I am writing articles for the monthly newsletter for my local Herb Society in Central Florida.
I would like to interview people that have opinions about the following
1. Where do you see the herb business going in the next five years?
2.. Will more standard herbs like basil, chives, tarragon and mint remain the standard ?
3. Do you think the public will move towards more unique herbs like culuntro , epazote and lemon grass?
4. As a back yard herb enthusiast do you grow from seed, cutting or buy plants from the nursery?
5. Do you order from catalogs for your seeds?
6. Do you order from online companies for your plants?
7. Where is the commercial grower failing the back yard herb grower? Really list your want and need lists.
I am grateful to any of you that will take the time to answer and contribute
Bev
need people to interview about herbs
1. Not sure as I do not follow the industry in and of itself very closely. I would like to see a little market niche open up so I can quit this stupid day job and become an herb farmer and then open a botanica someday.
2. I think but... I'm seeing more and more variations on standard species. Instead of just plain ole sweet basil, you can find about ten basils and 30 mints at any Target garden center. Most people who buy herbs at places like that are looking for a mini kitchen garden or are trying to make a lot of pesto. Many people are introduced to gardening by growing a couple of the old standards, because they are easy to grow and a good way to learn about gardening. For those of us who get deeper into it, we will seek out and find more exotic plants on our own -- the industry will not trend toward any one given market segment. (Please note, if you use that sentence in your article: "toward" NEVER ends in an "s." I'm an editor; I'm sure I'm the only person to whom it matters. It's one of my grammar/spelling/usage nitpicky pet peeves.)
3. You mean, "cilantro". And I have no clue what "the public" will do. People use different herbs for different reasons. I can't keep enough cilantro growing in my garden because I use so much of it. I often share lemongrass (and it's only one word, not two) with people interested in trying out new plants or new flavors. I think your blanket statement, "the public" is too vague and nebulous. You can't read the minds of millions of people who all use or grow herbs for different reasons. I keep a lot of fennel and dill on hand, but I never use the fennel in my kitchen because I hate the flavor. I keep it to feed the flutterbys. This flies in the face of most of the other herbs I keep, like parsley. I use the parsley all year until I see the caterpillars, and then I lay off to give them a chance to munch. Once flutterby season is over, I'm back on the parsley in my salads. I grow nasturtiums to toss those into my salads as well -- it's easy to grow, and old-fashioned standard, yet you never see them in people's gardens (at least not in my neighborhood) I don't think anyone here can predict herbal trends in the markets.
4. As a backyard enthusiast, I do all of the above. I like to experiment with uncommon plants (like patchouli and stevia) most people don't keep in their herb gardens, as well as plants usually planted for other purposes but which also have medicinal qualities. Agave, passionflower, pipevine are just a few examples of plants with medicinal qualities that many gardeners have but don't use medicinally. A lot of weeds have medicinal uses so my garden may look weedy to you, but I might be saving up for a cough remedy or something...
5. No. I never use catalogs. I rarely use the internet. In fact, I rarely start from seed because I'm impatient. I prefer to buy small seedlings or young plants and then propagate them when they're big enough. The summers are so hot here, I usually end up losing quite a few herbs by fall and end up buying new plants in the spring. I overwinter what is still alive in my greenhouse.
6. Rarely do I order online. Only if I can find something online that's difficult or impossible to find locally. I try to stick to Florida natives because I'm also trying to create backyard habitats so I hit up the local native nursery most of the time. Hard to find plants specific to your growing zone in catalogs and on the internet. Most catalog companies are located far north of me and tend to market to a broad range of growing zones and where I live usually falls outside of that general market region.
