Cropshare – Gardening Simplified

Learn how to start a vegetable or herb garden in this free online course that provides sustainable gardening skills.

This gardening course explains how to start a sustainable vegetable, fruit, or herb garden that yields a harvest that can be shared via a Cropshare service. We also explain how to bring your free vegetables to a Cropshare location to contribute your harvest to your community. This course provides a range of sustainable professional gardening skills you can use to produce crops at home, from chitting and mulching to irrigation and more.

Course Description

This gardening course explains how to grow crops to share with your community via a Cropshare service that ensures that no one goes hungry. We help you develop your gardening skills as you learn how to seed, plant, and grow vegetables sustainably. You can start with a simple plant pot and build up from there to a window sill, balcony, garden, or even an allotment. The course shows you how to bring your free vegetables to a Cropshare location to donate your harvest to those around you. The fruits of your labours may help someone in need to enjoy a healthy meal when they need it most. Cropshare is a sharing and sustainability platform for all.

We identify what you should have in your gardening toolkit to get started as you learn how to grow a variety of crops, including sweetcorn, potatoes, carrots, onions, sweet peppers, tomatoes, thyme, and more. We also help you to find Cropshare locations where you can drop off your harvest to help people in need. We hope that this will inspire you to harvest and share fruit. The course explores gardening terminology and establishes the importance of maintenance as every crop requires different agricultural methods. We discuss the space, soil type, and light required to create the right environment for a garden and explain how much water should be used. We also examine growth periods and identify various gardening hazards, including pests.

While it provides a valuable service to you and your community, gardening should not be a chore. Gardens have long been a place to reflect, study nature, relax, and enjoy nature. They offer a great way to connect with friends, family, neighbours, and colleagues as you all enjoy harvesting crops to meet the needs of your community. This course also discusses the opportunity to share tips, upload photos, and even blog your harvest journey to help inspire and motivate others. This course has no prerequisites and suits anyone who wants to learn sustainable gardening and farming practices. Sign up to learn how to start and maintain a sustainable garden at home.

Learning Outcomes

  • Discuss what Cropshare is.
  • Identify Cropshare locations.
  • Explain what manure is made of.
  • Identify the main types of soil.
  • Discuss the processes involved in watering a plant.
  • Explain the importance of mulching.
  • Outline the importance of placing plants on a window sill.
  • Describe the various tools for outside gardening.
  • Define chitting in Cropshare.
  • Describe how to plant various crop types.

Cropshare Locations

Cropshare Locations: A place where you can bring along your home-grown donated vegetables and fruits to help create sustainability so no one goes hungry in the community.

The grown donated vegetables can be used to make One Pot soup. This is a soup made from Cropshare community givers, normally served with bread.

Where Can I Grow – Alternative to Having a Garden

  • Indoor Window Sills: This provides the perfect temperature for warmth and protection ideally for raising seedlings and young plants. Window sills provide indirect sunlight and from one direction, so time to time turn the pots to avoid weaker growth areas.
  • Rooftops: Receives direct sunlight; however, wind weather and drying out can damage your crops and plants. This would need more monitoring and watering due to the direct positioning.
  • Balconies: This has the same growth characteristics as rooftops and window sills; add more supporting plants to act as support against wind and adverse weather.
  • Patios: This is ideal for growing pots and containers. This can be good for mint, basil, thyme, coriander, or vine-type plants.
  • Allotments: Normally in high demand, this typically is a set size. The great news about having an allotment is that you can Cropshare it and deliver to a local Cropshare location at harvest time, helping create sustainability so no one goes hungry.

Common Garden Terminologies

  • Manure: Animal dung and livestock farming, whereas compost is a mixture of various components and is a collection of food waste materials.
  • Chittings: Where a potato sprouts by placing it in a cool light place over a period of time ready to plant.
  • Fertilizers: Fertilisers contain nutrients and encourage crops to grow.
  • Kernels: This is the main part of a seed.
  • Trench: Shovels are used for digging narrow flat-bottomed trenches 4 inches wide, and up to 18 inches deep.
  • Harvesting: The process of gathering a ripe crop from the fields.
  • Germinating: The stage of coming into existence and developing.

