If you’re new to keeping plants healthy, this is a good place to start. It teaches the basics of establishing and maintaining a home garden, which allows you to learn the fundamentals before getting into the more advanced aspects of horticulture. You’ll learn about plant selection, garden preparation, maintenance and actual garden tools. The objective is not a lot of facts to remember by next week, but an easy-to-follow routine of plant maintenance.

It’s ideal for beginning gardeners, as well as apartment and home gardeners, and garden students and enthusiasts who want to get started in a specialty crop before deciding. A beginner’s course also introduces you to the terminology which all subsequent lessons use, so it is a good foundation for the other gardening courses on this list. If you don’t know where to start, start here, then move on to vegetables, soil or design when you feel comfortable. While learning, have a little notebook to record some of the plants you want to try first!

This is a series of practical guides for those new to the course. It includes the most common gardening activities, maintenance of plants, planting, watering, preparing soil, seasonal activities and general maintenance. One skill at a time, which is good for any of you who would prefer to learn a skill when it cropped up, rather than filling yourself with a whole syllabus. No time at which to start, no time at which to end, so you can read a guide in the morning and be in the garden by lunchtime.

It will be best understood by new and home gardeners and gardeners who garden for pleasure. Gardening can be an “as needed” activity, and these articles can be accessed over the year. Mark it with a bookmark and refer to it as a handbook on the shelf. It’s also compatible with a more organized course from Alison, as the course provides you with the general overview and the guides will help you with the little, but important, questions that arise on a rainy Tuesday afternoon.

Ever ask yourselves why a seed grows in one place but not another? This course provides a broad introduction to horticulture, covering plant growth, propagation, reproduction and photosynthesis. It is a scientific and practical approach to gardening, dealing with plant growth and development, germination of seeds, propagation of plants, plant reproduction and plant photosynthesis. It also reviews the environmental factors which influence the health of plants and provides a foundation for the study of other aspects of horticulture. It takes about 3-4 hours—so it’s a weekend read.

There’s something for every gardening beginner, home gardener, student, and…and anyone who’s just curious. No experience required. After reading this you’ll be better equipped for every aspect of your gardening life, from sowing to placement of a pot. The course is also suitable as a starting course if you may decide to pursue further studies in horticulture, as it provides the basic vocabulary for longer courses. It is often helpful to many students to have some plant science before they start each later lesson.

Purchase of mature plants can quickly add up the cost, however, why not create your own? The RHS can help you with that. It provides information on plant propagation including growing from seed and vegetative propagation methods such as cuttings, division and layering. It also explores timing, equipment and assisting in getting new plants established, in detail that you can use at home. Read about one technique and practice it during this same week, and return for the next technique when you are ready.

It will be most appreciated by home gardeners and plant lovers who wish to propagate and grow more of their present plants. Propagation is one of the most beneficial skills a gardener can learn, and it can be a big money saver over time. Illustrations of some of the common methods are explained very clearly at the RHS, and so you can begin with the simple ones and then move towards the tricky ones. A useful aid to the seed germination lessons in the beginner horticulture courses as you will see theory come alive on your windowsill.

It’s hard to beat fresh herbs and vegetables just steps from the stove. This course is about kitchen gardening – growing vegetables, fruits, herbs and flowers in the home garden, and filling the unused outdoor areas with a productive garden. It is practiced in crop rotation, intercropping, using soil types, making beds, applying eco-friendly pest management, harvesting and storage. Alison provides a list of it with videos, so you can watch and learn rather than read page after page of text.

Perfect for home gardeners, newbies who want to venture into the world of vegetable gardening, urban farmers and anyone who wishes to enjoy fresh produce from their own garden. It is a hands-on book on practical food growing, not horticulture, so you will leave with knowledge on how to plan, plant, and keep a productive garden. It also gives you a guide on what to do after you harvest, something not many beginner guides do. So, if you have already completed a basic course and are looking to expand into something you will be able to eat, then this is the next step.

University extension programs provide the information in the research results as a gardening tip and this is no exception. It provides science-based information for people growing vegetables in their home gardens. Advise on garden planning, selection of crops, soil preparation, planting, watering, pest control, harvesting and problems that might arise. The tone is much more like a knowledgeable neighbor than a lesson.

It is a book that will benefit beginner and intermediate vegetable gardeners, home vegetable gardeners and students alike, and anyone who wishes to have information that is practical and based on extension research. It combines horticultural research with local growing knowledge, helpful when making actual decisions about planting and when. Combine it with a formal kitchen gardening program and you’ll not only have the step-by-step lessons but also an assured source to review information when a question arises during the growing season.

No backyard? No problem. This course will provide urban gardening techniques for limited space areas. It presents alternative ways to garden in limited spaces and explains why soil quality is important for healthy plants. You’ll also investigate gardening tools, digging tools, garden safety, soil ingredients, USDA hardiness zones and a few historical examples of urban gardening. The history is nice to add some context, it’s not something new to grow food in crowded places.

It’s a home for apartment dwellers, city gardeners and beginners. This course is all about thinking about space differently, about soil, about plants, and it’s about the problems that cities face. A good start to a successful garden in a challenging or small area. Even if you’re limited to a sunny ledge or a few pots, planning ideas can be followed, and scaled up or down based on available space.

This one’s for those who want to know more than just the basics and are interested in the broader world of horticulture. Introduces planting and the role of plants, the relationship between plants, environment and horticultural management. It also includes some plant management and garden concepts, so it’s useful if you are interested in gardening, landscaping, nursery work or want to continue your study. The link will take you to OpenLearn’s Nature & Environment hub, from which you should navigate to the content you’re interested in.

It will be useful for beginners, home gardeners and students, and may serve as a foundation for more advanced courses in plant science or horticulture. You can study the subject without paying anything on OpenLearn which is the free learning service from The Open University. It’s a low pressure approach to finding out if you prefer to learn about plants in a more structured way! If you do, you will already have a taste of what academic style is before undertaking anything bigger.

This one’s for those who want to know more than just the basics and are interested in the broader world of horticulture. Introduces planting and the role of plants, the relationship between plants, environment and horticultural management. It also includes some plant management and garden concepts, so it’s useful if you are interested in gardening, landscaping, nursery work or want to continue your study. The link will take you to OpenLearn’s Nature & Environment hub, from which you should navigate to the content you’re interested in.

It will be useful for beginners, home gardeners and students, and may serve as a foundation for more advanced courses in plant science or horticulture. You can study the subject without paying anything on OpenLearn which is the free learning service from The Open University. It’s a low pressure approach to finding out if you prefer to learn about plants in a more structured way! If you do, you will already have a taste of what academic style is before undertaking anything bigger.