Home Medicine Gardening
Step 1 – Observe your space
Where is there sunlight, moisture, shade?
What’s growing there now?
How clean is the soil? Is there unclean soil, where?
Where is the soil rich?
Step 2 – Visioning
Close your eyes and envision your garden
How does it feel? How does it look?
Are you planning for one year, or for longer-term?
I like to get to know the plants before I decide where things will go long-term
Are you planting trees or shrubs? Will you do guilds?
Will you be inter-planting with food crops? If so, will you be companion planting?
What are the elements that are most important to you?
Function
Aesthetic
Maximizing space for variety or for abundance
The feeling you get in the garden (energized, calm, wild, etc)
How will you harvest?
Will there be space within beds?
Who will use the beds- children, older folks?
What kinds of bed and paths will it have? Raised? Rectangular? Curved?
What herbs do you like to use? How?
Herbs for tea, cooking, tincture, oils, etc?
Using fresh or drying?
Themed garden ideas- women’s health, digestive health, nervous system health, immune health, medicinal foods, lung health, pollinator-friendly, wild or “tame”
Aesthetic factors- colors of flowers and leaves, height of plants
Where will plants go based on color, height, function, shade, soil, water?
Permaculture Principles- Permaculture means “permanent (agri)culture”- Using permaculture means designing a perennial agriculture ecosystem that mimics the structures and relationships found in the natural world. Water and soil are key elements of permaculture design.
Choosing Plants
My top 15 herbs to grow at home
1 Holy Basil (“Tulsi”)- pollinator-friendly
2 Lemon Balm- pollinator-friendly
3 Calendula- pollinator-friendly
4 Comfrey- pollinator-friendly, green mulch and compost builder
5 Yarrow- native prairie, pollinator-friendly
6 Monarda- native prairie, pollinator-friendly
7 Anise Hyssop- native prairie pollinator-friendly
8 Catnip- pollinator-friendly
9 Echinacea- native prairie, pollinator-friendly
10 St John’s Wort
11 Marshmallow
12 Chamomile
13 Sweet Basil
14 Oat Straw and Milky Seed
15 Skullcap
What’s not on the list:
Dandelion and Burdock, Red Clover, Nettles, Elderberries- you don’t need to plant it, go out and find it!
Step 3 – Mapping on paper
Draw a map with various regions and beds. Is your drawing specific or general?
Compare your drawing with your space. Bring your drawing physically to your space and look at them both together.
Repeat Step 1: Observe. With your map.
Repeat Step 2: Vision. With your map.
Repeat Step 3: Mapping on Paper. Make changes to your map or draw a new one.
Continue until you feel good about what you have on your map. This is your Guide. When you go out there with seedlings in hand, it may all change! Go with what you feel.
Step 4 – Seedlings
How many of each plant do you need?
How will you acquire the plants?
Start from seed or get seedlings?
Most herbs do best if started indoors. For annuals, you will want to start them fairly early (March or April), to maximize yield. Perennials can be started later (April thru early May) if you plan to harvest less in their first year, allowing them to develop their root systems.
Starting from seed indoors
Use a soil mix of half potting soil, half rotted compost.
Place seeds on surface of soil. Most seeds get covered with a little soil. Follow the specific directions on the seed packet. Most seeds germinate in warmer soil (natives may want it cooler) and want to be at 65-70 degrees with lots of sunlight while indoors. Keep in pots for 8-12 weeks.
Harden seedling off by leaving them outside in the shade for a few hours one day, 8 hours the next and let them overnight on the third.
Harden off when the temp warms up and care for them outside until they are ready to go in the ground. The plants will not like to be exposed to a frost while they are adjusting to the outdoors (remember, they’ve been in 60-70 degrees).
Gardening by the Moon is using the power of the moon in its’ phases and signs to maximize the growth of specific parts of the plants. This means using a planting calendar to choose favorable days to plant, harvest, cultivate, etc.
Sourcing Seedlings:
Friends School Plant Sale- Mother’s Day weekend at MN State Fair
Mother Earth Gardens- Minneapolis
Step 5 – Prepping the garden
Start with a clean plot!
I like to kill grass and weeds by covering an area with cardboard or roofing tin for a full year or at least ½ of the growing season. It has to get hot enough to kill the grass roots. Then, I put annuals in that area the next season, followed by perennials later in the summer, in the fall or the next spring.
When working the garden in the spring, make sure the soil is dry enough. Working wet soil disturbs the micro biome of the soil. If you can squeeze the soil and it breaks apart, then it can be worked. If it’s too wet to work and you want to pull weeds or put in some seeds, you can place boards over the soil that you will walk on to protect the biome.
