Shanbally Organic Farm is dedicated to creating a long-term commitment for a sustainable herbal medicine industry. It is therefore our intention to reduce the carbon footprint of medicinal herbs. In Spring 2019, Shanbally Farm was awarded Organic status and is now a member of the Irish Organic Association.

We currently grow over 120 medicinal plant crops on the farm and harvest from several native medicinal plants and trees. The herbs once harvested are transported to Shanbally Herb Dispensary which is located approximately 2kms from the farm. From here, the herbs are processed into tinctures, oils and powders. If you are a Herbal Practitioner, visit or shop to view and purchase our herbal products.

We also grow over 30 different vegetables that will form the main ingredients in our plant-based menu for our Café and events catering.  Furthermore, the farm also supplies organic vegetables to our sister Café – Steeples Restaurant in Nenagh.

In March 2020, we were very fortunate to have an article written by Grace Maher from the Irish Organic Association.  In turn, this was published in the Farming Independent.  Below is a snippet of the article.

Growing the herbs

Heiko Klee, the head grower at Shanbally, has over 20 years’ experience working on organic farms in Ireland.  “We grow approximately 120 medicinal herbs on the farm. Some of the more tender plants are grown in our polytunnels or in the 1-acre walled garden but many grow well outside,” he says. “The soil type is mainly a gravelly loam which is free-draining – outside herbs are grown on a slope as they do not like to have their roots waterlogged.  On our high ground and orchard area, we grow plants like elderberries, whitethorn and mahonia”.

“As many of the herbs grown at Shanbally are not readily available, the majority of the propagation is done on site with some root cutting bought in when required. Many herbs are sown in December and they emerge a few months later, some plants can take up to three years to germinate so you have to be patient! The growing principles are similar to vegetable production but there is a lot more diversity, with the huge number of herbs that we are growing here. When you sow a tray of herbs that originate from wild plants, results such as even germination can be elusive. It is challenging but herbs are fascinating to work with” say Heiko.

Follow the link below for full article.