Garden Maintenance

Gardening should not be a chore; it can be a place to reflect, study nature, take time out, and enjoy.

Start with a Routine: Check your areas, window sills, patios, and balcony regularly, maybe every three days, and track their growth progress. Use your mobile to take pictures and journalize your process journalising your journey. This helps inspire and motivate others.

What you are looking for:

  • Colour
  • Look
  • Taste
  • Shape and size

Sowing Seeds

You can use plug trays that you can buy in stores and gardening centers, or simply broadcasting, meaning spreading over an area.

Growing Seeds

Plug trays have various names like cells and modules; these are gardening terms that you may have heard of.

Watering the Plants

Water the top layer of the soil at the roots of the plants without damaging the leaves and causing stress to the plant. Watering cans are good for good water control.

Soil Types

Soil types include:

  • Sandy Soil: A light, warm, dry soil that goes through your fingers.
  • Clay Soil: A noticeable heavy soil type that benefits nutrients.
  • Silt Soil: A light and moisture-retentive soil.
  • Loam Soil: A mixture of sand, silt, and clay that are combined.
  • Peat Soil: High in organic matter and retains a large amount of moisture.
  • Chalk Soil: Can be either light or heavy but always highly alkaline due to lime.

Gardening Tool Kit

  • Spade: For digging and excavating holes or trenches or planting.
  • Fork: Breaking up the soil and digging out plants/crops while reducing damage.
  • Rake: This is used to prepare the ground for planting and sowing. It is good for levelling and removing stones.
  • Hoe: Mainly used for weeding and marking out sowing lines.
  • Trowel/Hand Fork: Good for digging out weeds and planting young plants.
  • Gardening Gloves: A good pair to protect your hands from nettles, pests, and keep them clean.

How to Avoid Snail Eating Your Crops:

They will not go anywhere near copper and grit, which also stops them moving around the area.

Preparing the soil

Types of Crops

Yam

  • What is it good for? Yams contain fiber and antioxidants, helping with blood sugar.
  • What do you need? Piece of yam uncut, pot of water, toothpicks x 4-6 for the first phase and fertilizer.
  • Soil Type: Soil, fertilizer, and compost.
  • The Right Spot: Sunny spot close to a fence as the vine grows upward.
  • Preparation: Start with a large pot approximately 60cm deep. Place the piece of uncut yam in water, then stick with 4-6 toothpicks. Leave the pot in a sunny place. When roots start to grow 1 inch, it is time to plant in the soil and cover thoroughly (approx. 15-20cm).
  • Growing Time: 6-8 months.
  • Harvest Time: When the yam's leaves turn brown and start to fall off.
  • How to Wash It: Dust off the dirt and keep in a cool place ready to Cropshare it.

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Sweetcorn

  • What do you need? Space, rake, spade, fertilizers, and manure.
  • Soil Type: The ideal soil for corn is well-drained and fertile, with a pH of 6.
  • The Right Spot: Sunny spot and shaded; ideally a sunny growing site with compost and fertilised soil.
  • Preparation: Dig a bed with plenty of compost for good water retention. Remove all weeds and level the ground by raking. The seeds should be planted 45 cm apart.
  • Growing Time: 12-16 weeks.
  • Harvest Time: When the silks turn brown and start to wither. Test by pulling back the leaves; if moisture comes out and it is clear then it's still not ready. When you try again and it is milky then it is ready for harvesting.
  • How to Wash It: Dust off the dirt and keep in a cool place ready to Cropshare it

Coriander

  • What do you need? Compost, pots, and coriander seed to sow.
  • Soil Type: Coriander prefers a cool position and light shade, and very well-drained soil.
  • The Right Spot: You can also grow it in 15-30cm (6-12in) pots, sowing a few seeds in each and germinating indoors with gentle warmth. Sow every 6-8 weeks to have a constant supply of fresh leaves throughout the year.
  • Growing Time: 8-10 weeks.
  • Harvest Time: Wait until your plant is around (15cm) tall.
  • How to Wash It: Dust off the dirt and wash them in cold water gently. Keep in a cool place ready to Cropshare it.

