Picture it: a slow summer morning. You wake up with a craving for an iced herbal tea. You pull out the jar of tea you steeped the night before out of your refrigerator. The jar of tea that you crafted especially for you from herbs you gathered from your own garden. Maybe this morning you wanted lemon balm, spearmint, and rose – perfectly cooling and refreshing for a balmy summer day. This could easily be a reality-even if you don’t have a lot of space.
The first thing that you will need to realize, is that (especially if you are a voracious tea drinker) you will need a lot of dried herbs. And that translates to a LOT of fresh herbs! I still can’t grow or forage enough nettles to keep up with my intake. BUT-that doesn’t mean you need a lot of space. So the first thing you need to do is to assess your space. Consider areas such as windowsills, balconies, patios, or even a small corner in your kitchen. Vertical spaces, like walls or trellises, can be utilized for climbing herbs. By identifying these areas, you can make the most of every inch and tailor your garden accordingly.
The second crucial step is identifying your key herbs. Do you have a practical medicinal purpose in mind? Are you seeking out amazing flavors? Are you totally new and experimenting? If you are either new to herb gardening or have limited space-I suggest sticking to a few fast growing herbs that thrive off of regular pruning. (side note: if you are knowledgeable and comfortable foraging-do this first! Forage all the invasive (and aggressive native) plants that would make great teas. I’m talking multiflora rose, chickweed, violet leaf, dandelion leaf and root, burdock root, etc.)
I know you will think I’m mad for suggesting it but mints are a great herb to start with – yes, you can even plant it in the ground! I was watching a video the other where a man was saying that if you think you shouldn’t plant mint, you aren’t growing enough of it. Because if you are constantly harvesting mint to dry for teas, you need a lot! And if you are constantly harvesting it-you won’t have to worry about it taking over. But if you are concerned or are low on space, growing mints in containers is a great alternative!
The next herb that I would definitely recommend is tulsi or holy basil (Ocimum tenuiflorum). Tulsi is a beautiful and delicious herb that grows easily, loves pruning, and tastes AMAZING. It’s one of those herbs that you will just fall in love with and never want to give up once you start working with it. Like its sister the culinary basil, it requires lots of trimming. Pinch off the top set of leaves off of each stem and it will bush out very nicely. Save those leaves to dry-they add up! You can even use them the same way you use basil in cooking!
Beyond those two base herbs, you can explore others such as lavender, lemon balm, different sages, anise hyssop, thyme, lemon grass, roses, bee balms, and calendula. If you have a dedicated garden space, focus first on perennials and aggressive self seeders. These plants you will only have to plant once! Then fill in the gaps with annuals.
The great thing about most herbs, is that they are incredibly easy to grow and are typically very low maintenance. Good soil, occasional watering, and regular pruning is really all you need. Just start with a few to ensure you have the time, energy, and space to dedicate. Once your confidence builds, you are always able to add more!
Beyond growing your herbs, you’ll need to learn about drying and storage. We will focus on that later!
