For the hundreds of students and others who pass through and congregate on the ‘Garden Floor’ of Plant Science Building, the hallways just got cheerier: Three 5- by 7-foot acrylic on canvas murals by Ithaca artist Kellie Cox-Brady now adorn the walls.

Already an established artist, Cox-Brady honed her horticultural art skills by taking online botanical illustration courses developed by Marcia Eames-Sheavly. And she helped Eames-Sheavly create a third advanced course.

“Gardens surround our building. The whole idea was to bring some of that color and inspiration we get from plants indoors, year-round,” says Eames-Sheavly. “I think Kellie did just that.”

A new round of online botanical illustration courses starts June 3.

Larger view.

Learn botanical illustration online.  Three courses taught by Marcia Eames-Sheavly start June 3, 2013:

• Basic Drawing Techniques
• Working with watercolor
• Advanced Techniques

You can view works by students in previous classes on display in the cases in the west wing of the first floor of Plant Science Building.

Introduction to Garden Design
March 25 to May 9, 2013.
Cost: $600.
Enrollment limited to 12 students.

About the course

• Learn garden site analysis and apply the concepts to your personal space.
• Gain proficiency in basic garden design principals.
• Articulate your personal aesthetic — what appeals to you, and what you enjoy.
• Lay out a rough site plan overview of your garden design.

You’ll do all that and more if you take this 6-week online course (plus the introduction days), which provides an opportunity for you to design your own garden. You will be studying and experimenting with the basic design procedures, learning about proper plant selection, and you will write and reflect on the process as you learn. The instructor will take an active role in this creative endeavor by providing feedback on your assignments and journal entries. You will also have the opportunity to learn from one another through an open forum in which you can share your ideas with others.

This course is designed to encourage your discovery of basic garden design techniques. It is a garden design course for the beginner. We teach an approach to gardening that is based on the principle of right plant, right place. In other words, we will consider the needs of the plant in addition to the needs of the gardener.

Course schedule:

• Introduction Days: Welcome & Introductions
• Week 1: Site Assessment Part 1
• Week 2: Site Assessment Part 2 / Basic Design Principles: Personal Style, Garden Unity, and Maintenance
• Week 3: Basic Design Principles: Scale & Proportion, Balance & Symmetry, Repetition, Movement
• Week 4: Basic Design Principles: Color, Form & Texture
• Week 5: Designing Your Garden: Choosing & Buying Plants
• Week 6: Designing Your Garden: Final Project and Buying Plants

View more information/registration.

Full syllabus.

From Violet Stone, Cornell Small Farms Program

Demystifying Organic Certification: Get Help Navigating the Certification Process

If you’ve been thinking about getting your farm certified as organic but aren’t sure whether it’s worth it, and find all the paperwork and requirements overwhelming, this course is for you. This 6-week online course is facilitated by Laura Biasillo of Cornell Cooperative Extension Broome County and taught by representatives from NOFA-NY LLC (Northeast Organic Farming Association’s certification arm), and designed to demystify the certification process. The course is appropriate for total newbies as well as experienced growers contemplating the transition to organic. It won’t teach you organic production techniques, but will help you understand the National Organic Program requirements, learn who the certifiers are, evaluate whether certification is right for your operation, and walk you through the paperwork.

Join weekly live webinars on Tues. nights from the comfort of your living room, and participate in homework and discussions in the course’s online classroom between webinars. You’ll learn from successful organic farmers about why they’ve chosen certification and what considerations might be most important for your farm.

The course begins Tues. Feb 12 and runs for 6 weeks. It costs $200 and registration is only open until the first day of the course, or until it fills, whichever happens first. View Frequently Asked Questions about our online courses.

View the syllabus and learning objectives or register for BF 106: Organic Certification.

This course is just one of many offered by the Cornell Small Farms Program in partnership with Cornell Cooperative Extension. Registration is still open for BF 202: Business Planning (starts Feb 21) and BF 103: Taking Care of Business (starts March 4). Read more about these and other online courses.

Three new permaculture design courses will be offered this winter and spring through the Department of Horticulture’s distance learning program:

• Permaculture Design I: Fundamentals of Ecological Design (Starts January 21, 2013)
• Permaculture Design II: Ecosystem Mimicry (Starts March 11, 2013)
• Permaculture Design III: Design Practicum (Starts April 29, 2013)

The study of permaculture helps gardeners, landowners, and farmers combine a knowledge of ecology combined with it’s application to supporting healthy soil, water conservation, and biodiversity.

Permaculture systems meet humans needs while restoring ecosystem health. Common practices include no-till gardening, rainwater catchment, forest gardening, and agroforestry.

Each course is 6.5 weeks long and provides an opportunity for you to build your knowledge about permaculture and ecological design. Participants will explore the content through videos, readings, and
activities and complete portions of design for a site of their choosing.

While the course is online, the format is designed for consistent interaction between facilitators and students through forums and live ideo conferences. Readings and presentations will be directly applied through hands-on activities students will engage with at home.

Completion of a single class gives students a certificate of completion from the Department of Horticulture and continuing education credits. Completion of all three courses gives students the portfolio necessary to apply for an internationally recognized certification in Permaculture Design though the Finger Lakes Permaculture Institute.

