diseases are: botrytis, mildew, viruses, rusts, and root disease. Successful management of plant diseases include environmental controls similar to that of the pest management plan. Chemical means are determined based on the type of plant disease present in the herb. Seeds and cutting/types of propagation Herb plants can be started from seed or purchased as a seedling. Common herbs grown from seed are basil, flat and curly leaved parsley, chives, dill, sage, thyme, rosemary, cilantro. Herbs can also be grown via vegetative means, rooting cuttings, division of the plant, bulbs, or tissue culture. Rooting cuttings works best with soft stemmed herbs such as mint, lemon balm, basil and stevia. The advantage of growing via a vegetative process gives you a plant that is exactly identical to the parent plant. Farming systems Herb farms can range from in-house gardening hobby, mini-farming, and all the way to full-scale commercial operations. Start-up farms are generally smaller and focus on local markets, they can include organic, hydroponic and traditional growing systems. The small farm generally has one or two greenhouses, an area for storage, and an area to sell the product. Commercial operations focus on a larger scale of cash profit and may use some of the same growing systems, but can range vastly in their application of advanced technology and science. There are a variety of hydroponic systems for herb farming as herbs have a smaller root system and can be suited to the different types of hydroponic production. Growing herbs hydroponically is considered to be more efficient, and to produce a higher quality product (pg 17), and can be seen in both the small farm and in commercial operations. In contrast, organic farming systems that additional make use of a greenhouse expand the growing season, is a fast growing niche market, and offers monetary value as a result. Organic certification criteria must be met based on soil content, fertilizer sources, and method of pest control. Economics The concept of starting up your own small, herb farms stems from the needs of local restaurants and at-home chefs demanding fresher, locally grown products. Home grown, small scale start ups often begin on a smaller piece of land and may also include areas of the house to be used to germinate seeds. References Types of farms Herbs