WHY TEAGASC? HORTICULTURE
1000’ s of graduates, found in every horticulture business in Ireland have come through our two colleges. Facilities of both colleges are impressive. Kildalton College has excellent class rooms and labs recently opened. It has substantial horticulture facilities on site with a commercial nursery, food crop production in fields, glass houses and poly tunnels, grounds keeping and sport turf facilities. The college offers on campus accommodation. The Amenity college of horticulture is set in the grounds of the famous Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin. The college opened beautiful new classrooms and lab in 2014. Additional state of the art training facilities are due to open in September 2016 in our Ashtown campus.
=== www. teagasc. ie / training ===
CAREER PROFILES
Horticulture might be a mysterious title to put on our trade- it is so broad every one working in it has a different understanding of it. From designing with plants, growing fruit and food crops, to researching how climate change will affect wild flowers( weeds to you and me) working in horticulture can be fun, interesting, and give you a career to be proud of. From the people in NASA working on what could grow on Mars to the turf grass grower producing sods for Croke Park, they have all studied horticulture.
Contact Details
Teagasc College of Amenity Horticulture, National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin, Dublin 9 D09 VY63 Tel: 018040201 Email: botanic. college @ teagasc. ie http:// www. teagasc. ie / botanicgardens / Kildalotn College, Piltown, Co. Kilkenny Tel: 051 644400 Email: reception @ kildaltoncollege. ie http:// www. teagasc. ie / training / colleges / kildalton / horticulture. asp
Emily McGrath, Humewood Estate, Kiltegan, Co. Wicklow BSc. Ordinary Degree in Horticulture, Waterford Institute of Technology, Teagasc College of Amenity Horticulture 2013
I studied at the Botanic Gardens to gain knowledge of horticulture in general, from plant identification and suitable planting locations, planting schemes, propagation and garden maintenance, along with the effects of our actions on the environment / biodiversity. For some time I have dreamed of being involved in maintaining a mature / historical garden, whether it be in a park or a private setting. Since finishing college I have gained clients for garden maintenance, replanting gardens, tidy ups, creating new beds etc. Recently I gained a seasonal contract in a beautiful private estate, quite aptly situated in the‘ Garden of Ireland’. The grounds span over 400 acres, with a walled garden, a rose garden, mature woodlands, all with the backdrop of the Wicklow Mountains. The work is very varied throughout the day, from propagation and potting on, to moving plants, pruning, redesigning and replanting beds. This is the direction I really wanted to go from studying in the Botanic Gardens. The qualification gained has most definitely influenced the employer’ s decision. The best advice I can give is to try out different industries of horticulture during your work placement, the span of horticulture really is huge. You will know for sure what you like and don’ t like from working in it. Keep going in the direction you would like to take, it could be a gradual progression but really is worth it in the long run.
Shane Thorne • Vegetable grower • Level 6 advanced cert in horticulture, Kildalton
Shane works alongside his father and uncle who own a large vegetable growing and packing business in north Dublin specialising in producing high quality parsnips for some of the biggest retailers in the country. He trained in Kildalton College and completed his placement in research in Ashtown campus.
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