Compost can be applied at the beginning and/or end of the season. Apply fully-rotted compost in the spring.
Step 6 – Transplanting or direct seeding
Transplanting
Make sure to harden the seedlings of. Perennials can withstand a little frost.
If the plant is root-bound you will want to gently free up the roots. Try to disturb the plant and roots as little as possible. Transplant when the soil is warm (60-70s; perennials will care less about the temp of the soil) and on overcast day, to prevent them from burning. Water them in really well. Continue to water ever 2-3 days depending on how sunny and warm the weather is.
Perennials can be transplanted later than annuals, up until late June. Make sure they are well mulched and get plenty of water for the first week. These plants will yield less, but they will have strong enough root systems for the following year. You can encourage root growth by cutting back flowering stalks.
Direct Seeding
Some seeds can be scattered on the soil in the late fall or early spring, simulating how they self-sow. Seeds that are directly sown need to be kept moist by frequent watering and/or covering with reemay, burlap, a light cloth.
Step 7 – Maintenance
Mulch is helpful in a low-maintenance, energy and water efficient garden. The best mulch is free, up-cycled mulch. I use lots of cardboard, especially on garden edges. You can also use paper, which composts more quickly and can be shredded. Of course, nothing beats hay, straw and burlap for space in between plants and paths. In the city hay and straw are hard to come by, but burlap can be acquired from you local coffee roaster.
Water the plants in the morning or evening. Avoid the middle of the day, because the water on the leaves can cause burns from magnified light and there will be less evaporation in early or late hours. They need an inch of water every 7-10 days.
Weeding is really hard for me. Weeds are my favorite greens to eat; and I love a garden that’s green!
I weed my garden only when I need to. When I need space to put my plants in, I pull the weeds and eat or compost them, recycling those nutrients.
If you mulch your garden you will have much less weeding to do!
Organic gardening is best for plants, animals, pollinators and ecosystems. One great plus of incorporating herbs into your food garden is that many herbs keep other pests away! Herbs are great companion plants.
Biodynamic farmers make preparations from fermented manure, minerals and herbs which are used to help restore and harmonize the vital life forces of the farm and to enhance the nutrition, quality and flavor of the food being raised. Biodynamic practitioners also recognize and strive to work in cooperation with the subtle influences of the wider cosmos on soil, plant and animal health.
Step 8 – Harvest medicine
~Harvest above ground parts after the dew burns off in the morning. Avoid harvesting on really hot days, as the essential oil content diminishes in the heat (morning would be best on these days).
~Harvest flowers soon after opening, to assure that they are full of nectar. You don’t want browning flowers.
~For seeds, harvest when the seed pod changes color.
~For roots dig in early spring or late fall. The plants put their energy into the roots. And here, in the north, the starch is converted to sugars, making the roots sweeter.
~Stop harvesting perennials by September, but annuals can be harvested until first frost or longer.
Step 9 – Preserving the harvest
Drying in paper bags, on screens or food dehydrator
Tincture with Alcohol, Glycerine
Infused Vinegar, Honey, Oil
Step 10 – Putting the beds to rest
After you harvest all your plants there are several things you can do to put your bed to rest. You don’t have to do any of these things.
If it’s before October, you can cover crop the garden with Oats, Rye, Buckwheat, etc. This will give your garden green, organic matter when it gets turned in. It will also keep the soil light with airflow and it will hold the soil in place.
It is a great idea to put compost on your garden at the beginning and/or end of the season. If it’s the end of the season, the compost can be unfinished (~75%). It will continue to rot in the fall and spring.
Dried leaves are full of nutrients. Putting leaves onto the garden in the fall is a great way to nourish the garden. You can put hay/straw over the leaves and/or compost.
You can also scatter seeds for spring!
And enjoy your herbal creations.
