This course aims to familiarise you with the use and culture of what are traditionally the most common herb plants. It should provide you with a sound framework upon which you will be able to develop your knowledge of herbs.This is a course for the amateur who likes to use herbs at home. If you are serious about growing or using herbs commercially, you are better to do our Herb Culture Course (Ht371).

There are all sorts of different definitions of 'herbs'. The American Herb Society defined herbs in the 1930's as: "Any plant that may be used for pleasure, fragrance, or physic".

Strictly speaking, 'herb' is simply a shortening of the word 'herbaceous', which in horticulture (or botany) means the type of plant which does not have a 'woody stem'. Herbaceous plants have softer tissue in the stem and tend to die back to ground level each year after flowering, to re-grow a complete new 'top' the next season. Many of the plants we refer to as herbs are like this, but not all.

The word 'herb' in the context of this course, and in the context it is commonly used today, refers to those plants which are useful because of their aromatic, medicinal, cosmetic, flavouring or repellent qualities. Herbs are plants which are used for 'food, medicine, scent, flavour etc.'

There are 6 lessons in this course:

1. Introduction to Herbs
   • Plant identification, plant names, general characteristics of herbs, the history of herbs, and herb resources (nurseries, seeds, clubs, etc).
2. Herb Gardening
   • Planting, propagation, soils, plant nutrition, and container growing.
3. Companion Planting
   • Introduction to companion planting, herb garden design.
4. Growing Herbs to Harvest
   • Herb products, setting up a herb farm, making compost.
5. Herbs for Cooking
   • Herb crafts, herb ingredients, cooking with herbs.
6. Herbs for fragrance, health and beauty
   • Dyes, mordants, oils, other herb crafts.

Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school's tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.

• Define herb
• Identify herbs suitable for hanging baskets, indoor growing, and appropriate methods of propagation for at least 50 herb species
• Define and describe companion planting
• Give examples of appropriate companion planting
• Build an efficient compost heap
• Identify appropriate herbs for culinary uses
• Identify some medicinal uses for herbs
• Explain the culture of a range of different herbs
• Explain a variety of different uses for a range of most commonly cultivated herbs.

• Collect and identify 30 different herb specimens
• Learn the basics of plant identification
• Make contact with herb farms to ask about their operation
• Propagate herbs by cuttings
• Prepare a soil suitable for growing herbs
• Design and plant a herb garden
• Visit or investigate retailers to investigate the types of herb products available
• Prepare food containing herbs
• Harvest and dry a herb correctly
• Prepare one other type of herb product