Economic outlook for culinary herbs

By Lynn Byczynski

For a time in the 1990s, culinary herbs seemed to offer unlimited potential for local growers. There was an ever-increasing demand for fresh and dried herbs by consumers and restaurants. Fresh herbs commanded a higher price per pound than any other edible crop. Herb farming actually looked like a get-rich-quick scheme.

But, as with so many trends, the entrance of a few large-scale growers glutted the wholesale market. Internet ordering and next-day delivery services gave chefs access to a huge selection of fresh herbs from distant farms. The herb farming bubble popped.

That's not to say that culinary herbs can't be profitable. For many vegetable growers, they are still a top-grossing crop. But the most successful approach to herbs today is to consider them a valuable addition to a vegetable farm, rather than trying to make herbs the only crop.

Culinary herbs are a natural add-on that helps sell other veggies and raise the average purchase amount. Tomatoes cry out for basil, potatoes for dill, and winter squash for rosemary and thyme. By providing recipes, savvy growers are able to cross-sell many kinds of herbs. Growers who have existing relationships with chefs can explore the possibility of custom growing herbs for specific seasonal menus. Some growers do a good business selling potted herbs to restaurants for use in the kitchen or on tables. Supermarkets interesting in developing local food credibility may be open to selling herb bunches in water.

Herbs still have great potential for the mixed vegetable grower, but it's smart to study the market and look for niches before planting on a large scale. For a detailed discussion of the current state of culinary herb production in the U.S., see this report from ATTRA, the national sustainable agriculture information service.

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Destination herb farms

By Lynn Byczynski

Part retail nursery, part gift shop, part classroom, the herb farm has become one of the most popular types of agri-tourism destinations. Customers are willing to drive long distances to visit a farm where they can walk through display gardens, have a cup of tea and a scone, or take a class.

To many customers, the name "herb farm" suggests an educational experience that goes beyond shopping. "Herbs" is a category that includes a vast number of plants, giving the farm a great deal of latitude in the kinds of activities that can fit under the herbal umbrella. Here's a sampling of some common themes found at successful herb farms:

Display gardens are an important component because they show people the many ways that herbs can be used in the garden. The display gardens can be divided by themes: kitchen garden, healing garden, scented garden, butterfly garden, moon garden (all white plants), sunshine garden (all yellow), and so on. Although display gardens themselves are not revenue producers, they can drive sales if plants are clearly labeled and available for sale nearby.

A retail greenhouse should offer a wide selection of plants that are labeled with their herbal properties. The more information, the better. Plants become so much more interesting when they have a story behind them.

A full line of vegetable transplants, especially heirloom varieties, in season. Organic transplants of both vegetables and herbs will have a marketing advantage at an herb farm because gardeners know to grow herbs organically, since they will be eating the leaves.

A tea room or restaurant is a logical extension for farms with the space, talents, and interest in food service. Herb farm eateries run the gamut from tea-and-scones on a patio to full-fledged restaurants with nine-course menus of local food costing $200 per person. Menu items should feature herbs in the description, of course. A few examples found on herb farm menus: lavender shortbread; parsley-lovage sauce; chervil-chive butter; rose geranium ice cream; rosemary-thyme chicken salad.

Lectures and workshops on a wide range of topics about gardening, cooking, crafts, and natural health. Some farms host free classes by local authors or chefs as a way to get customers out to the farm; others charge for workshops that result in a product for the customer to take home such as a wreath, an herb container garden, a selection of herbal teas, a garlic braid, and similar crafty items.

A gift shop with farm-made or purchased products. Again, the breadth of the herb category offers a huge range of possibilities, including food items, body products, candles, books, cut or potted flowers, gardening tools and accessories, decorative and seasonal items.

Events such as weddings and retreats can be a profitable sideline for a destination farm with a suitable building or great scenery.

Running an herb farm requires horticultural knowledge, an interest in retail, and marketing skills. A beautiful location, well-kept grounds, and proximity to a city are also important components. Growers who are attracted to the idea should do an internet search for "herb farm" and start exploring the hundreds of websites that provide a glimpse into this interesting and potentially profitable farm business.

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Tips for creating herb container gardens

By Lynn Byczynski

The greatest volume of herb plant sales will be of small pots. Ready-made container gardens also can be profitable. By starting your own plants from seed or cuttings, you can offer containers overflowing with ready-to-cut herbs from spring through fall.

The first rule in choosing a container is to make it the right size for the number of plants you want to grow. A rule of thumb is to provide a gallon of potting media for each herb plant. A 12" pot holds 3½ gallons of media, so can accommodate 3-4 herb plants. A 20" pot holds 6½ gallons, so can hold 6-7 plants. Most herbs have root systems a little larger than their top growth, so you can figure out how big the plants will be when mature.

