PROFITABLE HERB GROWING
(Page 2 of 9)
March/April 1971
By the Mother Earth News editors
"Five years ago, my wife and I moved from Michigan to California because my health had broken down. All my life I had been a factory worker, never able to save very much. When we arrived in California, all I had was the old car that brought us out and less than one hundred dollars."
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He paused for a moment, and then continued, "I was then forty-six years old and the prospects for the future were not too bright. A few days after we got here I was lucky enough to get a job in a fruit packing house. The pay was small, but I was glad to be working. I worked the night shift, and it was on a warm June evening that I decided to walk home along a different road. As walked along I came by a lavender hedge that was in bloom. I casually pulled a few flower heads, rubbed them in my hands, and inhaled their fragrance. Never had I smelled anything so wonderful. For several days afterwards I kept wondering how many people had actually smelled real lavender blossoms. I thought that there must be thousands who would like to have some. From a start of a few plants in my backyard, a year later I was in the business with a full acre of lavender."
Trying to hide my curiosity, I asked him if an acre could make a person a living. "Oh yes", he replied. "You see we get about ten thousand lavender plants to the acre, and the average plant will produce enough blooms to fill twelve sachets." Based on the $1.80 a dozen he got for his lavender sachets from the gift stores, the gross return from his acre of lavender was approximately $18,000. Out of this must come the cost of raising the lavender, the sachet material and manufacturing costs, and finally the expense of selling the lavender sachets. The probable net profit must have been about $9,000. This of course is an exceptional case, and this high return per acre would be hard to duplicate. But it does indicate what can be done with a person who uses his imagination.
HOW TO START IN THE HERB BUSINESS
Before a ten cent package of herb seeds is bought, write down all the information available about your farm, location, possible markets, and most important, make out an honest evaluation of yourself. Only when you have assembled all of these facts can you formulate a sound program for success. For example, if your land is less than a quarter of an acre, choose a herb project does not require much space. Among the best projects for grower with limited space are catnip mice, lavender sticks, of the culinary herb products like jellies, herb cookies, herb breads, herb vinegars, herb candies, and potted herbs. A herb plant nursery should have at least one or more acres of land available. About the same amount of area will be needed to pi .duce dried herb material and seeds in enough quantities to make it pay.
If you are located at the edge of a fairly large town, or on a well-travelled road, an attractively built roadside stand featuring a variety of herb products could do a considerable amount of business. If your place is on a road without much traffic going by, then all of your efforts can be devoted to the production end.
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