Comment from one of our Herb Culture students:
'An excellent guide to self-learning" E. Holsman
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