The type of pot is also important. Clay and glazed pots are most attractive, but they're heavy and liable to be broken or chipped. Some lightweight plastic pots are attractive but add considerably to the cost of the final product. An alternative is to grow the herb gardens in black plastic nursery pots and display them inside decorative containers, which you can sell separately. Local market demand and price points will be the most important factors to consider when choosing pots.

The best varieties for container gardens are compact herbs. Tall herbs such as dill, fennel, and lemongrass can overwhelm a mixed container. The most common culinary herbs also happen to be the best companions: basil, chives, sweet marjoram, oregano, parsley, rosemary, sage, and thyme. Create containers with all perennials or all annuals, or mix them together. Grow two or three varieties of thyme or basil in one container. Or, mix cool-weather annual herbs such as parsley with lettuces, kale, and other greens. Woody herbs, such as lavender and rosemary, look best when grown one plant per pot.

Once the herb gardens are thriving, they will need to be fertilized and groomed regularly to keep the plants attractive. And if your first batch of containers sells out early, keep starting new ones. Potted herb gardens are much less seasonal than other plants, and you may find demand continuing through the summer.

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Mouthwatering combinations -- herbs and farm fresh produce

By Lynn Byczynski

Culinary herbs are a natural extension of your vegetable production. They are the perfect foil to open discussions with customers and to build relationships with chefs. Whether you enjoy fresh-picked herbs from your own garden or sell your herbs at market, here are some of the many opportunities open to you.

• Grow herbs just like vegetables. Many can be direct seeded, including basil, cilantro, chives, parsley, dill, borage. Herb seeds can also be started in the greenhouse and grown into transplants.
• Plant extra herbs to pot up and sell in spring. Individual pots, 2" or 4", are a good choice for most culinary herbs.
• Grow herb micro mix and use baby herbs in salad mix.
• Create patio containers of herbs, lettuces, and edible flowers.
• Many herb flowers are edible; display them as such at your stand.
• Market fresh cut herbs with vegetables: fresh dill alongside new potatoes; basil with tomatoes; cilantro with peppers; rosemary with winter squash. Provide recipes for less-common herbs.
• Sell cut herbs to chefs and, while you're in the restaurant, ask if the bar needs herbs, too. Many trendy cocktails use leafy herbs such as basil, mint, and lemon balm, and some high-end restau- rants make their own herb-infused spirits.
• Grow for specific ethnic cuisines: Thai basil, lemon balm, and Shiso for Asian cooking; cilantro and epazote for Mexican.
• Incorporate culinary herbs in cut flower bouquets for interesting fragrance and texture. Good for cutting: cinnamon basil, garlic chives, dill, fennel, mints, oregano, and sage.
• Use herbs as the basis of non-perishable products that you can sell year-round. Meat and fish rubs, herbal vinegars, salad dressings and mixes, and herb-flavored jellies are just a few examples of popular herb products.

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How to profit with herbs

Herbs are often called the useful plants, and with good reason. They are valuable for culinary, cosmetic, medicinal, and ornamental products offering a world of possibilities for commercial growers. They can be sold as live plants all season long, sold fresh cut for culinary use, made into herbal bouquets, or dried and used in herbal crafts. Take up the study of herbs yourself and become a local herb expert. As you help people see the many ways they can use herbs in their daily lives, your herb business will prosper. Here are a few ways to make herbs a profitable part of your market garden:

