This is the perfect time of the year to begin planning this season’s herb garden. Maybe you have wanted to grow your own herbs for cooking, or you have some interest in making natural medicine for your family. It could be that you have always thought you lacked a green thumb and now you want to try gardening for yourself. Maybe you have experience growing vegetables and have just decided to try something new. Whatever your reasons are for wanting an herb garden, coming up with a plan is the first place to start. Peruse all of the new catalogs, but hold off ordering until you take these next steps.
The first step in the planning process is deciding why you want an herb garden. Do you want one for fragrance, for culinary uses, for landscaping purposes, or for medicine? Where are you planning on putting the garden? Are you willing to wait for it to grow from seed, or do you want the plant itself? All of these questions are really important to answer in order to decide on the type of herb to buy, the amount of herbs to buy, whether you want to order the plant or the seeds, how much space is needed for each plant, how much money you have to spend, and how much time you have to put into this project and take care of it. The second step is researching information on the type of plants you need. For example, you are interested in growing your own herbs for cooking and you want to grow them in the house all year long. You would then need to research different culinary herbs and their growth habits before you can decide if you have the space, lighting, or environment for them to survive inside your home especially during the winter months. There are certain herbs that can be difficult to keep alive in dry heat. I had a difficult time in my house keeping rosemary alive through the winter when I had all electric heat and only one window facing the south. What if you want to try your hand at growing your own medicine? There are many other factors to consider first before choosing your plants. Do you want to grow native herbs? You will then want to research native plants in your area and decide if you have the right location to grow them on your property. What do you want the medicine for? You will want to research different herbs so you have an assortment of herbs to work with different ailments. Do you want your culinary herbs to work as medicine as well? They do, but knowing how they benefit medicinally can help you to choose a good variety to have on hand.
The last step in the planning process is choosing your herbs and deciding where to purchase them. You will find many nurseries sending catalogs this time of year with beautiful colored pictures to entice your purchases. My advice to you is to research the companies as well. Consider what you expect out of your plants and your purchase. Do you expect a tiny transplant or a larger potted plant? Do you expect your plants to come pesticide free? You would be better off looking for an organic supplier. I do suggest sticking with organic herbs or trees if you are going to be using them internally in your cooking or as medicine. My favorite suppliers are Mulberry Creek Herbs in Huron, Ohio and Strictly Medicinal Seeds located in Southern Oregon or at www.strictlymedicinalseeds.com . I have been doing business with both of them for many years. I also order from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds and Seed Savers Catalog.
Once your plants are growing, you can research each plant’s medicinal uses, contraindications/interactions, parts used, best way to harvest them, the best way to preserve that medicine, and their recommended doses. There are many different places you can get that information. If you look on my events page, you will see that I teach different courses in herbalism and I will be offering more classes online before the year ends. So whether you are near or far, you can still learn from me. Other avenues are available online and throughout the country. Books and self-study are a fantastic way to learn at your own pace. I am currently working on my next project and book called, “Simple Training for the Modern-day Herbalist”. This is a practical guide to help the novice herbalist begin learning while providing beneficial advice along the way to simplify the learning process. Learning herbalism can be overwhelming with all of the different information available and different approaches used. Step by step is the best way to learn.
That’s it! That is the planning process, but what a fun and adventurous process it can be! You just might find out that herb growing is as exciting, inspiring, challenging, and rewarding as I do. Plus, you just might learn something from the plants themselves! Happy planning!