Portland Herb Craft School

Portland Herb Craft School is a mobile herb growing school that moves locations each year. Our mission is to spread knowledge about medicinal plants while cultivating them in the city and beyond. Each year will take on a new theme and project depending on our host's location.

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In 2024 we will be learning and growing at The Portland Grief House located in St. John’s. We will be exploring grief as we design and cultivate a medicinal herb tea garden for The Portland Grief House. The herbs we cultivate will be used to support those sitting with grief for years to come.

In This Class We Will Learn:

• How to cultivate medicinal herbs with care
• Basic regenerative agricultural practices
• How to design an herbal garden
• To preserve herbs with herbal remedies
• Introductory Materia medica
• How to make farm and garden purchases locally
• How to build a budget greenhouse
• How to set up irrigation
• How to build a dehydrator
• To explore Grief with this year's hosts: The Portland Grief House
• and so much more....!

Instructors:

Lizzy Simpson; Farmer, Herbalist, Newbie Death doula and lead educator at Portland Herb Craft School. Lizzy founded the medicinal herb farm Rise Up Remedies in 2018 which she co-owned until its closure in 2023. Prior to farm ownership, Lizzy studied at the Elderberry School of Botanical Medicine and farmed at several diversified vegetable farms in Oregon, Colorado and North Carolina. She holds a masters degree in Agroecology from the Norwegian University of Life Sciences. Lizzy is starting her journey as a death doula by creating "Death Ware" that promotes conversations about death. You can learn more on her website, ithir.co.

Laura Green; is a licensed massage therapist, death doula and a feeler of grief. She co-founded the Portland Grief House - a community led resource that creates and supports offerings which metabolise grief from all kinds of loss, with her long-time friend, Sascha Demerjian. Explore The Grief House on their website and on Instagram @portlandgriefhouse. You can also listen to Laura and Sacha talk about grief, trust, friendship and the strange experience of being human on their Podcast, Portals.

• Laura is a returning guest lecturer and our host at the Portland Grief House for 2024

Dates and Topics:

Class 1 - Site Preparation - March 23rd

• Setting intentions for the space
• Garden Maps and Planning
• Pruning Trees
• Removing Plants
• Observing the movement of water
• Observing the movement on the sun
• Starting Seeds

Class 2 - Planting - May 11th

• Building raised Beds
• Setting up irrigation system
• Reviewing Soil Tests
• Adding Soil Amendments
• Planting Seedlings

Class 3 - Getting to know the Plants - July 13th

• Plant Identification
• Where do we hold our grief and how can plants help
• Materia medica of 10 garden plants
• Plant Spirit Meditation

Class 4 - Harvesting - August 24th

• Building a dehydrator
• Harvesting herbs
• Drying Herbs
• Making fresh herb preparations

Class 5 - Closing the Garden - October 19th

• Putting the garden to rest
• Pruning for fall
• Removing annuals
• Cover Crops
• DIY Greenhouse for overwinter annuals/ prepping for next year’s seedlings
• Garbling dry herbs
• Making tea blends with dried herbs

You will take home:

• Each Week: Printed materials with gardening instructions.
• Week 1: Potted Seeds to plant in your garden
• Week 2: A seedling of your choice
• Week 4: 1oz of Tincture
• Weed 5: 2oz of a Dried Tea Blend made by you!

Cost Per Class:

$40 to $70 per class

Standard ticket - $55

Cost for Entire Series:

$165 - $300

Standard Ticket - $225

This class is open to all no matter your skill level or experience in herbalism or gardening.

Feel free to send us a at hello@ithir.co if you have questions. Head to our website at ithir.co to learn more.