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Sweet Potatoes

  • What do you need? Using a container mix amended with compost, sand, and a fertilizer.
  • Soil Type: Frost-free spot multi-purpose compost.
  • The Right Spot: Sunny spot.
  • Preparation: At the bottom of the pot, place three to five chitted seed potatoes hand-width apart, on the surface. Cover with 8-10cm of compost and water well.
  • Growing Time: 90-120 days.
  • Harvest Time: Sweet potatoes are usually ready to harvest just as the ends of the vines begin to turn yellow.
  • How to Wash It: Dust off the dirt and wash them in cold water gently. Keep in a cool place ready to Cropshare it.

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Sweet Peppers

  • What do you need? In a pot of warm space, preferable a greenhouse, sow seeds in pots of good seed-sowing compost. The pot needs to be 22-26cm.
  • Soil Type: Clay, sandy with compost.
  • The Right Spot: Sunny spot with some shade.
  • Preparation: Mix clay and sand, add a little fertilizer every two weeks. Grow peppers in a space with full sun and well-draining moist (but not wet) soil. Mix large amounts of organic matter (such as compost).
  • Growing Time: 8-12 weeks.
  • Harvest Time: Peppers can be harvested as soon as they are large enough to eat.
  • How to Wash It: Dust off the dirt and wash them in cold water gently. Keep in a cool place ready to Cropshare it.

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Carrots

  • What do you need? Trowel, rake, watering can, carrot seeds, and fertiliser.
  • Soil Type: Mix the sand with soil, compost, and manure. Test the soil; this should be between pH of 6.0 to 6.5.
  • The Right Spot: Sunny spot with some shade.
  • Preparation: De-weeding the soil 2 weeks before planting to avoid any weeds growing.
  • Growing Time: Estimated time is 14-16 weeks.
  • Harvest Time: When you see the top of the carrots coming through, using a fork, gently pull the carrots up. Well done! It is time to harvest.
  • How to Wash It: Dust off the dirt and wash them in cold water gently. Keep in a cool place ready to Cropshare it.

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Onions

  • What do you need? Trowel, rake, watering can, carrot seeds, and fertiliser.
  • Soil Type: Soil, fertilizer, no manure to avoid rotting the onion.
  • The Right Spot: A warm and sunny spot in well-drained soil. The best soil for growing onions is loose. Well-rotted compost is another good addition to an onion bed. No manure to avoid rotting the onion.
  • Preparation: Prepare the planting site as described above. Then plant the sets 2cm (¾in) deep in drills or gently push them into loose soil, so the tip is just showing at the surface. Space them 5–10cm (2–4in) apart in rows 25–30cm (10–12in) apart. Firm the soil around them and water well.
  • Growing Time: From a seed up to 100 days, and bulbs half the term.
  • Harvest Time: Onions are ready as soon as they reach a usable size and ready to store in a dry place. Harvest onions as soon as they're big enough to use. The leaves will droop over and turn brown when they've stopped growing. Gently loosen the soil with a fork and lift the onions out of the soil, leaving them to dry before storing.
  • How to Wash It: No need to wash at this stage. Dust off the dirt and keep in a cool place ready to Cropshare it.

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Potatoes

 

  • What do you need? Space, rake, spade, fertilizers, and well-rotten manure.
  • Soil Type: Home-grown potatoes do well in all types of soil, but the richer, the better, so dig in plenty of well-rotted organic matter such as garden compost.
  • The Right Spot: No sunny spot needed as it grows underground; the most important is the condition of the soil.
  • Preparation: Water potatoes regularly, especially during warm, dry spells, and keep the soil weed-free.
  • Growing Time: 10-12 weeks after planting.
  • Harvest Time: Look out for flowers as this confirms it is ready for harvesting; if unsure, dig up a few to see if the potatoes are ready.
  • How to Wash It: Dust off the dirt and keep in a cool place ready to Cropshare it.

