Blog

Growing Year Round Beans

By ACS Distance Education on April 26, 2018 in Environmental Issues & Horticulture | comments

Growing Beans Year Round 

For the home vegetable garden, the most widely grown beans are usually common (green) beans, runner beans, and broad beans. The common bean is known by a number of other names including green beans, French beans, haricot beans, flageolet, and string beans.

They are all cultivars of Phaseolus vulgaris. Most green beans have a compact or bushy growth habit and are referred to as ‘bush beans’, or sometimes ‘dwarf beans’.  Some cultivars have a climbing habit and are known as pole beans.

Runner beans, Phaseolus coccineus, are also climbers. They have striking red flowers which have made them popular as ornamental vines as well as vegetable crops. 

Broad beans, Vicia faba, go by many other names like faba beans, fava beans, horse beans, field beans and English beans. It all depends where you live. In Australia, New Zealand and the UK, broad bean is the preferred name whereas in the United States they are called fava beans. 

 

Understanding Student Assessment

By ACS Distance Education on April 24, 2018 in Education | comments

Assessment is an often misunderstood part of education.

Students actual learning can readily be misrepresented when a teacher doesn't properly understand assessment. Parents and students all too often see assessment as a measure of success or failure; but in reality, good assessment practices are equally part of the whole learning process. By being assessed, students are reviewing their learning; and that reinforces and broadens the context of that learning.

 

Practical Agriculture Studies Online

By ACS Distance Education on April 23, 2018 in Farming | comments

Our agriculture courses are designed to offer  very flexible and practical learning.

Yes, of course you read through lesson materials and answer assignment questions, but our courses are more unique than this.

Within our courses, you are encouraged to use all possible research resources and to carry out more practical work and research. With this type of study, your learning is really enhanced and it will help you place your learning into practice.

 

Grow Flowering Nursery Plants

By ACS Distance Education on April 19, 2018 in Horticulture | comments

All gardeners and nurserymen know that a plant sells better when it has a flower on it.

One trick to being successful in any nursery is thus, learning how to get plants to flower - then selling them before the flower is lost.

 

Green Wall Maintenance

By ACS Distance Education on April 18, 2018 in Built Environment & Horticulture | comments

Designing and building a green wall is only the start. Seeing the plants thrive and stay in good condition is another thing.

If the vertical garden is designed well and maintained appropriately, using well chosen plant cultivars; the affect can be great; but with a lack of knowledge, resources or effort, a green wall can deteriorate very fast.