Photostory: Warren Wilson’s Herb Crew

While shadowing Herb Crew, Fran McDaniel weeds in the northwest garden. This is the main garden for production by the crew.

Crew members Ian Ibarra and Miles Lamberson talk about the day’s plan.

“We were prepping the beds we grow in, in our northwest garden,” Ibarra said. “After the winter dormancy period, we are introducing new organic material into the soil to increase the activity of the microorganisms living in there which in turn, supports plant life better.”

McDaniel putting weeds in a wheelbarrow to be composted.

Olivia Heese with a broadfork, which is a tool used for overturning bed soil to bring more organic matter to the surface.

Ibarra (left) shoveling mulch into a wheelbarrow. Heese (right) getting ready to put away shovels in the gardens’ shed.

Herb Crew is hiring next fall semester with two to four openings. The crew is looking for people who have a passion for growing plants, cultivating herbs, harvesting and drying herbs, and creating herb products. The crew is also interested in people who are attracted to the small business aspect of the crew.

“If you have a very strong passion for plants, being outside, or herbalism … or don’t have a passion for it yet but think you might have one, then feel free to contact us, and we will send you our shadowing schedule,” Ibarra said.

Herb Crew can be contacted through their email herb@warren-wilson.edu as well as their Instagram @wwc.herb.crew

Ibarra and Heese pour mulch on pathways to make them more visible.

Lamberson and McDaniel spread hay around in an attempt to prevent weeds from coming up. The hay will also decompose over time and introduce new organic matter into the soil, which supports plant growth.

“Their roots aren’t actually introducing nitrogen into the soil, but host organisms that increase the nitrogen levels in the soil,” Ibarra said. “We are planting that not to harvest but to flip the beds over again with the clover still in it so the soil will have a lot more nitrogen which is good for the herb growth.”

The red clover family, Fabaceae, has nodes on their roots where nitrogen-fixing organisms can live.