Classes are best taken in order but each can be taken as a stand-alone course as well. Tuition for each class is $600. Sign up for all three at once and tuition is $1500. You save $300.

View the full syllabus for each course and find registration information at the Department of Horticulture’s distance learning program website.

The instructor, Steve Gabriel, is an ecologist, extension educator, and forest farmer living and working in the Finger Lakes Region of central New York. He currently spends his time working for the Department of Horticulture’s Garden-Based Learning program and coordinating the Northeast Mushroom Growers Network. He also teaches for the Finger Lakes Permaculture Institute and serves on the Board of Directors for the Permaculture Institute of the Northeast. He is currently co-authoring a book on forest farming with Cornell professor Ken Mudge, which is expected to be published in 2014.

Learn botanical illustration online.  Three courses taught by Marcia Eames-Sheavly start January 21, 2013:

• Basic Drawing Techniques
• Working with watercolor
• Advanced Techniques

You can view works by students in previous classes on display in the cases in the west wing of the first floor of Plant Science Building.

Registration is now open for two of our most popular online courses:

Plant Propagation:

Learn the art and science of plant propagation and increase you enjoyment and success making new plants through:

• Seeds
• Cuttings
• Layering
• Division
• Grafting
• Micropropagation

Next class: January 21 to March 15, 2013
Cost: $350
Questions or to be notified of next course, email mw38@cornell.edu

More information and online registration.

---

Organic Gardening:

Broaden your understanding of organic techniques for all kinds of gardens, including vegetables, fruits, flowers and ornamentals, and lawns.

Next course: March 25 to May 17, 2013
Cost: $300
Questions or to be notified of next course, email mw38@cornell.edu

More information and online registration.

From Erica Frenay Beginning Farmer Project Co-Coordinator:

Get Your Ducks in Order! Poultry & Vegetable Production, Business & Financial Planning and Recordkeeping Online Courses all Start in January

Winter is the season for farm planning! What better way to use the long dark evenings than to snuggle up with your computer and join an online course from the Cornell Small Farms Program? You’ll build your skills, be inspired by successful farmers, and develop plans to help you hit the ground running when the growing season begins. Starting in January:

• BF 104: Financial Records – Setting up Systems to Track Your Profitability
  
• BF 121: Veggie Farming – From Season-Long Care to Market
• BF 130: Poultry Production – Profiting from Layers, Broilers, Turkeys, and Ducks
• BF 202: Planning to Stay in Business – Writing Your Business Plan – new 2nd offering of this popular course in 2013!
• BF 203: Holistic Financial Planning – Building Profit into the Picture

Each course features weekly live webinars to introduce concepts and examples, followed by online discussions, readings, and homework assignments during the rest of the week. All courses are taught by Cornell Cooperative Extension educators, farmers, or other ag service providers, and typically include presentations by successful farmers detailing aspects of their operations.

These 6-week courses each cost $200. Registration closes when the courses fill up, or by one week before the course start date, whichever happens sooner. So don’t delay, visit http://nebeginningfarmers.org/online-courses to register. Learn more about how the courses operate on our Course Logistics and FAQs page at http://nebeginningfarmers.org/online-courses/online-course-faqs

 

From Violet Stone, Cornell Small Farm Program:

Small Farmers: Register Now for Fall, Winter and Spring Online Courses

Whether you are a seasoned, new, or aspiring farmer, there’s something for you in the 2012-2013 line-up of online courses presented by the Cornell Small Farms Program and Cornell Cooperative Extension.

There are courses covering commercial production topics like raising veggies, berries, and poultry, and many more covering management of a successful farm, including business planning, holistic financial planning, marketing, and getting started in farming. (View all 12 courses at http://nebeginningfarmers.org/online-courses.)

Take advantage of this opportunity to interact with other farmers, develop your farming plans, and learn new skills from the comfort of your own home. Most courses are 6 weeks long and a bargain at $200 each.

Full course descriptions, instructor biographies, course logistics and more can be found at http://nebeginningfarmers.org/online-courses. Questions? Contact: Erica Frenay at 607-255-9911 or ejf5@cornell.edu

For more small farm services, visit www.smallfarms.cornell.edu

Two horticulture 6-week distance learning courses will be offered this fall for educators and volunteers who want to enhance their garden-based learning program:

Planning and Organizing Sustainable Gardening Programs – Starts Sept. 4.
Looking to start a school or community-based garden program, but do not know where to begin? This course focuses on the foundations and benefits of garden-based learning, and provides the tools, resources, and collaborative support needed to plan, organize and develop a successful and sustainable gardening program that fits your organization’s needs.

Teaching and Learning in the School Garden – Starts Oct. 8.
Focusing on the foundations, benefits, and teaching strategies of garden-based learning (GBL), participants will build a toolbox of resources for developing a school gardening program that meets cross-curricular needs. Case study, research, and GBL resources are evaluated through group discussion, learning activities, and reflective journals. Educational theory will be put into practice using real-world tools, through collaboration, practicum, small and whole group discussion, lesson plan assignments, and the final portfolio project.

For each of these course, participants who receive a cumulative outstanding or satisfactory grade Cornell University will award 3 Continuing Education Units and a certificate.

Find out more about these and other distance learning courses offered by the Department of Horticulture.