Herb Culture

COURSE STRUCTURE

This course is divided into 12 units.

Each unit comprises one (1) or more lessons, as follows:

Unit 1               Introduction To Herb Culture

Lesson I : Introduction to herbs, definitions, uses. Classification of herbs; use of a botanical key.

Lesson II : Cultural Techniques...planting, soils, drainage, feeding, mulching, composting, pruning.

Lesson III : Propagation Techniques...propagation mixes, growing structures, cuttings, seed, separation & division, layering.

Lesson IV : Identification of plant health problems...pest & disease, frost, heat, water stress, etc.

Unit 2               Using Herbs

Lesson I : Processing & Use of Herbs

Medicinal, culinary, perfumes, dyes, oils, distillation processes, etc.

Lesson II : Harvesting & Storage

Air drying, oven drying, microwave drying, freezing, fresh storage, when & how to harvest.

Unit 3               The Mints (Lamiaceae)

Lesson I : Mentha species: Peppermint, spearmint, applemint, wintermint, pennyroyal, corsican, ginger mint etc.

Lesson II : Lavender (Lavendula varieties) & thyme (Thymus).

Lesson III : Assorted Lamiaceae varieties: Lemon Balm, Hyssop, Rosemary, Bee Balm (Monarda), Basil, Savory, Marjoram, Sage.

Unit 4               The Daisies (Asteraceae)

Lesson I : Artemisia species...Southernwood, Wormwood, Tarragon, Mugwort.

Lesson II : Miscellaneous Asteraceae: Chamomile, Tansy, Safflower, Costmary, Yarrow, Calendula, Dandelion etc.

Unit 5               The Parsley Family (Apiaceae)

Lesson I : Parsley, Coriander, Dill, Caraway, Angelica, Cumin, Fennel, Lovage, Sweet Cicely etc.

Unit 6               The Onion Group

Lesson I : Chives, Leek, Garlic chives, Tree onion, Welsh onion, etc.

Lesson II : Garlic

Unit 7               Other Herbs

Lesson I : Rosaceae (Rose, Burnet, Strawberry, blackberry, etc)

Lesson II : Miscellaneous: Lemon grass, Lemon verbena, Bay, Sorrel, Dock, Juniper, Horseradish, Evening Primrose, etc.

Lesson III : Scented Geraniums; Australian Natives, Eucalyptus and Others

Unit 8               Pests & Diseases

Lesson I : Companion Planting

Lesson II : Natural Pest Control: Herb sprays, biological control, etc.

Unit 9               Landscaping

Lesson I : Landscape Design Principles and Practices: How to draw a landscape plan

Lesson II : Home Gardening With Herbs; Cottage gardens, hedges & borders, tubs, baskets, kitchen gardens, herb lawns, herb indoor plants.

Lesson III : Public Landscaping: Historic herb grdens (Knot gardens etc), herbs for low maintenance & colour in parks..etc.

Unit 10 Herb Farming 1

Lesson I : Establishing & Operating a Herb Nursery: Open ground vs container growing, nursery layout, potting soils, pots and labels, marketing, etc.

Unit 11 Herb Farming 11

Lesson I : Establishing & Operating a Herb Farm: Soil Preparation and management (plastic mulch, organic mulches, cultivation), row cropping.

Unit 12 Herb Farming 111

Lesson 1 : Evaluating Herb enterprises, assessing market demand. Deciding how to proceed.

AIMS

Here are some examples of what may be achieved:

• Differentiate between different varieties of herbs in cultivation.
• Explain the general cultural practices used for the growing of herbs.
• Determine harvest and post harvest techniques for herb crops, including processing, storage and use of herbs.
• Develop a production plan for a herb crop grown for harvesting.
• Develop a production plan for a herb nursery.
• Design a herb garden for a home or public garden.
• Evaluate the production of herbs or herb products in a commercial business.

WHAT THE COURSE COVERS

Here are just some of the things you may be doing: 

-Distinguish, using illustrations and minimum but adequate comments; between major plant families which herbs belong to.

-Compile a resource file of fifty different sources of information regarding cultivated herbs.

-Prepare an herbarium collection of one hundred different herb varieties.

-Develop guidelines for the general culture of herbs in your locality.

-Explain six different propagation methods suitable for herbs, using illustrations.

-Demonstrate how to prepare cuttings for three different herb varieties.

-Propagate three different varieties of commercially farmed herbs, using appropriate, but different propagation techniques for each.

-Explain natural pest and disease control methods for a specified herb species.

-Explain the concept of companion planting, including three examples of proven companion planting interrelationships.

-Write a maintenance schedule for either a herb garden, nursery or farm.

-Describe two different harvesting techniques for herbs, by outlining the steps to follow for each.

-Determine criteria which are critical to success in the process of drying herbs.

-Compare two different drying processes for herbs, with reference to: *equipment used *procedure *cost.

-Produce two marketable herb products by harvesting, and processing material from a herb plant.

-Prepare five different herbal products for home use.

-Estimate the costs associated with processing four different herbs to a marketable stage, itemising the components of costs for each.

-Determine ten different species of herbs which have potential to be grown commercially as broad acre crops in your locality.

-Describe the process of producing a specified commercial herb crop being grown organically.

-Describe the process of producing a commercial herb crop being grown hydroponically.

-Compare broad-acre production methods, used for three different herbs, including: *propagation 

  *planting  *crop management  *harvesting  *post-harvest processing; by constructing a table or chart.

-Design a simple trial, to test the commercial potential of different varieties of a specific herb species.

-Conduct the simple trial you designed recording details of tasks undertaken.

-Analyse the results of the trial conducted to test the performance of a herb plants.

-Determine the variety with greatest commercial potential from those trialled.

-Prepare flow-sheet broad acre crop production schedules for four herbs; one each from Allium, Apiaceae, Asteraceae, Lamiaceae groups.

-Determine minimum facilities required to produce saleable plants in a specified herb nursery.

-Prepare a potting media suitable for growing a container herb plant of a specified species, as nursery stock.

-Describe the procedures used in a commercial herb nursery, to produce plants for sale.

-Differentiate between the procedures used for production of different products in a herb nursery, including:

  *Punnets of seedling herbs  *Bare rooted plants  *Standard container plants  *Hanging baskets  *Topiary.

-Grow a herb plant to a commercially acceptable standard, as a tubestock container plant, through all stages of production, without supervision.

-Prepare production schedules for two herbs from four different minor herb groups, for a specified nursery.

-Explain the use of general landscape principles and practices in the designs of two different herb gardens.

-Determine different applications for herbs in home gardens.

-Determine applications for herbs in public landscaping, referring to both difficulties and advantages in different situations.

-Design for a herb garden for a site of between 30 and 100 square metres surveyed by you, preparing a scale drawing showing the placement of at least 20 different varieties of herbs.

-Explain the reasoning behind the herb garden designed.

-Determine critical factors to establishing a new herb business, in your locality.

-Analyse the business operations of a specified herb enterprise.

-Assess market demand for a herbal product, through a phone survey and information search.

-Compare the commercial potential of three different types of herb enterprises, in your locality.

Duration:       100 hours