“The Medicinal Herb Grower” book–volume 1, by Richo Cech
$19.95
Please note: The first edition of this book is nearly sold out as of 6_21_2021, and so I encourage anyone who’s been wanting the book to get it now. Once the last book sells, this page will show a “waitlist” option. The second edition will be somewhat different from the first–expanded–as I’ve been working on it. We will let you know when the new edition is available. Richo
In the year 2000, Richo wrote the book “Making Plant Medicine” that told the story of his little family living in the coast mountains of Oregon. That book helped people learn how to access the healing power of herbs that could readily be grown in the home garden. “The Medicinal Herb Grower” continues this story, as it follows the family’s move to Southern Oregon where they engaged the growing of larger and more diverse gardens and fields of medicinal herbs. It is about how to make a place for these healing herbs to grow and draws from Richo’s over 25 years of experience. The book starts with “Principles of Natural Gardening Techniques,” covering: observation in nature, planting with the seasons, creating plant habitat, the benefits of diversity, and rules of (green) thumb. The book then covers “Practices of Natural Gardening Techniques,” practical “how-to’s”, covering: preparing the ground, making diverse composts and potting soils, planting seeds and cuttings, caring for plants, and harvest and processing of medicinal herbs and seeds. The book is full of amusing anecdotes and is delightfully illustrated by Sena Cech. We hope it reads a bit like a “James Herriot” of herbalism and that it is as nourishing to you as cornbread. This book has a great deal of information in it for the startup medicinal herb grower and also for the advanced farmer of medicinal herbs. It will help engender success in growing common weeds and rare and unusual plants. It will help you if you are growing tulsi in a pot in New Jersey and if you are trying to grow 100 acres of Skullcap on a farm in Costa Rica. The book will inspire confidence in those that have a timorous relationship to seed planting, and will improve the technique of those whose sweat hits the earth and sprouts flowers.
176 pages, soft cover
Out of stock
Liz Clark –
Hi and thank you Richo and Sena! I have never learned so much from any book…ever! Though I haven’t yet read your others 😉 The illustrations are such a fun and beautiful touch. Anywhoo here’s a big, heartfelt t h a n k y o u.
On a personal note, I’ve been on this kind of quest to learn how to have a truly symbiotic relationship with the earth. I went to school for landscape architecture, worked as a designer and at different botanical gardens – and became frustrated because of the way plants are viewed and (mis)treated. I was in a kind of crisis bc I’m like I love plants and the earth and I don’t know what’s right? but it’s not what I’m doing. That’s where this book is so unique and helpful!
This book is the most beautifully useful gardening book because of your true love, respect, and extensive knowledge in how to nurture plants, the soil, and ecosystems in a thoughtful way. I really appreciated the fun stories and useful tips sprinkled throughout, and the practical examples of how you sew love into what you do.
ALSO – For over a year I have been stumped on what to do with this one small piece of garden where the gophers kill everything save some alyssum, but a box was just too harsh. Now I’m stoked on the tortuga!!! Woohoo looking forward to the next edition!
(0) (0) Watch Unwatch
Question
Dustin Bryant –
Hello, I am very excited about the this book and I am looking forward for the new updated copy. As soon as I see it is available, I’m grabbing one immediately
(0) (0) Watch Unwatch
Richo Cech –
hi dustin, yes, thank you! we’re still working on the index, trying to organize 2,000 plant names, life tends to intervene, but we’re making progress. richo
(0) (0)
claire griffin –
Will the book be available as a PDF/download? I will be traveling and will not be able to receive land mail. 🙏
(2) (0) Watch Unwatch
Richo Cech –
we will try to do this!
(2) (0)
Taylor Shaw –
Hello! I was wondering if you had an idea when this book will be available once again. Thank you!
(0) (0)
Richo Cech –
Hello Taylor, everyone who hits “waitlist” on this is going to get notification when “Growing Plant Medicine,” the expanded edition of “TMHG” is available. We’re currently working on the indexes so it is a nearly completed work. Thank you very much for your interest, it is 366 very dense pages of herbal inspiration. Richo
(0) (0)
Question
conniehoffman55 –
ohmygoodness!!! I totally missed out on a book I would LOVE to read – what a bummer!! I wish it could be re-printed the way it reads in addition to the new version…I just would love to read the original! Please dig me up a copy for me of the original in your garden, Richo!! Thank you and many blessings to you and your family and your amazing plants. The Lord made sure that we can take care of our health and bodies naturally – I have so much to learn! You are a blessing to us all, Richo!
(0) (0) Watch Unwatch
Richo Cech –
hi connie, thanks for wanting to read the book, i have a couple of copies, they are not covered in dirt but may have bent corners. e-mail me your address to herbseed@budget.net and i’ll send you one. i’ve completed writing the updated version, it is being edited and formatted, it will be available quite soon. richo
(0) (0)
NikiDee –
I can’t wait for the new edition BUT if you have an old edition available I’d be happy to by that now.