Plant Bios
Annual
Arnica (Montana or Chamissonis)- External only (bruising of tissue and bone)
Basil- medicinal food, digestive, headaches
Borage- medicinal food, women’s health, stress relief
Calendula- digestive, skin and mucus membranes
California Poppy*- Nervous system, pain relief, stress relief
Cayenne- Circulation and Heart health, winter health, pain relief, lungs, ENT, medicinal food
Chamomile, German and Roman- Nervous system support, digestive support
Cilantro- heavy metal detox, digestive support
Dill- digestive
Epazote- anti-parasite, anti-flatulence (related to beans)
Fennel- digestive, food medicine
Feverfew- for headaches, food medicine
Garlic- anti-microbial
Lemongrass- digestive support, anti-inflammatory
Lemon Verbena- digestive and mild sleep-inducing
Oatstraw and Milky Seed- nervous system, mineral rich, reproductive systems
Parsley- mineral-rich, digestive
Sweet Annie- anti-parasite
Tulsi Holy Basil- adaptogenic, digestive
Biennial
Burdock- medicinal food, liver, tonic, digestive
Valerian- nervous system tonic and sedative, reduces anxiety, anti-depressant
Teasel- analgesic, anti-inflammatory, Lyme support
Perennial
Anise Hyssop- digestive, winter illness, nervous system support, respiratory support
Astragulus- immune system, winter illness, tonic
Boneset- immune system, bone health
Comfrey- healing tissues (bones, skin, mucus membranes), mineral rich
Catnip- children’s health, winter illness, pain & stress relief, digestive, nervous system
Dandelion- mineral and nutrient rich, liver support
Echinacea-immune stimulant, blood purifier
Elderflower and Berry- immune system, anti-viral
Ginger- circulation, digestive health, warming
Hops- calm the nervous system, digestive support
Horseraddish- digestive, anti-microbial, clearing mucus
Gotu Kola- skin, memory, anti-oxidants
Lavender- nervous system, digestive support
Lemon Balm- nervous system health, mineral rich, anti-viral
Lovage- winter illness, respiratory support
Marshmallow- healing mucous membranes, anti-inflammatory, respiratory support
Monarda- anti-microbial, cooling
Motherwort- strengthening and tonifying the heart and circulatory system, digestive, women’s health
Mugwort- digestive, women’s health, dream-inducing herb
Nettle- tonic to whole body, nutrient rich (chlorophyll, vitamins, minerals, micronutrients, protein), liver and kidney health
Peppermint- digestive, cooling, winter illness, muscular system, respiratory,
Red Clover- women’s health, mineral-rich, winter illness, immune support
Skullcap- nervous system tonic, sedative, pain relief
Sorrel- digestive, mineral-rich, food medicine, vitamin C rich
Spearmint- digestive, women’s children’s health, respiratory system, pain relief
St Joan’s Wort- anti-depressant, immune support, muscles, skin
Turmeric- anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, anti-microbial, wound-healing
Wormwood- anti-parasite, women’s health, spiritual herb (contains neuro-toxins; use with supervision)
Yarrow- anti-microbial, women and children’s health, winter illness, throat skin, first aid herb, clots blood
Trees
Hawthorne- Leaf, flower and berry- cardiovascular and nervous system support, tonic, lower blood pressure and cholesterol
Linden- Leaf and flower- calming, nervous system tonic, heart health
Ginkgo- Leaf and nut- increase circulation, anti-oxidant-rich, nervous system support
My Favorite Weeds
Chickweed
Lamb’s Quarter
Purslane
Red Clover
Oxalis (aka “Wood Sorrel”)
Mallow
Plantain
Dandelion
Pig Weed (Wild Amaranth)
Resources
Books:
Herbal Healing by Gladstar, Rosemary
The Herbal Medicine-Maker's Handbook: A Home Manual by Green, James
The Organic Medicinal Herb Farmer by Carpenter, Melanie and Jeff
The Medicinal Herb Growers: A Guide for Cultivating Plants that Heal by Cech, Richo
Making Plant Medicine by Cech, Richo
Growing 101 Plants that Heal by Hartung, Tammi
Homegrown Herbs: A complete guide to Growing, Using and Enjoying more than 100 Herbs by Hartung, Tammi
Astrological Gardening by Riotte, Louise
Where is there sunlight, moisture, shade?
What’s growing there now?
How clean is the soil? Is there unclean soil, where?
Where is the soil rich?
Step 2 – Visioning
Close your eyes and envision your garden
How does it feel? How does it look?
Are you planning for one year, or for longer-term?
I like to get to know the plants before I decide where things will go long-term
Are you planting trees or shrubs? Will you do guilds?
Will you be inter-planting with food crops? If so, will you be companion planting?
What are the elements that are most important to you?
Function
Aesthetic
Maximizing space for variety or for abundance
The feeling you get in the garden (energized, calm, wild, etc)
How will you harvest?
Will there be space within beds?
Who will use the beds- children, older folks?
What kinds of bed and paths will it have? Raised? Rectangular? Curved?
What herbs do you like to use? How?
Herbs for tea, cooking, tincture, oils, etc?
Using fresh or drying?
Themed garden ideas- women’s health, digestive health, nervous system health, immune health, medicinal foods, lung health, pollinator-friendly, wild or “tame”
Aesthetic factors- colors of flowers and leaves, height of plants
Where will plants go based on color, height, function, shade, soil, water?