7. Want and need lists: I would like to find great prices on herbs (like at Target garden centers= $1.99 for 4" pot) and be assured that these plants haven't been sprayed. I end up paying more for herbs at a local native nursery because I KNOW they haven't been sprayed with pesticides, fungicides, fertilizers or other obnoxious chemicals. I don't care if the plant isn't as pretty because some little bug chewed a little on the leaves... I just don't want to eat toxic chemicals. Furthermore, when making medicine from herbs, it would be really nice to work with "pure" organic plants. I won't make remedies (i.e. feverfew for headaches) if I know the plant has been sprayed because the chemicals throw off your formula and dosage so you can't be sure what you're giving people. That can't be good. Finally, herbs sprayed with pesiticides will kill caterpillars who come to feed on your plants. If you're TRYING to attract flutterbys and hummers, you don't want to poison them! I tried for years to establish a flutterby garden and couldn't figure out why I never saw any flutterbys... then someone in the local nursery mentioned that large scale commercial growers who supply places like Home Depot and Target will almost always spray their plants. Even fertilizers can kill a delicate caterpillar... I think that's where commercial growers are failing us. We eat these plants: we shouldn't have to poison our loved ones just to attempt to make a tasty salad.
We grow for Target and do not spray our veggies and herbs because it is dangerous. To spray a commercial farm you have a lot of controls to follow and no one just up and sprays one day without careful consideration of how it will affect all around . BEV
about culantro >>Actually Dogzilla I did mean culantro not cilantro, two different plants. Target is $1.39 for a 4.25 pot and veggies are $1.19 for the 4.25 pot. Target currently carries about 4 types of basil, sweet, thai, cinammon and purple. For mint they carry chocolate, peppermint, spearmint, mint juilp, yerba buena, apple and pineapple. I would love to see lime and lemon mint added this year. Lemon balm is available.
There is a wonderful lady named Maggie in St Augustine FL that sells herbs she grows and you might check her out. Her herbs start at $2.00 for a 4 inch pot and go up from there. It is www.maggiesherbs.com
BEVERLY
Can I be sure that Target always gets the herbs I buy from you? I'm think probably not as I'm sure they have many suppliers. And that's what I mean: there's no way to know who sprays and who doesn't.
I will check out Maggie...
There's a guy in Gainesville, from whom I took a medicinal herb class, who has a huge herb farm, but I'm not sure of his name... James Steele sounds right, but I'll have to check my notes.
Yes Dogzilla, We are the only person that supplies herbs to Target. We supply all the veggies and herbs look for paper pots with cute designs on them when you go innext those are ours.
Maggie is good and several others in this state. Call Maggie and talk to her. She is wonderful too. BEV
www.maggiesherbs.com
Hi Bev. (3) I am interested in growing culantro, if it is the herb they use at Pho restaurants. It tastes similar to basil, but is a long thin sawtooth leaf. I also grow lemon grass each year. It won't overwinter here so I buy a plant. (4) I grow from seed and buy plants. Basil from seed because I like varieties I can't buy plants for and its easy. I usually buy plants of the woody herbs like thyme, rosemary and sage. I'm only starting to try cuttings, not much success yet. (5) I do order seeds from catalogs. (6) I do order plants from online companies.
I'll be looking for your plants at Target. Thanks for the info.
1. I see it growing due to the many TV cooking shows and the likes of Martha Stewart types who have encouraged the average woman to expand her horizons with gardening and cooking (gourmet cooking simplified) and with people who are into herbs for medicinal purposes.
2.. I would think so. 5 years ago I never had pesto...now I make homemade pesto and LOVE it!
3. I doubt it unless it is promoted in some big way
4. Mainly buy from nurseries
5. About the only herb I have ever grown from seed is Borage
6. Yes I did for the first time last year.
7. Locally I can only find the most basic kitchen herbs like peppermint, chives, thyme, basil, sage etc. in very limited varieties I actually drive 2 hours to a herb business to buy my potted herbs every Spring because they have a big selection of herbs. I think businesses need to offer more herbs and in more varieties. I have even considered selling potted herbs in a road side stand type of operation because it might very well fill a niche in my area.
Catmint
ck the garden watchdog after you lookup who grows it . We grew culantro for Target for the last six weeks and now are out completely. I hope to gety my farm to stretch even further into herbs as the need is there. Unfortunately we do not sell our plants in GA only Fl and Alabama and Louisiana. Calif Ariz and Nevada BEV
Bev, someday, when I grow up, I would like to buy a big ole farm and supply fresh herbs to the local restuarants. (Or open a botanica and make and sell medicines from herbs. I don't think I could handle both.)
Are you a resource to ask for advice in that regard? It's more a pipe dream right now. I would want to talk to a lot of people who have herb farms already to get a good feel for pros and cons of that lifestyle before I make a decision whether to pursue it seriously or modify my pipe dream.
