Supplies & Materials: Herbology
Most of what you need for Herbology is already in your kitchen, your junk drawer, or your recycling bin. Here is everything, honest and complete, so nothing ever surprises you.
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A Note from Professor Fernfoot
You need less than you think to start: one plant, one pot, water, light, and a notebook. This greenhouse asks for patience more than equipment. Grow your stores the way you grow everything else here, one season at a time.
PROFESSOR BERYL FERNFOOT
Herbology Greenhouse
Master Herbalist, Head of House Oriens
What You'll Need
Level One: The Household Road
Level One is the household road. Everything on this side is a household item, a free material, or an inexpensive basic, and it is the whole course: every lesson runs on Level One stores alone. If you only ever shop this list, the course is complete for you.
Your Familiar plant
- Adopt-a-plant alternative: no plant purchase is ever required. Adopt any plant you can visit regularly, a park tree, a neighbor's garden, a store display, a sidewalk weed, and do the same observation work. U1 through U5, D.
Containers and soil
- Pot or container with drainage holes. Household or purchase. U1 through U5.
- Saucer or drip tray. Household. U1, U3.
- Seed tray or flat. Household or purchase. U3.
- Coarse sand or grit. Household or purchase. U2, U3.
- Mulch. Household or purchase. U2, U5.
Watering
- Watering can. Household or purchase. U2, U3, U4.
- Spray bottle or mister. Household. U2, U3.
- Bucket. Household. U2, U3.
- Garden hose. Household. U3.
Tools
- Hand trowel. Household or purchase. U2, U3.
- Garden fork or spade. Household or purchase. U3.
- Sharp scissors. Household. U1 through U5.
- Hand pruners or pruning shears. Household or purchase. U3, U4, U5.
- Craft knife or sharp kitchen knife. Household. U3.
- Ruler. Household. U1 through U3.
Observation and records
- Journal or notebook for the Grow Ledger. Household. U1 through U5, D.
- Pencils and pens. Household. U1 through U5, D.
- Magnifying glass or hand lens. Household or purchase. U1 through U3.
- Phone camera or camera. Household. U3, U4, U5.
- Rain gauge or a simple measuring cup. Household or purchase. U2.
Labels and supports
- Plant labels or plant tags. Household or purchase. U1 through U5.
- Permanent marker. Household. U1 through U3.
- Twine or string. Household. U3, U4.
- Twist ties. Household. U3.
- Plant stakes. Household or purchase. U1, U2, U3.
- Trellis. Household or purchase. U2, U5.
Propagation
- Cuttings and divisions, taken from your own plants. Free. U3, U4, U5.
- Clear plastic bag for a humidity dome. Household. U3.
- Drinking glasses. Household. U3.
- Straws for tenting plastic over pots. Household. U3.
- Rubbing alcohol for sterilizing blades. Household. U3.
- Diluted bleach solution for sterilizing blades. Household. U3.
Soil science
- Two clear cups. Household. U2.
- White vinegar and baking soda for the fizz tests. Household. U2.
- Spoon. Household. U2.
- Clear jar with a tight lid. Household. U2.
- A single drop of dish soap for the jar-settle test. Household. U2.
Harvest and preservation
- Paper bags. Household. U4.
- Basket. Household. U4, U5.
- Newspaper or blotting paper. Household. U4.
- Cardboard, cut to a uniform size, for the plant press. Household. U4.
- A stack of heavy books or any flat weight, for the plant press. Household. U4.
- Clean glass jars with lids. Household. U2, U4, U5.
- Mesh screen, cooling rack, or woven basket for screen-drying. Household. U4.
- Twine and hooks or nails for hanging drying bundles. Household. U4.
Safety
- Gardening gloves. Household or purchase. U1 through U5.
- Dust mask. Household or purchase. U2, U3.
- Eye protection or safety glasses. Household or purchase. U5.
- Poison Control, 1-800-222-1222. Free; program it into your phone. U5.
What Evershade Provides
These come free with the course. You never need to buy them.
- Every lesson packet: the lesson text, the assignment manual with exercises, the quiz, and the full answer key
- Every per-lesson lexicon handout, with the course's one-definition-per-term standard
- The Grow Ledger pages for recording your Scholar's Familiar observations, season by season
- The Scholar's Familiar Journal template pages, if you prefer a bound journal format
- Printable plant observation sheets for the morphology, soil, and seed exercises
Level Two: The Historical Road
Level Two is the historical road: specialty purchases and historically closer materials for the same lessons, gathered slowly. Nothing on this side is required, and no lesson asks for it before its Level One version has been taught. It is the same course, on an older road.
Your Familiar plant
- One forgiving houseplant: mint, spider plant, or pothos recommended. Purchase, or start from a cutting a friend shares. U1 through U5.
Containers and soil
- Potting mix. Purchase. U1 through U3.
- Compost. Purchase, or make your own after L11. U2 through U5.
- Perlite or vermiculite. Purchase, optional for most lessons. U2, U3.
- Peat moss or sphagnum moss. Purchase. U2, U3.
Observation and records
- Min-max thermometer. Purchase. U2.
- Soil pH test kit. Purchase, Level Two. U2.
- Moisture meter probe. Purchase, optional; the finger test is the Level One method. U2.
Labels and supports
- Row cover or frost cloth. Purchase. U2.
- Cold frame. Purchase or build. U2, U3.
Propagation
- Seeds. Purchase. U1 through U5.
- Seedling heat mat. Purchase, Level Two. U3.
Nice to Have
None of these are required. They make the work easier or deeper.
Start with a plant, a pot, and a pencil. Everything else finds you as you grow.
PROFESSOR BERYL FERNFOOT
Herbology Greenhouse
Master Herbalist, Head of House Oriens