Herb Culture 100 Hours Certificate Course

There are 12 lessons:

1 Introduction To Herb Culture

• Unit I: Introduction to herbs, definitions, uses. Classification of herbs; use of a botanical key.
• Unit II: Cultural Techniques...planting, soils, drainage, feeding, mulching, composting, pruning.
• Unit III: Propagation Techniques...propagation mixes, growing structures, cuttings, seed, separation & division, layering.
• Unit IV: Identification of plant health problems...pest & disease, frost, heat, water stress, etc.

2 Using Herbs

• Unit I: Processing & Use of Herbs Medicinal, culinary, perfumes, dyes, oils, distillation processes, etc.
• Unit II: Harvesting & Storage Air drying, oven drying, microwave drying, freezing, fresh storage, when & how to harvest.

3 The Mints (Lamiaceae)

• Unit I: Mentha species: Peppermint, spearmint, applemint, wintermint, pennyroyal, corsican, ginger mint etc.
• Unit II: Lavender (Lavendula varieties) & thyme (Thymus).
• Unit III: Assorted Lamiaceae varieties: Lemon Balm, Hyssop, Rosemary, Bee Balm (Monarda), Basil, Savory, Marjoram, Sage.

4 The Daisies (Asteraceae)

• Lesson I: Artemisia species...Southernwood, Wormwood, Tarragon, Mugwort.
• Lesson II: Miscellaneous Asteraceae: Chamomile, Tansy, Safflower, Costmary, Yarrow, Calendula, Dandelion etc.

5 The Parsley Family (Apiaceae)

• Parsley, Coriander, Dill, Caraway, Angelica, Cumin, Fennel, Lovage, Sweet Cicely etc.

6 The Onion Group

• Unit I: Chives, Leek, Garlic chives, Tree onion, Welsh onion, etc.
• Unit II: Garlic

7 Other Herbs

• Unit I: Rosaceae (Rose, Burnet, Strawberry, blackberry, etc)
• Unit II: Miscellaneous: Lemon grass, Lemon verbena, Bay, Sorrel, Dock, Juniper, Horseradish, Evening Primrose, etc.
• Unit III: Scented Geraniums; Australian Natives, Eucalyptus and Others

8 Pests & Diseases

• Unit I: Companion Planting
• Unit II: Natural Pest Control: Herb sprays, biological control, etc.

9 Landscaping

• Unit I: Landscape Design Principles and Practices: How to draw a landscape plan
• Unit II: Home Gardening With Herbs; Cottage gardens, hedges & borders, tubs, baskets, kitchen gardens, herb lawns, herb indoor plants.
• Unit III: Public Landscaping: Historic herb grdens (Knot gardens etc), herbs for low maintenance & colour in parks..etc.

10 Herb Farming I

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

11 Herb Farming II

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

12 Herb Farming III

• Evaluating Herb enterprises, assessing market demand. Deciding how to proceed.

The quality of this course is second to none, from the in-depth learning you will get to the expert individual mentoring you will receive throughout your studies. The mentors for this course are:

Susan Stephenson

BSc in Applied Plant Biology (Botany) Univ. London 1983.

City and guilds: Garden Centre Management, Management and Interior Decor (1984)

Management qualifications in training with retail store. Diploma in Hort level 2 (RHS General) Distinction.

Susan Stephenson is a passionate and experienced horticulturist and garden designer. She has authored three books, lectures at 2 Further and Higher Education Colleges, teaching people of all ages and backgrounds about the wonders of plants and garden design, and tutors many students by correspondence from all over the world.

Susan studied botany at Royal Holloway College (Univ of London) and worked in the trading industry before returning to her first love plants and garden design. She is therefore, well placed to combine business knowledge with horticulture and design skills. Her experience is wide and varied and she has designed gardens for families and individuals. Susan is a mentor for garden designers who are just starting out, offering her support and advice and she also writes, delivers and assesses courses for colleges, introducing and encouraging people into horticulture and garden design.

In 2010, Susan authored a complete module for a Foundation degree (FDSC) in Arboriculture.

Susan holds the RHS General with Distinction. She continues to actively learn about horticulture and plants and (as her students will tell you) remains passionate and interested in design and horticulture.

Steven Whitaker

Diploma in Garden Design (Distinction) – The Blackford Centre, Gold Certificate of Achievement in Horticulture, Level 2 NVQ in Amenity Horticulture, Level 1 NOCN Introduction to Gardening, – Joseph Priestly College, BTEC Diploma in Hotel, Catering and Institutional Operations (Merit), Trainer Skills 1, & 2, Group trainer, Interview and Selection Skills – Kirby College of Further Education

Steven has a wealth of Horticultural knowledge, having ran his own Design and Build service, Landscaping company, and been a Head Gardener. His awards include five Gold awards at Leeds in Bloom, two Gold awards at Yorkshire in Bloom and The Yorkshire Rose Award for Permanent Landscaping. Steven has worked with TV’s Phil Spencer as his garden advisor on the Channel 4 TV Programme, “Secret Agent”.

He is qualified to Level 2 NVQ in Amenity Horticulture and has a Diploma in Garden Design which he passed with Distinction. Steven’s Tutor and Mentor was the Chelsea Flower Show Gold Award-winning Garden Designer, Tracy Foster. He also works for a major Horticultural Commercial Grower in the field of Propagation and Craft Gardening. Steven lives in Leeds where he is a Freelance Garden Designer and Garden Advice Consultant.