July 24, 2023
Source: Sow Right Seeds
Photo Source: Unsplash,
If you appreciate natural remedies and are looking for ways to grow your own herbs, we’ll help you get started with planning, planting, and growing a medicinal herb garden.
Starting your own medicinal herb garden is a great way to access the healing properties of plants right from your own backyard. Whether you have a green thumb or are a total beginner, this guide will walk you through everything you need to know to get started. We'll cover everything from choosing the right herbs to planting and maintaining your garden.
A Beginner’s Guide to Starting Your Own Medicinal Herb Garden
For thousands of years, herbs have been used for medicinal purposes. While we now have the technology to study why certain herbs help with specific conditions, ancient cultures just had their experience to go on. They used these herbs because they saw the benefits. Now scientific studies are catching up with their anecdotal experiences.
Please note: This is informational for growing purposes only. We’re not medical professionals but gardeners who love to grow.
Benefits of growing your own medicinal herbs
One of the most significant advantages of growing your own medicinal herbs is having control over the quality of the herbs you use in your remedies. You can ensure that your herbs are grown organically without any harmful chemicals or pesticides.
Growing your own medicinal herbs is also a sustainable way to provide you and your family with healing benefits without foraging. And in the case of some medicinal herbs like white sage, you will protect a threatened species from over-harvesting or poaching.
Another benefit of growing your own medicinal herbs is that it can save you money in the long run. Store-bought remedies can be expensive, and you may not always be sure of their quality or effectiveness. By growing your own herbs, you can make your remedies at a fraction of the cost.
Planning Your Medicinal Herb Garden
There are several things to consider when planning your medicinal herb garden. You’ll need to decide what to grow, where to plant, and how to grow and harvest your herbs.
What herbs do you want to grow?
First, when planning your medicinal herb garden, you will want to know which herbs are most useful. You can choose some of the most popular healing herbs or the most rare. It’s up to you which ones to plant. What you decide to grow will depend on what remedies you want to make and what your family will use.
Second, consider the location. How much space do you have? Will the herbs you want to grow work in your gardening zone, or will they need special attention? Do you want to grow in containers? Your location can determine what herbs to grow and how to grow them. You may choose to create a specific space for medicinal herbs. Or you can plant them with other flowers and herbs throughout your garden. There may be medicinal herbs you’re already growing because they’re beautiful flowers, such as yarrow, echinacea, and calendula.
After you’ve picked what to grow and where, you’ll need to check your seed packets to know which herbs are perennial and which are annuals. Many annuals will self-sow, and you can let them go to seed for a new crop in the spring. Some perennials will last for years and years, while others will need to be reseeded after several years as they become more woody and have less usable leaves and flowers.
Planning for reseeding or growing for many years can help you decide where to put your plants.
Then you will want to determine how much space each herb needs. Some issues on space to consider are: Will this herb shade out other plants? Does this herb spread? The answer to these questions will determine which plants to put together and which to separate.
Another thing to consider is what parts of the plant you will be using. For some plants, the roots are used for medicinal properties. So plan on digging them up when it’s time to harvest. Knowing you need to dig up roots will mean you may not want other plants too close to avoid disturbing them.
How can you introduce more (organic or natural) fresh vegetables and fruits into your diet? How could this impact the environment? How could a home garden contribute to your and your family's overall health?
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