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Homesteading & Survival · Homesteading & Survival Courses

Your First Food Garden and Small Farm

Plan, plant and harvest a small garden, then decide whether a small farm and animals fit your life.

Level
Beginner
Lessons
27 lessons in 5 modules
Estimated study
About 27 hours
Format
Online, self-paced
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Monthly: $0 today with a card, then $34 on day 4 unless you cancel before then. After the trial, 30 days' notice applies. Active on-campus students have academy access included. Check your existing student account before buying another subscription.

Before you start

Review the lesson outline and any lesson-specific preparation before you practise.

Full study requires active Academy access. This course can be audited independently of optional assessed programs.

About this course

For beginners with a yard, patio or community plot. You will map sun and water, send a real soil sample, start compost, set up a container or bed, sow seeds on time, water by measurement, mulch, scout for pests and keep a harvest log, ending with a planted pilot bed. The second part lays out a small homestead, sizes staple crops and perennials, checks whether poultry or small livestock fit your time, money and space, and budgets a season. An elective part adapts planting to your climate, starting with the Southeast. Examples use NC State Extension and the central North Carolina calendar, and the course shows you how to find your own state's guide. About 27 hours across one season.

What you will be able to do

  • Map a site's sun, water and access, and choose a pilot spot you can tend.
  • Take and submit a soil sample and read the report's lime and fertilizer advice.
  • Sow seeds at the right depth and time using your region's planting calendar.
  • Water, mulch and scout with integrated pest management, and keep a harvest log from a planted pilot bed.
  • Lay out a small homestead, budget a season and decide whether poultry or small livestock fit your resources.

Course outline

Map sun and access, test soil, start compost, set up a container or bed, and sow your first seeds.

  1. Map sun, access and garden constraints1 hFree preview
  2. Test soil and plan safe growing beds1 h
  3. Build soil with compost and organic matter1 h
  4. Choose containers and raised beds1 h
  5. Match seeds and transplants to the season1 h

Water by measurement, mulch and weed, scout for pests with IPM, harvest and plant your pilot bed.

  1. Water efficiently without spreading disease1 h
  2. Mulch and manage weeds1 h
  3. Identify pests and use integrated pest management1 h
  4. Harvest, rotate crops and save suitable seeds1 h
  5. Create a first-year garden plan1 h

Lay out a homestead, plan staple crops and labor, add perennials, decide whether poultry or small livestock fit your resources and budget a season.

  1. Plan a small homestead layout1 h
  2. Plan staple crops, yields and labor realistically1 h
  3. Use agroecology, orchards and perennials1 h
  4. Assess whether poultry fits your resources1 h
  5. Plan small livestock welfare and biosecurity1 h
  6. Build a resilient seasonal farm budget1 h

Read hardiness zones and frost dates, then plan for your region, starting with the Southeast where the school is. Take the lessons that match where you grow.

  1. Read hardiness zones, frost dates and heat limits1 h
  2. Grow in Southeast and humid subtropical climates1 h
  3. Plan a Northeast and Great Lakes garden1 h
  4. Garden in Midwest and Great Plains conditions1 h
  5. Grow in Southwest deserts and dry valleys1 h
  6. Plan Pacific coast and Mediterranean gardens1 h
  7. Adapt to mountains, Alaska and short seasons1 h

Compare tropical, highland and other world climates using local agronomy advice, then build a crop and planting calendar for your own site.

  1. Grow in tropical America and the Caribbean1 h
  2. Compare highlands and temperate South America1 h
  3. Use climate, water and local agronomy globally1 h
  4. Build a local crop and planting calendar1 h

Related assessed programs

This course belongs to the following optional programs. Each has its own required course bundle, evidence review and separate fee. Each program page shows its approved fee and current registration status.

Food Growing & Preservation: Non-accredited Cloud Forest Certificate

3 required courses · non-accredited assessed certificate

Survival Specialist: Non-accredited Cloud Forest Certificate

7 required courses · non-accredited assessed certificate

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