop selection, planting to harvesting and post-harvest management
6. Identification of pests and abiotic problems: Identification of diseases, insects, nutritional and other issues
7. Season extension: Differences among low, caterpillar, and high tunnel; Opportunities and challenges in high tunnel growing; Micro-environment management
8. Marketing: Different strategies, resources, options, and models for direct-to-consumer retail.
9. Post-test: 25 questions

Course dates (2022)

While this is an asynchronous course which you may work through at your own pace between Jan 20 and March 3, a recommended class schedule is listed below:

January 20-24       – Complete the Online pre-test (pre-course quiz)

January 25- 29      – Module 1 – Farm Business Planning

Jan 30 – Feb 2       – Module 2 – Planning and preparing for a vegetable farm

February 3 – 7       – Module 3 – Warm Season Vegetables

February 8 – 12     – Module 4 – Cool Season Vegetables

Feb 13- 17            – Module 5 – ID Pest and Abiotic Problems

February 18 – 22   – Module 6 – Season Extension

February 22 – 26   – Module 7 – Marketing

Feb 27- Mar 3       – Complete the post-test

Course Instructors

Abby Beissinger, Former Assistant Extension Educator, UConn

Bruce Gresczyk Jr., Gresczyk Farms

Jiff Martin, Extension Educator, UConn

Joe Bonelli, Associate Extension Educator, UConn

Kip Kolesinskas, Consulting Conservation Scientist

Shuresh Ghimire, Assistant Extension Educator, UConn

Steve Munno, Massaro Community Farm

Please contact the course coordinator, Shuresh Ghimire (shuresh.ghimire@uconn.edu, 860-870-6933) with any questions about this course.