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Courses >
Start Your Own Business > Growing Plants for Fun and Profit
Syllabus:
All
courses run for six weeks, with a two-week grace period at the end. Two
lessons are released each week for the six-week duration of the course.
You do not have to be present when the lesson is released, but you must
complete each lesson within two weeks of its release.
A new
section of each course starts on the second or third Wednesday of each
month. If enrolling in a series of two or more courses, please be sure
to space the start date for each course at least two months apart.
| Week One |
| Wednesday - Lesson 01 |
In
our first lesson, you'll meet other gardeners who've successfully made
the transition to nurserymen. You may be surprised to discover that,
within the small space of a backyard, you can produce significant
income by growing plants. You'll also learn what permits and licenses
you may need as you get started.
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| Friday - Lesson 02 |
Today,
we'll take a close look at climate zone maps to help you figure out
what plants will grow best in your region. Then we'll teach you easy
ways to prepare your growing grounds. Finally, we'll show you ways to
create inexpensive microclimates that will help you start your plants
and expand the varieties you can grow.
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| Week Two |
| Wednesday - Lesson 03 |
In
this lesson, you'll learn what production supplies you'll need and how
to find wholesale sources for them. We'll discuss cover containers,
soil, fertilizer, and labels. Then we'll talk about why it's important
to keep track of your expenses for tax purposes.
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| Friday - Lesson 04 |
Starting
new plants is one of the most exciting and rewarding experiences for
gardeners and nurseryman alike. The process of starting new plants is
called propagation. In this lesson, we'll focus on the three major
methods used in nursery production: propagation by seed, cuttings, and
division.
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| Week Three |
| Wednesday - Lesson 05 |
In
this lesson, we'll teach you the most valuable lesson we've learned in
this business: How to reduce the waiting time involved in growing plant
material. You'll learn what types of starter plants are available and
how to find wholesale sources. We'll also offer some valuable
guidelines to help you decide what to grow. Then we'll talk about how
to find additional sources of information and business networking
opportunities through nurserymen associations and trade shows.
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| Friday - Lesson 06 |
In
this lesson, we'll focus on growing annual flowers and bulbs, paying
special attention to market timing. You'll learn how to create
high-value items such as color bowls and hanging baskets. Then we'll
discuss vegetable starter plants and herbs. Specializing in organic
growing will help you tap into a lucrative area of the nursery trade,
so we'll fill you in on all you need to know about organic growing and
certification.
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| Week Four |
| Wednesday - Lesson 07 |
In
this lesson, we'll focus on one of the hottest topics in gardening: The
particular group of non-woody plants that nurseries call “perennials.”
You'll become familiar not only with the favorites, but with the wide
variety of perennials available. Then we'll go over some detailed
information about specific perennials, including how to grow them and
how to time them for market.
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| Friday - Lesson 08 |
Today
we'll talk about woody plants--such as shrubs and vines--that form the
more permanent plantings in a landscape. We'll pay particular attention
to roses because they're among the most beautiful and profitable
shrubs. In addition, you'll learn how to grow small fruiting shrubs and
vines for specialty markets.
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| Week Five |
| Wednesday - Lesson 09 |
Trees
may be the largest members of the plant kingdom, but they're also among
the easiest and most profitable to grow. In this lesson, you'll not
only learn how to propagate landscape trees, but how to greatly shorten
their growing time by buying bare-root seedlings and finished
bare-roots. We'll complete the lesson with a discussion on fruiting and
flowering trees.
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| Friday - Lesson 10 |
Whether
you're growing plants for fun or profit, you'll want to produce quality
plant material. In this lesson, we'll provide guidelines for quality
standards. You'll learn about pruning, staking, and training plants
into special shapes and forms. We'll also talk about methods you can
use to ward off diseases and pests.
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| Week Six |
| Wednesday - Lesson 11 |
If
you're like most gardeners, growing plants is the easy part—marketing
is the real challenge! In this lesson, we'll begin with a discussion on
wholesale marketing. You'll learn all you need to know to do business
with discount chain stores, local retailers, and landscapers. Then
we'll explore consignment selling, contract growing, and
business-to-business Internet options.
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| Friday - Lesson 12 |
In
our final lesson, we'll discuss retail marketing, or taking your
product directly to the public. You'll learn how to advertise
inexpensively and effectively so you're not just growing plants, you're
growing your business! We'll explain what you'll need to know to sell
your plants from your home or garage sales, certified farmers markets,
and flea markets. Then we'll discuss selling your plants to government
or public agencies.
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This
course includes a knowledgeable and caring instructor who will guide
you through your lessons, facilitate discussions, and answer your
questions. The instructor for this course will be Mike Harlan.
 Michael
and Linda Harlan have been involved in the nursery industry since 1968.
In 1985, they began a backyard nursery on a half-acre that grew into a
successful 12-year business venture. The Harlans then shared their
experience by publishing a self-help book entitled Growing profits: How to Start and Operate a Backyard Nursery.
Michael has been teaching a course on this subject matter through the
extension services of local community colleges for the past four years.
Requirements:
Internet access, e-mail, the Microsoft Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox Web browser, and the Adobe Flash and PDF plug-ins
(two free and simple downloads you obtain at
http://www.adobe.com/downloads by clicking Get Adobe Flash Player and
Get Adobe Reader).
Student Reviews:
"A wonderful, informative course! I'll actually be able to use what I learned."
"Excellent course...I only regret that no follow-up course is available."
"I want to thank the instructors for making this such an
enjoyable course. Not only did I learn quite a bit, but the lessons
were very well written, which isn't always the case. Now I need to go
forward and put what I have learned into practice."
"Thank you for providing this program. I enjoyed learning
the material. I appreciate the resource material and the web site
information. Thanks again."
"Thank you--thank you--thank you! The course subject matter
and your organization of the course material has provided me with an
excellent resource guide to help me take my penchant/obsession/love of
backyard gardening to the next level. I've poured through many
gardening books, but none addressed the business perspective and
related licensing/legal concerns. Most importantly, thanks for the
encouragement."
"This course was exactly what I wanted! Thanks very much!"
"This course was excellent in every way. I have been a
gardener for almost 60 years although I have no formal training, so I
may be very difficult to satisfy. The course was a goldmine of useful
and practical information, set out in a format which is easy to
understand and access if I am looking for a particular piece of
information. There was no aspect that was overlooked or left to chance.
Discussion was a little sparse but I guess gardening people are of the
type that if we don't have anything to say then we don't say it. This
was an exceptional course which I will miss going to twice per week.
Thank you both."
"This is the first "online class" that I have ever taken. I
believe I have learned much from the course. The class truly helped me
to see that going into this type of business on a small scale does not
have to cost an arm and a leg. It is doable and can be profitable. I
thank you for offering it and I will recommend it to others. I do hope
you are considering a follow-up, if so, please let me know. Thank you."
"This was exactly the type of course that I have been looking for for many years. Thank you for offering it."
To purchase this course, click the Enroll Now button below:
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Turn
your love of plants into an enjoyable and profitable home business.
Learn how to grow and market plants on a small scale without major
capital investment. In an area as small as 1000 sq. ft., you can
generate thousands of dollars worth of plant material in a single
growing season. This course is your practical guide to licensing, site
preparation, equipment, how and where to find supplies, how to select
and produce plants appropriate to your climate zone, how to produce
quality material and, most importantly, how to market your product.