• Grow large plantings of the basic culinary herbs such as basil, dill and parsley, because restaurant chefs usually purchase them by the pound. Succession plant so you have a constant supply of fresh product. Pay particular attention to storage requirements of the culinary herbs because some are damaged by cold temperatures.
• Some chefs like to buy the less common culinary herbs in pots that they can keep in the kitchen until they are needed in a recipe. If you're selling cut herbs to chefs, offer to grow herbs such as lemon basil and French tarragon in 4-inch pots. The chefs will get the freshest herbs possible and maybe even some regrowth if they can give the potted herbs sunshine and water between cuttings.
• For home cooks, pot up big patio containers of mixed herbs, with a few edible flowers such as violas and calendulas for color. Think about the shape of the planting when its mature: use a tall, spiky plant in the center and surround it with mounding and cascading plants in different colors and textures. For best results, combine plants with similar water and sun requirements, such as rosemary, oregano and thyme, which like it dry, or basils, parsley and salad burnet, which like more water.
• In fall, sell potted herbs in attractive pots that can be brought inside when frost threatens; use the herbs everyone needs for Thanksgiving dinner rosemary, sage, and thyme.
• At winter markets, sell a "Natures Remedies" combination of potted or dried herbs known to help with colds, fevers, and flu. For example, an infusion of savory can be gargled for sore throat, a steam bath with rosemary helps open nasal passages, and thyme tea helps soothe coughs.
• Cater to the cat fanciers in your market. Catnip is easy to grow and can be sold potted, dried, or crafted into cat toys. Plant pots of cat grass wheat, rye or barley seeds planted bumper-to-bumper and grown to about 4 inches tall.
• Create your own line of gift items to sell or give. Dried lavender sachets, herb vinegars, herbal teas and similar non-perishable items can bring in a significant amount of late-season revenue, if you plan ahead and grow enough for fall and winter events.
• Johnny's herb disks are an easy way to make bounteous pots of fresh herbs that are perfect for a kitchen counter or windowsill. You can plant the herb disks yourself in 6-inch pots and sell them when the plants are a few inches tall. Or make a gift package for customers who don't want to transport a live plant. Put a bag of your favorite potting mix into a pot along with the herb disk. Attach a tag with planting instructions and your business logo, and tie it all up with a ribbon.

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Growing herb plants for direct market sales

By Lynn Byczynski

Herb plants are popular offerings at farmers markets and retail garden centers. Most herbs can be started easily from seed and grown into marketable size in a few months. A few perennial herbs are more difficult or time-consuming to grow from seed or they are cultivars that won't come true from seed, so these are often grown from softwood cuttings. This article is an introduction to propagating culinary herbs for plant sales.

Herbs from seed

The most popular culinary herbs are also the easiest to grow from seed. Basil, chives, dill, marjoram, oregano, parsley, and sage can all be started in the greenhouse using the same methods used to start vegetable transplants. Herb buyers may be especially interested in organically grown herb plants, which require organic seed starting and potting mixes as well as organic fertilizers. Organic seed is increasingly available for herb varieties. Check the Johnny's catalog for organic seeds and seed-starting supplies.

Herb seeds are usually started in a channel tray or open flat on a heat mat and then transplanted into the final pot or cell pack when they have two sets of true leaves. Many herb seeds require light for germination and should not be covered with soil or a dark cover, nor started in a dark germination chamber. Instead, the growing mix should be wetted first, then the seeds should be placed on top of the growing mix. A sprinkling of sand or vermiculite will help keep the seeds moist without burying them. A clear plastic dome or piece of row cover can be used to increase humidity, and if the flat does need to be watered, it should be either bottom-watered or misted, to prevent the seed from being covered. Plastic domes should be removed as soon as the first seeds germinate, to keep from overheating the tiny seedlings.

The chart below shows germination requirements for the top culinary herbs that are typically grown from seed.

Herbs from cuttings

Several of the perennial herbs are usually grown from softwood cuttings rather than from seed. Among the culinary herbs, these include mints, rosemary, tarragon, and specialty thymes such as lemon and variegated. Propagating by cuttings is not difficult, but it does require extra attention while the cuttings are rooting. Here are some tips for making softwood, or tip, cuttings:

• Commercial herb growers maintain large herb plants known as "mother plants" from which they take their cuttings. These plants may be allowed to go dormant over the winter, but will be brought into a warm greenhouse, watered, and fertilized a month before cuttings are needed. That's because the most successful cuttings are taken from actively growing, healthy plants.
• The rooting medium should provide excellent drainage. Regular potting mix is too heavy and not a good choice. Sterile sand, peat moss, perlite, or a mixture is a better choice. The medium should be well-moistened before the cuttings are taken. Place the flat on a heat mat set to 70F/21C.
• Cuttings can be taken from any branch with new growth. With a clean, sharp knife or scissors, cut 2-4" of tips from the mother plant. If the branch has new growth below the top 2-4", additional cuttings can be made. Put the cuttings in a plastic bag or between wet paper towels to keep them moist while you're working.
• Remove about half the leaves from the cutting, leaving at least four leaves at the top. Recut the bottom of the cutting just below a leaf node, which is where the roots will begin to form.
• Working quickly, poke a hole at an angle into the rooting medium, then stick the cutting into the hole. Put about half the stem under the medium. Leave a small amount of space between the cuttings, just enough that the exposed leaves aren't touching.
• Mist the cuttings immediately and every 15 minutes the first day. Continue to mist them frequently, either with an automatic mister on a timer, or by hand whenever they start to wilt. The flat can be covered with a plastic dome for the first day to increase humidity, but the cuttings need air circulation, so it's not a good practice to keep the flat covered all the time. The cuttings must be kept out of direct sunlight until they are well rooted. Allow 3 to 4 weeks from the time the cutting is made until it is rooted well enough to be potted up.

