The Herb Garden Project

Cayce Hill, a Culinary Gardener focused on fine gardening and small space garden design and a Board Member of Veggielution, is leading the new and exciting Herb Garden Project effort at the farm. 

“It’s basically a pick-your-own concept,” says Cayce. “People who come to the Farm Stand to buy produce can take scissors, clip their own herb selection and then pay by the ounce.”

Located at the entrance of the farm near the Farm Stand, the raised bed herb garden will primarily consist of perennials that are both edible and reliable. A special focus will be placed on growing herbs that are culturally significant for the surrounding community but not always easily procurable, such as Mexican oregano, Vietnamese cilantro and Thai basil. In addition, a section of the garden will be dedicated to tea herbs like lemon verbena, chamomile, mint, and lemongrass.

“Herbs can be expensive to buy on their own and some are just hard to come by – so now you can take just what you need and get a nice selection for about the price of one bunch,” adds Cayce.

Veggielution broke ground on the garden this summer, thanks to the hard work of Cayce, as well as Jose Rodriguez and Steve Castillo, both of Team Tierra.  Herbs will be planted throughout the Fall, with a public opening targeted in the Spring of 2015. We are looking forward to finding ways to incorporate the availability of fresh herbs into different activities on the farm, as well as having the garden be a demonstration model for homeowners, restaurants and even commercial spaces in the area.

Capital Wholesale Nursery in San Jose has already made a generous donation of plants to help kick off the effort, but more are needed. If you have any of the following well-rooted plants and/or 3-5 gallon pots to donate, please let us know at caycehillgardens@gmail.com.

Plants needed for the herb garden:

Culinary herbs: thyme, oregano, Mexican oregano, Vietnamese cilantro, marjoram, dill, tarragon Tea herbs: chamomile, catnip, lemon balm, lemon verbena, mint, lavender, echinacea