Level up your gardening skills to master the basic methods for growing new plants and protect them from disease and pests.

Start your free 2-day trial

351 enrolled on this course

Man planting seeds with his dog watching
  • Duration

    3 weeks
  • Weekly study

    4 hours
  • 100% online

    How it works
  • Included in an ExpertTrack

    Course 2 of 2
  • Get full ExpertTrack access

    $39/monthFind out more

Expand and protect your garden

On this three-week course from BBC Gardeners’ World, you’ll discover how to create new plants yourself without having to buy them and what to do when things go wrong.

Learn basic methods for sowing seeds and taking cuttings

There are a few different ways that you can raise new plants. You’ll start this course by learning the basic methods for cultivating plants in different ways. You’ll cover the optimal techniques to sow seeds, as well as dividing and taking cuttings from existing plants of different types.

Discover how to water plants effectively without damaging them

Plants are delicate things and each different type needs certain environments and specific care in order to grow. With the wrong input, it’s quite possible to kill plants with kindness by overwatering or overfeeding.

This course will guide you through watering plants effectively and the different watering needs of plants. You’ll also learn how to properly feed plants and the maintenance that each type of plant needs to thrive.

Explore the many plant diseases and pests

Unfortunately, there are a variety of pests and diseases that can damage and even kill plants. That’s why it’s important to know the methods to prevent pests and the techniques to manage disease if it occurs, all of which you’ll learn in this course.

You’ll also discover how to nurture your plants and stimulate lush growth through pinching, training, and thinning. Finally, you’ll explore the need to observe plants regularly and learn how to respond to their needs. This includes key maintenance techniques such as pruning, trimming, and deadheading.

What topics will you cover?

Gardening for Beginners: How to Grow Plants and Nurture Them is a plants-first course that teaches the foundational knowledge needed to be a good gardener. Building on the basic science behind plants, the course looks at how to help any plant thrive by creating the right growing environment, how to create new plants yourself without having to buy them, and what to do when things go wrong.

Topics covered in Part Two include:

How to water, feed and care for plants Raising new plants from seed, division and cuttings Pinching, training and thinning your plants Pruning, trimming and deadheading What to do about plant pests and diseases

Prove you're job ready

Highlight the new, job-relevant skills you’ve gained and supplement existing qualifications with a hard-earned, industry-specific digital certificate – plus one for every course within your ExpertTrack.

  • Learn the latest in your chosen industry or subject.
  • Complete each course and pass assessments.
  • Receive certificates validated by the educating organisation.
  • Impress employers with learning outcomes you can add to your CV.
  • Make your career dreams a reality.

Download a PDF

Learning on this course

On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

  • Assess the different growing conditions experienced by plants and adapt cultivation techniques accordingly.
  • Apply basic methods of raising new plants – from sowing seeds, to dividing and taking cuttings.
  • Demonstrate that plants have different needs from ourselves and that it’s possible to kill plants with kindness
  • Assess your plants' health regularly to in order to nurture and respond to their needs.

Who is the course for?

This course is designed for anyone with an interest in gardening who wants to learn the best way to grow and care for all kinds of plants. It will be useful to every kind of gardener, whether you’ve gardened before or not.

Who developed the course?

BBC Gardeners' World Magazine

The UK’s No.1 gardening magazine. Providing garden and plant inspiration, seasonal advice and practical projects.

About this ExpertTrack

Learn how to care for plants with easy-to-follow gardening techniques aimed at both new and experienced home gardeners.

Start learning today - free 2-day trial

After your free trial you can:

  • Pay $39 per month to keep learning online
  • Have complete control over your subscription; you can cancel any time
  • Work at your own pace and set your own deadlines at every stage
  • Only pay while you’re learning; the subscription will cancel automatically when you finish
  • Complete online assessments to test your knowledge and prove your skills
  • Earn digital course certificates and a final award that you can share online, with potential employers, and your professional network
  • Keep access to the content of courses you complete even after your subscription ends

Learning on FutureLearn

Your learning, your rules

  • Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps to help you keep track of your learning
  • Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
  • Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores

Join a global classroom

  • Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
  • Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
  • Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others

Map your progress

  • As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
  • Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control
  • Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate

Want to know more about learning on FutureLearn? Using FutureLearn

Learner reviews

Learner reviews cannot be loaded due to your cookie settings. Please and refresh the page to view this content.

Do you know someone who'd love this course? Tell them about it...