5 Herbs to Grow…and Why You Should

I didn’t grow up gardening and certainly never pictured myself gardening. My dad grew carrots one year in our flower bed in town, but that was about the extent of my experience with gardening. Then I got married, and my husband and I had this crazy dream of living in the country with animals and a garden. Shortly after that, I started my studies in herbalism. I knew that growing our medicinal herbs was the way to go. 

Why Grow Your Herbs? 

1) They Will Be Extremely Fresh 

You can’t get fresher than picking a handful of lemon balm leaves for tea. You can walk with a teacup of hot water to your plant, slightly crush the leaves, and drop them in your tea. 

2) You Can Ensure They Are Organic 

You care for the plant, so you know exactly how it is grown. At the same time, many herb stores are certified organic and are great herb stores; growing your own puts you in control. 

3) You Begin to Know Your Herbs and How They Can Help You 

Seeing the plant from the beginning helps you to know your herb and connect with its medicinal benefits on a different level. Knowing that you can grow your own medicine gives you a sense of empowerment. 

4) It’s a Great Way to Get Your Children Involved in Learning About Herbs and How They Can Help Us 

Many of us grew up not understanding how to use herbs for cooking, but nevertheless as medicine. This has caused many generations of herbal knowledge to be lost. By introducing your children to herbs young, they can grow up knowing how to use herbs (and even introductory botany), and herbal knowledge can be passed down from generation to generation again. 

What Herbs Should I Grow? 

Please keep it simple. It is better to grow one plant well than to try to grow ten herbs that are not thriving. 

Choose herbs that you use regularly. If you never use Feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium), don’t grow it. I have included my first five herbs I would grow if I were starting. 

Find out what herbs grow naturally in your area and work on foraging those. Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) and Nettle (Urtica dioica) grow abundantly here, so I don’t need to grow those. 

Without further ado… 

5 Herbs to Grow 

1) Lemon balm (Melissa Officinalis) 

Oh, how I love this herb, and my children love it. It is a beautiful antiviral and nervine herb that is wonderful for anxiety. It is straightforward to grow. 

2) Peppermint (Mentha Piperita) 

This is great in tea for upset tummies and helps with digestion. My husband loves Peppermint tea, which is safe for sipping during the first trimester. For those worried about drinking Peppermint during lactation, you would need to drink quite a bit for your milk to dry up, so a cup of Peppermint tea is nothing to worry about. 

3) Rosemary (Rosmarinus Officinalis) 

This is great for both culinary and medicinal purposes. I use Rosemary in my apple cider vinegar hair rinse, in my Green Power salve, and infuse it in oils for muscle rubs. It helps stimulate blood flow and is antimicrobial. However, it is not for internal use during pregnancy. 

4) Lavender (Lavendula Angustifolia) 

Known for its relaxing properties, Lavender is a beautiful herb to grow. It can be used in teas to help with headaches and salves/ointments to soothe acne and irritation. I add it to my postpartum bath blends and perineal rinses. 

5) Calendula (Calendula Officinalis) 

This is just a plant of sunshine! I have two of these plants in my kitchen garden box right now.  You can add the blooms to salads (it adds just a slight spice) but Calendula shines on its external uses. Salves, ointments, herbal baths, perineal rinses, dry skin, irritated skin, bug bites…. The list goes on and on. I often find myself having to order because I can’t grow enough. In my herb kits, Calendula makes its appearance very often. Not for internal use during pregnancy. 

Want to add to your herbal medicine cabinet? Here are some of the top things I would add: 

• Relax & Unwind Tea is a great way to start experiencing the excellent benefits of herbs. It also contains lemon balm and lavender. 

• All-Purpose Salve is a must…. It helps with all the boo-boos, burns, scraps, and cuts. Honestly, I feel like I use it for everything. This one has Lavender and Calendula in it, along with several others. 

• Pain Relief Rub is great because we all have aches and pains at times, and this rub helps with that. Rosemary is a staple in this one. 

• Liver Love is a must for keeping the liver working efficiently. Did you realize that liver health affects the rest of your body and that the liver works like a well-oiled machine? Peppermint and Dandelion are staples here. 

• Feel Better Fast is another I highly recommend. It helps with so much and is packed with herbs like fennel, cinnamon, echinacea, and elderflower. 

• Nourish Me Naturally is always a hit because its vitamins are in a clean form with no junk. This one has herbs like nettle and dandelion, which can be foraged.   

Additional Reading: 

Tips for Making an Herb Garden – The Herbal Academy 

Designing an Herb Garden – The Herbal Academy 

Now I Want to Hear from You…. What Herbs Do You Grow?