BCA Practical Horticultural Skills
About The Course
This bespoke BCA course provides the learner with an opportunity to get to grips with a wide range of horticultural practices and skills in a practical setting.
The course will cover a wide range of topics including plant knowledge, principles of establishment and maintenance, basics of garden design, lawn care, introduction to horticultural machinery and the basics of hard landscaping.
The course is ideal for those wishing to develop and strengthen their horticultural knowledge and is therefore suitable for keen amateur gardeners. The course is run face to face onsite at BCA.
This course will be broadly equivalent to a Level 2 programme of study but is not accredited by any awarding body.
Entry Requirements
There are no formal entry requirements for this course other than a love of plants and gardening.
More information
Course Content Overview:
• What’s my soil like? – soil testing
• What does my soil need – how to cultivate and tackle problems with your soil
• Home composting
• When, where and how to plant – getting to grips with seasonality
• Plant production – seed sowing, division and cuttings
• Keeping your plants alive – understanding what plants need and how to look after them
• Growing your own – vegetable and fruit growing
• What’s killing my plant? – pest and disease identification and treatment
• How to prune and train your plants
• Plant Identification – plants of the month
• Sustainable garden practices
• Caring for your lawn – creation, repair and maintenance
• How to use and maintain garden machinery
• How to put up a garden fence
• How to lay a patio
• How to prepare a concrete base
• The basics of garden design including surveying your site
The course will run from early September through to the end of June over 36 weeks every Monday from 13.15 -16.15. You will receive a scheme of work when you arrive laying out the topics for each week. This will be subject to change based on seasonality and conditions. There are no formal assessments in this programme. You will be required to wear practical clothing, bring gloves and sturdy footwear each week as the course is mostly practical in nature and you will be out in the elements. All tools, equipment and materials will be provided.
Review our BCA Practical Horticultural Skills Terms & Conditions