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Pumpkin

  • What do you need? Space, rake, spade, fertilizers, and manure.
  • Soil Type: Pumpkins like well-drained soil; compost or manure should be mixed into your soil a couple of weeks before planting for the best results.
  • The Right Spot: Sunny spot with some shade.
  • Preparation: Make a hole about 30cm (1ft) wide and deep, then fill it with a mix of soil and homemade compost or well-rotted manure.
  • Growing Time: 95-100 days.
  • Harvest Time: The time for harvesting pumpkins is over when the stalks become dry and woody.
  • How to Wash It: Dust off the dirt and wash them in cold water gently. Keep in a cool place ready to Cropshare it.
  • Cropshare It: Find a location on www.cropshare.uk.com

Tomatoes

  • What do you need? Mix several inches of organic matter, compost, or aged animal manure.
  • Soil Type: Tomatoes do well in almost all types of soil except heavy clay soil.
  • The Right Spot: Sunny spot with some shade.
  • Preparation: Use a shovel or tiller to dig deep enough to remove any weeds or plants and their root systems from the top of the soil.
  • Growing Time: Producing fruit anywhere from 60 to 100 days after that.
  • Harvest Time: You will see the colour of the tomatoes change. You can pick them when they turn from green to red and keep them indoors on the windowsill.
  • How to Wash It: Dust off the dirt and wash them in cold water gently. Keep in a cool place ready to Cropshare it.
  • Cropshare It: Find a location on www.cropshare.uk.com

Cabbage

  • What do you need? Trowel, rake, watering can, carrot seeds, and fertiliser.
  • Soil Type: Well-drained soil, compost, or manure should be mixed into your soil a couple of weeks before planting for the best results. pH 6 – pH 7.
  • The Right Spot: Can grow in warm or cold climates.
  • Preparation: Choose a sunny site, firm and fertilised.
  • Seeding: Pick a sunny spot in the garden with well-draining soil. Amend the soil with lots of compost a week or so before planting. Space your cabbage seedlings about 18 to 22 inches apart in rows that are 20 to 30 inches apart.
  • Growing Time: 4-6 months.
  • Harvest Time: This depends on the type of cabbage you planted. You can look at the size of the head to know it is ready to be harvested.
  • How to Wash It: Dust off the dirt and wash them in cold water gently. Keep in a cool place ready to Cropshare it.
  • Cropshare It: Find a location on www.cropshare.uk.com

Broadbean

  • What do you need? Space, rake, spade, fertilizers, and manure.
  • Soil Type: Dig in plenty of well-rotted organic matter, sand, such as garden compost.
  • The Right Spot: Choose a warm, sunny site for your broad beans, with well-drained soil.
  • Preparation: Before sowing or planting out, weed the area thoroughly, then add plenty of well-rotted manure or garden compost.
  • Growing Time: 15-30 weeks.
  • Harvest Time: Start harvesting the broad beans when the pods are around 6-9 cm long.
  • How to Wash It: Dust off the dirt, keep in a cool place ready to Cropshare it.
  • Cropshare It: Find a location on www.cropshare.uk.com

Thyme

  • What do you need? Compost, pots, and thyme seeds or cuttings.
  • Soil Type: Plant thyme in free-draining soil or compost and water in.
  • The Right Spot: Sunny spot with some shade.
  • Preparation: The easy-going herb prefers sandy soil. Add thyme cuttings in water; in less than a few weeks, you should see roots forming.
  • Growing Time: 4-6 weeks.
  • Harvest Time: Once established, thyme plants can be harvested at any time. Cut enough for use.
  • How to Wash It: Dust off the dirt and wash them in cold water gently. Keep in a cool place to dry ready to Cropshare it.
  • Cropshare It: Find a location on www.cropshare.uk.com

Basil

  • What do you need? Pot, multi-purpose compost, and seedlings.
  • Soil Type: Soil, sand, and multi-purpose compost; best to grow in pots.
  • The Right Spot: Basil likes sunny spots indoors and outdoors. Basil likes cold temperatures in a sunny spot.
  • Preparation: To germinate, it needs approximately 21cm and a wet and cold temperature. Start with a pot on a windowsill for the best sunny spot.
  • Growing Time: When the basil has fully grown, you can transfer it to the ground.
  • Harvest Time: Pinch off the tips to promote continual growth and ongoing production.
  • How to Wash It: Dust off the dirt and wash them in cold water gently. Keep in a cool place ready to Cropshare it.
  • Cropshare It: www.cropshare.uk.com

