{"id":15743,"date":"2026-03-11T10:35:10","date_gmt":"2026-03-11T14:35:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/sans\/?p=15743"},"modified":"2026-03-11T10:42:11","modified_gmt":"2026-03-11T14:42:11","slug":"umes-partners-with-eco-city-farms-for-specialty-herbs-classes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/sans\/connections\/umes-partners-with-eco-city-farms-for-specialty-herbs-classes\/","title":{"rendered":"UMES partners with ECO City Farms for specialty herbs classes"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The expertise of UMES Extension\u2019s specialty herbalist can be tapped during a three-class series on growing medicinal herbs for profit. Each will be held in a different growing season at ECO City Farms<\/a> in Edmonston, Maryland, the University of Maryland Eastern Shore\u2019s partner for the series.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe will feature herbs that are commercially valuable and grow well in the Chesapeake Bay region. The classes are hands-on and take you from seeding to selling,\u201d said Henriette den Ouden, an agent associate with UMES\u2019 Specialty Herb Program<\/a> and instructor for the series.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first class, March 24, 2026<\/strong>, is about getting started. Discussion will focus on planning and preparation for the growing season, what tools are needed for cultivation and drying, how to lay out beds and food safety principles. Hands-on seeding skills, and information on transferring seedlings and soil preparation will be included in the day\u2019s activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A spring class on May 12<\/strong> is designed to assist growers \u201cas the challenges become real.\u201d Den Ouden and guest herb growers will share their knowledge on weed and pest control, irrigation, shade selection, transferring plugs and seedlings, and harvesting. Business planning, including record keeping and marketing will be covered, along with how to make cuttings to multiply plants economically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI encourage attending all three workshops to get the most from the experience,\u201d den Ouden said. \u201cBetween classes, I will offer free consultations to help participants be successful in their efforts.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The final session, Oct. 13<\/strong>, focuses on harvesting, processing and selling herbs for value-added products, including labeling and regulations. Winter preparation, such as seed-saving, overwintering perennials and cover cropping, will also be discussed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Classes will be held from 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. and include lunch. The cost is $60 per person for all three classes or $25 for an individual class. Pre-registration is required by visiting www.umes.edu\/extension\/events<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gail Stephens, agricultural communications and media associate, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, School of Agricultural and Natural Sciences, UMES Extension, <\/em>gcstephens@umes.edu<\/em><\/a>., 410-621-3850.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Photo by Gail Stephens<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The expertise of UMES Extension\u2019s specialty herbalist can be tapped during a three-class series on growing medicinal herbs for profit. Each will be held in a different growing season at ECO City Farms in Edmonston, Maryland, the University of Maryland Eastern Shore\u2019s partner for the series. \u201cWe will feature herbs that are commercially valuable and…Read more UMES partners with ECO City Farms for specialty herbs classes<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1168,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","wds_primary_category":45,"footnotes":""},"categories":[45,184],"tags":[],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-15743","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-connections","category-march-2026-connections"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/sans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15743","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/sans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/sans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/sans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1168"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/sans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15743"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/sans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15743\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/sans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15743"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/sans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15743"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/sans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15743"},{"taxonomy":"post_folder","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/sans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_folder?post=15743"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}