Dear Dog...Our farm is not a good place to understnad the mom and pop system . Altmans did start in the backyard of the owners Kena dn Deena Altman 30 years ago and literally grew from there. They started out in cactus and bromeliads. We grow 10,000 one gallon impatiens at one time and like tonight I have 1005 speqrmint in 4.25 pots and as little as 60 purple basil ready to go and everything else in between. Herbal medicine is tricky and you must ck into the laws in your state. TO practice medicine without a license is very dangerous. I would think long and hard on that one. However talk to local herb growers and Maggie of Maggie herbs in St Augustine FL. Call people in the watchdog and find out how they are doing it. You are tied to the farm and labor is intensive. Weather can wipe you out. We lost power for nearly a month last Fall with the hurricanes and ran on generators and over 500k in plants were destroyed. Life in the growing biz is very fickle with weather and supplies and the public. Look into herb companion and herbnet online to find the advice to lead you on your journey
Maybe it is for you but I would hope to start out young, not if you are retirement age or even close. Join your local herb society and do some things there before you venture out. BEV
That's very good advice.
From what I understand, there really aren't any herbalists within 150 miles or so and I would have a market niche if I decided to do this. I probably couldn't diagnose and dispense medical advice, but I probably can just sell herbs that are "supposed" to have certain effects. Buyer beware. There is not a formal herbalist licensing system or any way to claim, "Hey, I'm a certified herbalist." There is one organization that sort of offers structure for a program, but they're not accredited. Basically, from the research I've done so far... just about anyone can hang a shingle and claim to be an herbalist. I have indeed been reading Herb Companion and just sort of learning everything I can.
How many people do you have working on your farm? How many acres do you have? How many years did it take you to get to the level of production where you are now?
I'm guessing greenhouses would be impractical -- too costly to run to be worthwhile?
Honey a farm like ours is hundreds of acres over three states. I t took decades of hard work and dedication.. We have a lot of people Remember we need growers, production, distribution, loading dock , drivers. sales, merchandising, web site, Hr, office and management plus PHD's in horticultural and botany
What you are after is something like Magie does in St Augustine call her.
BEV
This has been a very good thread.
I have been an avid herb grower until I moved to Fl., and now I can hardly grow squat for herbs
Right now I have potted thyme, just barely holding on. Thyme is my favorite, and at one place in NC I had five varieties growing, it was literally a weed. lol. I hav killed no less than $50 worth in 9 years.
I have rosemary, doing well, marjoram, so-so, lemon grass, definately not invasive, and a bay leaf laurel.
I will be putting dill seeds in the ground tomorrow
I didn't even know Target had a garden center, and seldom shop there because of it's Tar je' priceing.
I shop at Maggie's, lemon grass and bay tree, because you can't get some like these anywhere else. I had to rescue my lemon grass from a pile where some idgit had pulled weeds for me.
I also like Maggie's location and she has neat workshops and other events throughout the year.
I buy my Thyme at HD, Lowes, or wallys.
Maggies is over an hour away.
Sidney
well the best stores in Jax are Target Jesse Bibbee is the rep there and does a great job. Target hs had soem of the best garden centers i the state for a long time. I have shopped thee for over 30 years and love the place. You be the judge. The policy is 90 guarantee and if you cnat find the herbs you want thee let me know. BEV
I'll be happy to help, Bev. :-)
1. Where do you see the herb business going in the next five years?
I see it increasing.
2.. Will more standard herbs like basil, chives, tarragon and mint remain the standard ?
Yes.
3. Do you think the public will move towards more unique herbs like culuntro , epazote and lemon grass?
No.
4. As a back yard herb enthusiast do you grow from seed, cutting or buy plants from the nursery?
From seed, and I also buy from nurseries, etc.
5. Do you order from catalogs for your seeds?
Mostly yes, but I do buy seeds at places like Home Depot, Lowes, and my favorite feed and seed store.
6. Do you order from online companies for your plants?
No. I never order herb plants online.
7. Where is the commercial grower failing the back yard herb grower? Really list your want and need lists.
I think the commercial grower is doing an excellent job.
That's my 2 cents, Bev! :-)
Terri