Mint

  • What do you need? Pot, multi-purpose compost, and seedlings.
  • Soil Type: Adaptable to all soil types.
  • The Right Spot: Most spots sunny or warm or cold.
  • Preparation: Use a container depth of 14cm to 15cm and add multi-purpose compost in a pot.
  • Growing Time: From seeding, 12-16 weeks.
  • Harvest Time: When the leaves are ready for you to use, pick them according to usage.
  • How to Wash It: Dust off the dirt and wash them in cold water gently. Keep in a cool place ready to Cropshare it.
  • Cropshare It: www.cropshare.uk.com

Beetroot

  • What do you need? Pot, multi-purpose compost, and seedlings.
  • Soil Type: Soil, multi-purpose compost; best to grow in pots to start with.
  • The Right Spot: Sunny spot with some shade.
  • Preparation: Use a container depth of 20cm; add multi-purpose compost in a pot. Best time to grow is in spring to late summer. For warm climates, this can be all year round.
  • Growing Time: 7-16 weeks.
  • Harvest Time: Pull at the roots according to the size and leave the smaller ones to continue growing.
  • How to Wash It: Dust off the dirt and keep in a cool place ready to Cropshare it.
  • Cropshare It: Find a location on www.cropshare.uk.com

Spinach

  • What do you need? Pot, multi-purpose compost, and seedlings.
  • Soil Type: Rich soil, rotten compost before planting. Does not like to dry out, so avoid planting in summer.
  • The Right Spot: Cool shaded locations.
  • Preparation: Sow the seed 2.5cm apart. Use large containers.
  • Growing Time: 10-12 weeks after seeding.
  • Harvest Time: Picking the leaves as soon as they are large enough to eat.
  • How to Wash It: Dust off the dirt and wash them in cold water gently. Keep in a cool place ready to Cropshare it.
  • Cropshare It: Find a location on www.cropshare.uk.com

Cassava

  • What do you need? Soil, compost, and cassava cuttings.
  • Soil Type: Soil, fertilizer, and compost.
  • The Right Spot: Sunny spot with some shade.
  • Preparation: Keep them slightly moist, and over winter each node will sprout and produce a separate plant.
  • Growing Time: Cut number of stems approximately 30cm long.
  • Harvest Time: 18-24 months.
  • How to Wash It: Dust off the dirt and keep in a cool place ready to Cropshare it.
  • Cropshare It: Find a location on www.cropshare.uk.com

Lesson Summary

Cropshare Locations is a place where you can bring along your home-grown donated vegetables and fruits to help create sustainability so no one goes hungry in the community.

Alternatives to having a garden include: Indoor window sills, rooftops, balconies, patios, and allotments.

A manure is an animal dung from livestock, whereas compost is a mixture of various components and is a collection of food waste materials.

Gardening should not be a chore; it can be a place to reflect, study nature, take time out, and enjoy.

Water the top layer of the soil at the roots of the plants without damaging the leaves and causing stress to the plant. Watering cans are good for good water control.

Soil types include sandy soil, clay, silt, and loam soil, as well as peat soil and chalk soil.

The right spot for growing sweetcorn is a sunny spot and shaded, ideally a sunny growing site with compost and fertilised soil.

Carrots provide vitamin C which helps your body absorb and use iron and prevent infections. They can help with constipation if you munch on them.

Before sowing or planting out broad beans, weed the area thoroughly, then add plenty of well-rotted manure or garden compost.

One Pot is a soup cooked in one pot. All ingredients and resources are cooked together at once.

Serving a free nutritious hot meal helps people with little or no income gain access to a healthy meal for the day, thereby helping to create sustainability in the community so that no one goes hungry.

Looprun One Pot helps people on low income due to financial challenges gain access to a hot meal, making them feel fuller for longer.