Introduction to Gardening and Horticulture
What the domain covers
This domain introduces horticulture as the science and business of cultivating garden crops. The exam checks whether you can separate horticulture from general agriculture, name its branches, and match a garden type to its purpose.
Core rules and concepts
- Horticulture is divided into pomology (fruit), olericulture (vegetables), floriculture (flowers), arboriculture (trees), and landscape horticulture.
- Gardening is small-scale, intensive, and often ornamental or household; horticulture also includes commercial orchards and nurseries.
- A kitchen garden supplies fresh produce; a nursery raises planting material; a landscape garden is designed for aesthetic and functional use.
- Horticultural enterprises need climate, market, water, and labour appraisal before planting.
Worked example
A farm has mango, tomato, marigold, and a lawn with ornamental shrubs. Mango is pomology; tomato is olericulture; marigold is floriculture; the lawn and shrubs are landscape horticulture. The reasoning is based on the crop's primary use, not on the size of the plot. A mixed farm can belong to several branches at once.
Traps
- Calling all farming “horticulture”: cereal and pulse field crops are usually agriculture, not horticulture.
- Treating floriculture and landscape horticulture as identical: one focuses on flower production, the other on design and managed green space.
- Assuming gardening is only for leisure: nursery and flower gardening are commercial NSQF skills.