BRIDGWATER & Taunton College has launched a new horticulture programme focusing on the importance of sustainability and organic practices.

The Plant Botany and Sustainable Horticulture in the Modern World course is aimed at professional and amateur gardeners.

The £640 programme will be supported by Yeo Valley Organic and the Soil Association and will be delivered on one day a week over a 19-week period. 

It will be based at the college's Cannington campus with some modules taught at the Yeo Valley Organic Garden near Blagdon and elsewhere. 

Guest speakers from the Soil Association and other organisations involved in the industry will be combined with expert teaching from the college.

The programme has been divided into seven modules: Plant botany, the root zone and organic soil management, methods of propagation, managing plant health without chemicals, organic principles and practice, fruit and vegetable growing, and biosecurity, contemporary attitudes to horticulture and community engagement.

The new programme sits alongside the current online permaculture programmes and other specialist courses that focus on the importance of horticulture to wellbeing.

Together, they form a commitment by Bridgwater & Taunton College to drive sustainability and increase awareness of the need to reduce carbon dioxide release.

Nigel Cox, horticulture course leader at Bridgwater & Taunton College's Cannington Campus and the creator of the new course said: “As a college, we are committed to driving the sustainable agenda and I am delighted that this course will enable us to reach those already committed to a more sustainable future in horticulture and those who wish to learn more about how they can help.”

Sarah Mead, head gardener at Yeo Valley Organic Garden, added: “There has never been a more pertinent time for Bridgwater & Taunton College to be launching this ground-breaking (excuse the pun) course on Plant Botany and Sustainable Horticulture in the Modern World.  Not a day too soon in our humble opinion. 

“We are delighted to be a small part of it and very much look forward to welcoming the college students here to the Yeo Valley Organic Garden.”

For more information about the course or to apply, visit www.btc.ac.uk/courses/adult-learning/horticulture-gardening-landscape-design/plant-botany-and-sustainable-horticulture-in-the-modern-world.