Permaculture Principles- Permaculture means “permanent (agri)culture”- Using permaculture means designing a perennial agriculture ecosystem that mimics the structures and relationships found in the natural world. Water and soil are key elements of permaculture design.
Choosing Plants
My top 15 herbs to grow at home
1 Holy Basil (“Tulsi”)- pollinator-friendly
2 Lemon Balm- pollinator-friendly
3 Calendula- pollinator-friendly
4 Comfrey- pollinator-friendly, green mulch and compost builder
5 Yarrow- native prairie, pollinator-friendly
6 Monarda- native prairie, pollinator-friendly
7 Anise Hyssop- native prairie pollinator-friendly
8 Catnip- pollinator-friendly
9 Echinacea- native prairie, pollinator-friendly
10 St John’s Wort
11 Marshmallow
12 Chamomile
13 Sweet Basil
14 Oat Straw and Milky Seed
15 Skullcap
What’s not on the list:
Dandelion and Burdock, Red Clover, Nettles, Elderberries- you don’t need to plant it, go out and find it!
Step 3 – Mapping on paper
Draw a map with various regions and beds. Is your drawing specific or general?
Compare your drawing with your space. Bring your drawing physically to your space and look at them both together.
Repeat Step 1: Observe. With your map.
Repeat Step 2: Vision. With your map.
Repeat Step 3: Mapping on Paper. Make changes to your map or draw a new one.
Continue until you feel good about what you have on your map. This is your Guide. When you go out there with seedlings in hand, it may all change! Go with what you feel.
Step 4 – Seedlings
How many of each plant do you need?
How will you acquire the plants?
Start from seed or get seedlings?
Most herbs do best if started indoors. For annuals, you will want to start them fairly early (March or April), to maximize yield. Perennials can be started later (April thru early May) if you plan to harvest less in their first year, allowing them to develop their root systems.
Starting from seed indoors
Use a soil mix of half potting soil, half rotted compost.
Place seeds on surface of soil. Most seeds get covered with a little soil. Follow the specific directions on the seed packet. Most seeds germinate in warmer soil (natives may want it cooler) and want to be at 65-70 degrees with lots of sunlight while indoors. Keep in pots for 8-12 weeks.
Harden seedling off by leaving them outside in the shade for a few hours one day, 8 hours the next and let them overnight on the third.
Harden off when the temp warms up and care for them outside until they are ready to go in the ground. The plants will not like to be exposed to a frost while they are adjusting to the outdoors (remember, they’ve been in 60-70 degrees).
Gardening by the Moon is using the power of the moon in its’ phases and signs to maximize the growth of specific parts of the plants. This means using a planting calendar to choose favorable days to plant, harvest, cultivate, etc.
Sourcing Seedlings:
Friends School Plant Sale- Mother’s Day weekend at MN State Fair
Mother Earth Gardens- Minneapolis
Step 5 – Prepping the garden
Start with a clean plot!
I like to kill grass and weeds by covering an area with cardboard or roofing tin for a full year or at least ½ of the growing season. It has to get hot enough to kill the grass roots. Then, I put annuals in that area the next season, followed by perennials later in the summer, in the fall or the next spring.
When working the garden in the spring, make sure the soil is dry enough. Working wet soil disturbs the micro biome of the soil. If you can squeeze the soil and it breaks apart, then it can be worked. If it’s too wet to work and you want to pull weeds or put in some seeds, you can place boards over the soil that you will walk on to protect the biome.
Compost can be applied at the beginning and/or end of the season. Apply fully-rotted compost in the spring.
Step 6 – Transplanting or direct seeding
Transplanting
Make sure to harden the seedlings of. Perennials can withstand a little frost.
If the plant is root-bound you will want to gently free up the roots. Try to disturb the plant and roots as little as possible. Transplant when the soil is warm (60-70s; perennials will care less about the temp of the soil) and on overcast day, to prevent them from burning. Water them in really well. Continue to water ever 2-3 days depending on how sunny and warm the weather is.
Perennials can be transplanted later than annuals, up until late June. Make sure they are well mulched and get plenty of water for the first week. These plants will yield less, but they will have strong enough root systems for the following year. You can encourage root growth by cutting back flowering stalks.
Direct Seeding
Some seeds can be scattered on the soil in the late fall or early spring, simulating how they self-sow. Seeds that are directly sown need to be kept moist by frequent watering and/or covering with reemay, burlap, a light cloth.
Step 7 – Maintenance
Mulch is helpful in a low-maintenance, energy and water efficient garden. The best mulch is free, up-cycled mulch. I use lots of cardboard, especially on garden edges. You can also use paper, which composts more quickly and can be shredded. Of course, nothing beats hay, straw and burlap for space in between plants and paths. In the city hay and straw are hard to come by, but burlap can be acquired from you local coffee roaster.
