Vendor Spotlight: Herb 4350

​In the tiny village of Crampton, a church-turned-home by Arthur and Sharon Murray serves as
the headquarters of Herb 4350. Their modest side yard, humble in size but well optimized, is
home to most herbs you can think of, including unique offerings in their potager and petal
gardens.

​A potager garden, also known as a kitchen garden, is a French-inspired style of gardening
focused on planting for cooking and daily use. It is both versatile and diverse. In addition to the
many herbs they cultivate, the Murrays also tend to an expansive selection of heirloom tomato
varieties and dye-colour flowers.

Sharon studied horticulture at the University of Guelph and has been passionate about plant life
ever since. After retiring, the couple needed something to keep them active. They refused to let
life become stagnant. There’s no better motivation to get up in the morning than gardens that
require care, with herbs, flowers, and fruit harvests all needing attention.

While originally living in Ingersoll, they first took a stab at a local market. They moved to the
area about twelve years ago and have been part of the Horton family of vendors for the last four
years.
​
Their mission has always been to grow and harvest culinary herbs with care, specifically for the
market scene. At first, they wondered where they might fit among what was already available.
Some farms do grow and sell herbs alongside their usual offerings, but Herb 4350’s niche of
unique, mindful herb cultivation is unmatched. With over 25 culinary herbs, more than 60 tomato
varieties, and a selection of hedgerow fruits.

​Their quaint property is just shy of a quarter-acre, packed with a cheerful mix of annual and
perennial crops. True to the kitchen garden aesthetic, there’s no rigid science to the arrangement.
Fruits, flowers, and herbs are intermingled, creating a vibrant diversity of colours, shapes, and
textures. It is home to happy bugs, buzzing bees, fluttering butterflies, and whizzing
hummingbirds.

The raised beds they built years ago remain virtually unchanged. Everything cultivated here,
from perennial herbs to mature elderberries, haskaps, gooseberries, and currants, is grown
without commercial herbicides, pesticides, or fungicides. The only “employees” they keep
around to help with the day-to-day are two very busy worm composting communities. These
worms diligently break down green kitchen waste to enrich the soil.

​Around the apse of their church-turned-home, you’ll find a covered greenhouse housing a bounty
of cilantro, fenugreek, and basil. The greenhouse is open on one side, with a small opening in the
opposite wall, allowing access to birds, bunnies, toads, and insects. The seedlings and transplants
benefit from the constant breeze. Dye-flowers are hung to dry in here as well, and herbs are
protected from the elements while drying in a wooden box.

​Hung at the edge of one of the raised beds, you’ll find a handy little tomato management
reference guide. This is essential when tracking so many different varieties. Dozens of unique
tomatoes grow here: large beefsteaks (1 to 3 pounds), slicers, cherry, grape, and saladette, to
name a few. Some of the rarer varieties are grown in pots for easier fussing over, but most are
grown directly in the ground.

​With gardens as charming as their keepers, Herb 4350 is tending to business the old-fashioned
way. On a small plot of land, by hand, with careful attention to detail, a deep appreciation for the
soil beneath their feet, and a commitment to slowing down and savouring the micro seasons of
the herb harvest as they come.

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Jacob Wilcox, EDC Summer Marketing Student

Jacob is a St. Thomas-born, Wallacetown-raised artist and writer who recently completed a BA in Visual Art at York University. An avid Elgin County enthusiast, he has a deep appreciation for local businesses, rural life, community connections, and grassroots initiatives. From a young age, Jacob has been involved in local theatre--most notably Dutton’s community theatre, WEDS. As a practicing artist, he blends photography, writing, and illustration in both his personal work and marketing initiatives, with a focus on visual storytelling and brand identity. He is drawn to the beauty in the mundane, finds art in everyday life, and hopes to carry that perspective into a future career in community stewardship and education. ​