You will learn about soils and how best to manage them to improve your growing, and how to identify and understand pests and diseases and their management.

You will:

• Propagate plants in the nursery
• Make compost
• Carry out pruning, training and grafting of plants
• Learn to monitor the weather
• Manage your water needs. 

We also have regular field trips to local growers to apply practical skills.

The Nelson programme is taught at the Richmond campus where this is an onsite garden, propagation house and amenity plantings. The Marlborough programme is taught on the Budge Street campus where these is a shade house and a propagation house.

With the knowledge you learn on this programme, you can put into practice if you are a small block owner, get work in the horticulture industry or go on to study at level 4.