How to become a horticultural trades
Official title: Horticultural trades
Also called: Horticultural assistant, Horticultural technician, Tea planter, Tree pruner, Seed worker, Tree planter, Head fruitman, Fruit gardener, Coffee planter, Rubber planter, Market gardener, Tobacco planter
Horticultural trades workers intensively cultivate vegetables, plants, fruit, shrubs, trees and flowers in greenhouses, market gardens, nurseries and orchards.
Main tasks
- Prepares soil in field, bed or pot by hand or machine
- Mixes soil, composts, fertilisers and/or organic matter and spreads fertiliser and manure
- Sows seeds and bulbs and transplants seedlings
- Propagates plants by taking cuttings and by grafting and budding, applies weed-killer, fungicide and insecticide to control pests and diseases
- Prunes and thins trees and shrubs
- Supports trees by staking and wiring
How to become one
There are no formal academic entry requirements. NVQs/SVQs in Horticulture are available at levels 1, 2 and 3. Relevant apprenticeships and professional qualifications from the Royal Horticultural Society are also available.
Pay · Outlook
- Median full-time pay: £27,262 a year
Related jobs
Not sure this is for you? Take the 2-minute career quiz
Questions people ask
How do I become a horticultural trades?
There are no formal academic entry requirements. NVQs/SVQs in Horticulture are available at levels 1, 2 and 3. Relevant apprenticeships and professional qualifications from the Royal Horticultural Society are also available.
How much does a horticultural trades earn in the UK?
Median full-time pay is £27,262 a year (Office for National Statistics).
Do you need a degree to become a horticultural trades?
Not always. 44% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
Sources
- Office for National Statistics: Annual Population Survey: employment by occupation (April 2025 to March 2026), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
- Office for National Statistics: SOC 2020 Volume 1: structure and descriptions (2026-08-27 edition), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
- Office for National Statistics: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14 (2025 provisional), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
Updated 2026-10-03