Growing and Selling Fresh-cut Herbs (Making a Living Naturally) (Hardcover)

Thanks to Amazon for allowing me to tell you about my book and to you for reading this.

When I started my fresh cut herb business, Herb's Herbs, in 1985 I was on my own! There were many businesses growing and selling fresh cut herbs and making money at it too. However, these successful businesses were closely guarding their secrets. There was little written information available for the commercial grower. I had to learn by the "school of hard knocks". I did learn, mostly through trial and error, and eventually my business was profitable and quite successful.

A few years ago a profile of my business appeared in Growing Your Herb Business by Bertha Reppert, an excellent book for those wanting to start an herb shop. Suddenly I was flooded with letters from people all over (even overseas) asking for advice about growing and selling fresh cut herbs. The herb trade magazines often discussed the lack of a book about this topic. So, I sold my farm and business and wrote this book for them, and for you.

This book is the first one to address this topic in depth. It is really a reference manual and it has everything in it that you need to operate a successful and profitable fresh cut herb business in today's marketplace, from the smallest restaurant to chain supermarkets and even selling to wholesale distributors or at farmer's markets.

For the serious home gardener this book offers "insiders" secrets used by commercial culinary herb growers to help you be a successful grower too. Both experienced and novice growers will find this comprehensive guide an invaluable reference tool. Concise descriptions, drawings, photgraphs, charts and step by step advice take the reader through planning their business, construction and operation of a greenhouse and growing herbs in the field and greenhouse. There are also comprehensive chapters about pests and diseases.

You'll discover how to locate the best areas for your business, the types of markets-how they operate and what they expect from a grower. I go into depth about doing business and how to keep your accounts loyal. Planning and start up guidance is offered, too.

The 20 most popular herbs for fresh cut sales are covered in depth, each in their own chapters. Each herb chapter covers the uses, best varieties, propagation, growing in the greenhouse and field, pests, diseases, harvesting, post-harvest handling, and packaging for each type of account. Edible flowers are given in depth treatment, too. There is information here about these herbs tht you will not find anywhere else, including crop scheduling, yields and lead time to harvest charts.

For those of you who want to start your own business, learn more about your business or be a better herb grower-I have written this for you! Enjoy! Go out there and grow herbs-you will make the world a better place!