The Herb Lady - A Journey from Gardening to Researching

My last two YouTube videos were about the preparations and making of lavender lotion with the plants I have, I hope you had a chance to watch them! If not, here are the links: water and lotion.

I was thinking about them and thought to give you a little background on how I became known as the “Herb Lady” and what prompted me to discover ways to use my cut herbs.

The Beginning of My Herb Journey 🌱

Over 25 years ago, University of Florida (UF) supported me in learning more about herbs that our farmers could utilize in their businesses. This was at a time when I was managing hydroponic research and demonstration greenhouses at the University of Florida’s IFAS NFREC-SV center, which is a remote research center in Live Oak, FL.

Master Gardener training

Exploring Herbs in Hydroponic Systems

I have always been interested in herbs, and as we were researching various crops in various hydroponic systems, I suggested we try growing herbs in these systems. They proved to be very successful!

This happened to be at a time when there was a major issue with tomatoes, which we eventually found was a virus vector by whiteflies, named Tomato chlorosis virus (ToCV). Several small greenhouse growers struggled with this and were looking for alternative crops. Herbs became an alternative for greenhouses in areas where fresh herbs for restaurants were a good option.

Researching basil at a grower's farm

Growing My Knowledge - And Sharing It

UF supported my attending workshops and seminars, adding to my knowledge that I could share for the extension aspect of our center. This allowed me to conduct in-service training of agents and master gardeners in our region so they could use the information in their counties. From there, I was asked by garden clubs and various groups to conduct talks on the subject of herbs. The main topic of the time was how to grow and manage herbs in our Southeast region.

Becoming the “Herb Lady” 🌿

After this, I guess I gained a reputation as the herb expert in the area and I was contacted by Stephen Foster Folk Cultural Park in White Springs, Florida. They asked if I would set up an herb garden there in their Craft Square. I ended up using the garden area to conduct workshops and demonstrations for the park. This is when I became known as the “Herb Lady!”

A planting and propagating workshop at Stephen Foster

Common Herb Challenges in Florida Heat ☀️

During these workshops and demonstrations, a common concern was that the herbs struggled in the summer months. The most common issue was that the plant’s stems would become spindly and the foliage on the lower parts of the stems might develop brown spots and would eventually drop.

In Florida where I live, the heat and humidity cause herb plants to struggle. Like most plants, when they become stressed they send their energy to the top of the plants in an effort to reproduce before they fade. This causes the spindly effect.

Helping Gardeners Use Their Herbs

When I would ask the attendees if they were trimming their plants, the answer was typically, “not a lot.” The common reason was usually because they didn’t really know how to use them. They liked the look and smell, and sometimes they would use them for cooking, but not enough to trim back as much as they should to promote new growth or better air flow.

At this point it became obvious that I needed to share ways they could use their herb plants, that this is something many people wanted to learn. “How to use your herbs” became a major subject of the workshops and demonstrations and it was a hit!

Discovering New Ways to Use Herbs

I’ve experimented with making many things with herbs over the years. Herbal lotion (I used lavender and comfrey in my YouTube videos) is something I make regularly for myself and my family and everyone loves it! I thought this would be a perfect process to share with you!

If you missed the videos, you can see them on my YouTube channel.

Bonus! My Latest Video 🎥

And guess what, as a bonus I just posted my last video in this series: "Tips on how to make the perfect lotion!" These are things I’ve learned over the years that will help you be successful from your very first batch!

Check it out and don’t forget to like and subscribe to my channel!

Until next time! 🌼