Lynn Byczynski is the editor of Growing for Market, a magazine for local food producers.

For more information:
Growing and Selling Fresh-Cut Herbs by Sandie Shores.

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Marketing herb plants

By Lynn Byczynski

Successful marketing of herb plants at farmers markets, farm stands, or retail nurseries starts with high-quality, healthy plants and benefits from an attractive, informative presentation. You should visualize your marketing plan before you plant seeds or start cuttings, because your greenhouse production should be tailored to your final presentation.

The first thing to consider is how you are going to transport and display your herb plants. That will determine the size and type pots you will use, which will determine the prices you can charge. With that decision made, you will know how to schedule your plantings to have the right size plants for the price points you want. In other words, marketing and production are so closely interrelated that they should be planned simultaneously.

Here are some ideas to consider as you plan your herb plant sales:

• Press-fit trays, which hold the pots securely in the tray, are a good choice for plants that are going to be transported to and from market several times. Another benefit of these trays is that when a customer removes one pot, the others won't fall over. Press-fit trays and the pots that fit into them are available in several sizes, square or round.
• Are organic products big in your market? You might want to offer organically-grown herbs in the OMRI-approved, biodegradable Dot Pots. Those are available in round, square, or strip pots in several sizes.
• Whether biodegradable or plastic, pots can get bigger as the season wears on, with the smallest pots in early spring for veteran gardeners and 4" pots a month later when less-experienced gardeners decide to buy herbs. They are more likely to achieve success with a larger plant, and therefore more likely to buy again from you next year.
• Try mixing up culinary herbs in a six-pack. It's a good way to introduce your customers to the many interesting kinds of basil, sage, or thyme. Or, put together other compatible herbs such as Italian parsley and basil; chives and garlic chives; rosemary and thyme.
• Don't put your flats of herbs on the ground; it's better to put them right at waist level, where customers can see, touch, and smell them. Fragrance is a strong selling point for herbs.
• Provide variety information and cultural hints, either with purchased plant tags or handmade tags. Create more detailed planting instructions on a sheet of paper to offer customers along with their purchases.
• Make prices sensible and easy to understand. Separate plants according to their price points. You know you need to get more money for the slow-growing, hard-to-propagate herbs like rosemary and lavender than you do for easy annuals like basil. Since customers don't necessarily understand the distinction, use different pots or at least different locations for the higher-priced herbs. And if you offer the same herb in more than one size, make sure the higher priced plants are noticeably larger than the smaller ones.
• Provide recipes for culinary herbs, or note attributes on the price signs. A flat of Genovese basil, for example, could have a sign that says "makes the best pesto!" or the oregano sign could say "true Greek oregano the best flavor." Let customers know why your herbs are special.
• Don't try to sell herbs that are seriously rootbound in small pots. Instead, try moving them up into gallon pots or making mixed herb containers in larger, decorative pots. Herb sales can continue all summer long, if you keep the herbs looking healthy.

Lynn Byczynski is the editor of Growing for Market, a magazine for local food producers

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Overwintering herbs

By Lynn Byczynski

Some of the most valuable herbs are perennials that won't survive most winters in Zones 5 and colder, especially if they don't have sufficient snow cover to protect them.

But growing perennial herbs in an unheated hoophouse under row cover will keep plants alive through extreme cold. That's what Karma and Michael Glos of Kingbird Farm in Berkshire, New York, discovered when they received a Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) grant to research overwintering of perennial herbs. They built an unheated greenhouse, 30' x 96' with an inflated double layer of poly. They planted in ground beds and installed a data logger to monitor temperatures outside, inside, and under row cover suspended on wire hoops.

Their lowest winter temperature was -22.3F/-5.39C; the inside temperature was 3.2F/-16C; under the row cover, the temperature was 14.9F/-9.47C; and the soil temperature was 33.1F/0.61C. After experimenting with straw mulch and row cover, they concluded that they got the best results from just row cover. Plants tended to suffer from mold and were slower to recover in spring when mulched.

The herbs they grew were: Rosemay 'Arp'; Lavender 'Lady' and 'Hidcote'; French tarragon; purple sage; pineapple mint; oregano thyme; and lemon thyme.

With one layer of Agribon+ AG-19 suspended above the plants on wire hoops, the farmers recorded more than 95% winter survival of all their herbs. As a result, they have been able to make cuttings for plant sales and to sell fresh-cut herbs from April through December.

For photos and more details on Kingbird Farm's SARE project, visit their website.

Lynn Byczynski is the editor of Growing for Market and the publisher of The Hoophouse Handbook.

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