Certificate in Home Food Gardening

Module 1: Planning Your New Zealand Food Garden

• Looking at Your Space: Sun, Soil, and Weather
• Setting Goals You Can Reach: From Garden to Table
• Understanding New Zealand Weather and When to Plant
• Picking the Right Way to Grow for Your Space
• Planning Your Garden for Lots of Food
• Testing and Getting Your Soil Ready for Big Harvests
• Tools You Need for New Zealand Food Gardens
• Making Your Own Growing Plan

Module 2: Building Great Soil for Growing Food

• Understanding New Zealand Soil Types and What Lives in Soil
• Making Compost at Home
• No-Dig Ways to Keep Soil Healthy
• Using Mulch for Different Plants and Seasons
• Feeding Your Soil in Food Gardens
• Growing Plants That Make Soil Better in Small Spaces
• Fixing Common New Zealand Soil Problems
• Building Soil Health That Lasts for Years

Module 3: Growing Lots of Vegetables in New Zealand

• Easy Vegetables for People Just Starting
• Leafy Greens: Growing Your Daily Salad
• Root Vegetables: Food That Grows Underground
• Growing Tomatoes and Other Fruiting Vegetables in New Zealand
• Space-Saving Tall Vegetables: Climbers and Vines
• Vegetables for Small Spaces: Pots and Close-Together Growing
• Cool-Weather Vegetables for New Zealand Winters
• Warm-Weather Vegetables for New Zealand Summers

Module 4: Herbs, Fruits, and Plants That Come Back Every Year

• Cooking Herb Gardens: Must-Have Types for New Zealand
• Medicine Herbs for Home Gardens
• Fruit Trees That Work Well in New Zealand Home Gardens
• Berries That Grow Well in New Zealand
• Vegetables That Keep Growing Year After Year
• Food Forest Ideas for New Zealand Home Gardens
• Native and Traditional Māori Food Plants
• Adding Flowers for Bees and Garden Health

Module 5: Ways to Grow More Food in Less Space

• Growing Lots of Plants Close Together in Small Spaces
• Growing Up: Frames, Arches, and Wall Systems
• Pot Gardening for Vegetables and Herbs
• Building and Looking After Raised Beds
• Self-Watering Beds for Easy Growing
• Plants That Help Each Other Grow Better
• Planting New Things Every Few Weeks for Non-Stop Harvests
• Growing Different Plants Together

Module 6: Looking After Your Garden All Year Round

• Planning to Harvest Fresh Food All Year in New Zealand
• Starting Seeds and Growing New Plants
• Ways to Keep Growing When It Gets Cold
• Looking After Your Summer Garden in New Zealand
• Winter Growing in New Zealand Weather
• Moving From One Season to the Next
• Keeping Records to Make Your Garden Better
• Dealing With Extreme Weather and Climate Changes

Module 7: Natural Ways to Stop Pests, Diseases, and Weeds

• Making Your Garden Strong by Growing Different Things
• Spotting Common New Zealand Garden Pests and Natural Ways to Stop Them
• Dealing With Plant Diseases in New Zealand's Weather
• Bringing in Good Bugs and Wildlife
• Making Barriers and Traps
• Homemade Natural Sprays and Treatments
• Dealing With New Zealand's Stubborn Weeds
• Complete Pest Control for Home Gardeners

Module 8: Picking, Keeping, and Making Your Garden Last

• How to Pick Food for Best Taste and Health
• Saving Seeds So You Don't Have to Buy More
• Easy Ways to Keep Food: Drying and Storage
• Keeping Your Harvest: Freezing and Fermenting
• Using Garden Waste: Making Nothing Go to Waste
• Water-Saving Systems for Food Gardens
• Making Your Garden Bigger: What to Do Next
• Building Community Through Food Gardening in New Zealand