I am not sure how this happens every September, but once again autumn has quietly appeared. It was a lovely summer, in spite of how we began, but as time stops for no man we once again are saying goodbye to the warm season and hello to the beginning of the deep freeze.
This autumn there is something new to help you ease the transition into winter and make it disappear in the blink of an eye (or almost at least). All the programs we offer at the Saskatoon School of Horticulture (SSH) can be offered face-to-face, online or by distance. So you can realize your dreams to become a horticulturist or even just obtain one of the many certificates we offer. We have just received approval to offer the TARGET program (Target Certificate Program).
This new TARGET program offers you a huge array of options. You can learn in the comfort of your home in an interactive online environment (or by paper if computers make you crazy). We now offer certificate programs in: Production (Field); Production (Controlled Environment); Landscaping; Environmental Horticulture or Agronomy and Horticulture. These new certificate programs, which meet the needs of the industry, help you become educated with the skill set that will allow you to gain employment in the field of horticulture.
Each program has four compulsory courses: Applied Botany, Fundamentals of Soils, Propagation and Plant Diagnostics that will give you the knowledge base to then focus on the field of your choice. Each certificate program then has a variety of elective courses to ensure you can tailor your program to meet your individual preferences. In order to certify in any of the programs offered you will need to successfully complete the four compulsory classes and five elective classes. The cost of completing any one of these new TARGET Certificate Programs is $3,960, but you can pay as you go to ensure your new educational pursuits will not tax you or your family and your current obligations.
If you choose to complete one of the Production Certificate Programs you can choose between Field Production and Controlled Environments. With Field Production you will have a number of elective courses to choose from that include: Pruning; Interiorscapes; Turf Production; Fruit or Vegetable Production; Irrigation, Fundamentals of Water and Business Management and Marketing courses. If you choose instead to focus on the Controlled Environment (greenhouse) then you can choose electives such as Plant Pathology; Environmental Production; Production in the Controlled Environment; Interiorscapes; Fundamentals of Water; Irrigation and Business Management and Marketing.
The Landscaping Certificate includes electives in: Pruning; Woody Ornamentals; Herbaceous Ornamentals; Landscape Basics; Landscape Design; Landscape Construction; and Business Management and Marketing.
Environmental Horticulture is a field that is gaining favour by leaps and bounds. Electives such as: Fundamentals of Water; Environmental Practices; Environmental Production; Soil: Micro, Chem and Physics; Plant Pathology; Cycling and Environmental Fate; and Business Management and Marketing.
Agronomy and Horticulture is a great option for those farm folk who wish to work in the field of agronomy, perhaps the most traditional blend between conventional agriculture and horticulture. Electives include: Principles of Agronomy; Western Canadian Vegetation; Field and Forage Crop Production; Fundamentals of Water; Irrigation; Environmental Practices; Environmental Production; Plant Pathology and Business Management and Marketing.
- Hanbidge is a horticulturist with the Saskatoon School of Horticulture and can be reached at 306-931-GROW(4769); by email at [email protected] or check out our website at saskhort.com.