(0) (0)
Richo Cech –
Hi Niki, I searched my whole office and found exactly ONE remaining and something tells me i should probably keep it. i’m still editing the new book as we speak! richo
(0) (0)
tonya792001 –
Looking forward to the new version! Any idea on a date yet?
(0) (0)
Richo Cech –
just now is saturday morning and we’re working on the 1,500 entry plant index–everything has to be right, it takes some time, we’re on the cusp of publishing, and THANK YOU so much for wanting it! r
(0) (0)
phd.permaculture.homestead.design –
Fun to read, full of personal stories and tall tales
(0) (0) Watch Unwatch
Mistique Angel Davis –
This is by far the best gardening book I have ever read! I generally interact with my garden books as reference books, looking up what I am curious about, but this one is actually fun to read! I read it from front to back. It’s full of information and I always recommend this book when someone asks me what garden book to get. And the had drawn illustrations are adorable!
(0) (0) Watch Unwatch
Richo Cech –
hi mistique, wow thank you that is lovely to hear, there are very few people who make the effort as you did to let us know. um, i do think you’ll enjoy the updated version that is coming out soon. r
(0) (0)
Jessica Farina –
When will the new version be out? I can’t wait to read it !!!
Thank you ?
Jessica
(0) (0)
Richo Cech –
hi jessica. you’ll see it soon, entitled “growing plant medicine.” Included will be a new formulary and 10 bioregional herb gardens of 37 species each = 370 + herbs to peruse. r
(2) (0)
Glenda –
Pls send us a reminder email! I will love to but the book!
(0) (0)
Richo Cech –
ok, we’ll try to connect the “TMHG” waitlist with “Growing Plant Medicine” when it comes out. We will have plenty of books, and there will be fanfare. r
(2) (0)
lazywildswan (verified owner) –
Richo gives better detail than the assigned reading for my Chinese medicine study, and everything is really well-written. Mayche edited the book with the precision of old-time New York Times book review editors, so it is a pleasure to read. But, even if you just want to learn more about herbs, but do not want to grow them, this book will be well-worth buying.
(1) (0) Watch Unwatch
stevemac2667 –
This book not only tells you how to grow herbs, it teaches you how you can adapt and use the basics the author gives to create the conditions you will need to grow just about any herb you come across. The principle of teaching how to fish rather than just giving you the fish.
You wont need to have hundreds of pages in a lot of volumes to grow any herb with only knowing the basics of where a plant grows on it’s own. You can then create the mini ecosystem ( conditions,,) to grow nearly any herb you will ever come across. Critical thinking directed by the basic facts.
I now have all three of his books and although each works alone, they really give you a lot of deeper understanding of each herb and its properties when all three are used together.
Whether you just want to propagate herbs for your own use or you want to sell the herb plants , this book is the best bang for your bucks I can find.
(1) (0) Watch Unwatch
Tim Roberts –
As someone who is primarily a TCM herbalist, but who actually does grow herbs, this book was both informative, and entertaining. It does cover the essence of herb growing quite well. A lot of vegetable gardeners are utterly awful when it comes to herbs (as they seem to think that everything likes the conditions that most garden vegetables enjoy). A book from someone who appreciates the difference in conditions that radically different plants need is a refreshing change.
Pretty certainly the best book I’ve read on growing herbs, and certainly the most readable one, doing you the favour of getting the essence of how to do it (mostly by imitating the plants natural habitat) rather than a guide of temperature, water, shade etc measurements that a plant will cope with.
If you want a ‘how to’ manual with a list of steps, this isn’t it. If you want to understand how you go about learning planting from the plants, then this will suit you fine.
(6) (0) Watch Unwatch
Richo Cech –
Hi Tim,
Thank you for this, it was really fun for me to read this, I wish I could give you something for writing that!
Richo
(2) (0)
Robin –
I love this book – I reread it every year to draw inspiration, fine-tune a compost recipe, discover forgotten pearls of wisdom. Will there ever be a volume 2?? I hope so! Unfortunately this book was stolen with my backpack last year, and after several months without, I MUST replace it now that it’s spring. This is a very readable, digestible, entertaining source of knowledge and inspiration if you love gardening with medicinals.
(4) (0) Watch Unwatch
conniehoffman55 –
Richo – thank you from the bottom of my heart for one of your copies of this most excellent book!! I must admit I am a guilty vegetable gardener that didn’t know that growing herbs is quite different from growing veggies – (quite right, Tim Roberts). I now look at every plant I grow to learn about what conditions it needs to grow to it’s fullest and happiest best!! I am already re-working my new design changes for the rapidly-approaching spring – thanks again!
(0) (0)
Richo Cech –
hi, my pleasure, it really is about finding the appropriate niche for each perennial, and if you change up your garden design with things like walls, pathways and water features, then that diversifies the choices. r
(0) (0)
godsgem4life –
Hi Richo, will you be sharing couple pages as an example? I’m interested in your book but would like to know if I could read rather than on my shelf like so many others. 😉
(0) (0)
Richo Cech –
Good day to ya, I do think that Amazon does a “look inside” link that gives a preview. The new book is 400 pages of something for everyone. richo
(0) (0)