Water the plants in the morning or evening. Avoid the middle of the day, because the water on the leaves can cause burns from magnified light and there will be less evaporation in early or late hours. They need an inch of water every 7-10 days.
Weeding is really hard for me. Weeds are my favorite greens to eat; and I love a garden that’s green!
I weed my garden only when I need to. When I need space to put my plants in, I pull the weeds and eat or compost them, recycling those nutrients.
If you mulch your garden you will have much less weeding to do!
Organic gardening is best for plants, animals, pollinators and ecosystems. One great plus of incorporating herbs into your food garden is that many herbs keep other pests away! Herbs are great companion plants.
Biodynamic farmers make preparations from fermented manure, minerals and herbs which are used to help restore and harmonize the vital life forces of the farm and to enhance the nutrition, quality and flavor of the food being raised. Biodynamic practitioners also recognize and strive to work in cooperation with the subtle influences of the wider cosmos on soil, plant and animal health.
Step 8 – Harvest medicine
~Harvest above ground parts after the dew burns off in the morning. Avoid harvesting on really hot days, as the essential oil content diminishes in the heat (morning would be best on these days).
~Harvest flowers soon after opening, to assure that they are full of nectar. You don’t want browning flowers.
~For seeds, harvest when the seed pod changes color.
~For roots dig in early spring or late fall. The plants put their energy into the roots. And here, in the north, the starch is converted to sugars, making the roots sweeter.
~Stop harvesting perennials by September, but annuals can be harvested until first frost or longer.
Step 9 – Preserving the harvest
Drying in paper bags, on screens or food dehydrator
Tincture with Alcohol, Glycerine
Infused Vinegar, Honey, Oil
Step 10 – Putting the beds to rest
After you harvest all your plants there are several things you can do to put your bed to rest. You don’t have to do any of these things.
If it’s before October, you can cover crop the garden with Oats, Rye, Buckwheat, etc. This will give your garden green, organic matter when it gets turned in. It will also keep the soil light with airflow and it will hold the soil in place.
It is a great idea to put compost on your garden at the beginning and/or end of the season. If it’s the end of the season, the compost can be unfinished (~75%). It will continue to rot in the fall and spring.
Dried leaves are full of nutrients. Putting leaves onto the garden in the fall is a great way to nourish the garden. You can put hay/straw over the leaves and/or compost.
You can also scatter seeds for spring!
And enjoy your herbal creations.
Plant Bios
Annual
Arnica (Montana or Chamissonis)- External only (bruising of tissue and bone)
Basil- medicinal food, digestive, headaches
Borage- medicinal food, women’s health, stress relief
Calendula- digestive, skin and mucus membranes
California Poppy*- Nervous system, pain relief, stress relief
Cayenne- Circulation and Heart health, winter health, pain relief, lungs, ENT, medicinal food
Chamomile, German and Roman- Nervous system support, digestive support
Cilantro- heavy metal detox, digestive support
Dill- digestive
Epazote- anti-parasite, anti-flatulence (related to beans)
Fennel- digestive, food medicine
Feverfew- for headaches, food medicine
Garlic- anti-microbial
Lemongrass- digestive support, anti-inflammatory
Lemon Verbena- digestive and mild sleep-inducing
Oatstraw and Milky Seed- nervous system, mineral rich, reproductive systems
Parsley- mineral-rich, digestive
Sweet Annie- anti-parasite
Tulsi Holy Basil- adaptogenic, digestive
Biennial
Burdock- medicinal food, liver, tonic, digestive
Valerian- nervous system tonic and sedative, reduces anxiety, anti-depressant
Teasel- analgesic, anti-inflammatory, Lyme support
Perennial
Anise Hyssop- digestive, winter illness, nervous system support, respiratory support
Astragulus- immune system, winter illness, tonic
Boneset- immune system, bone health
Comfrey- healing tissues (bones, skin, mucus membranes), mineral rich
Catnip- children’s health, winter illness, pain & stress relief, digestive, nervous system
Dandelion- mineral and nutrient rich, liver support
Echinacea-immune stimulant, blood purifier
Elderflower and Berry- immune system, anti-viral
Ginger- circulation, digestive health, warming
Hops- calm the nervous system, digestive support
Horseraddish- digestive, anti-microbial, clearing mucus
Gotu Kola- skin, memory, anti-oxidants
Lavender- nervous system, digestive support
Lemon Balm- nervous system health, mineral rich, anti-viral
Lovage- winter illness, respiratory support
Marshmallow- healing mucous membranes, anti-inflammatory, respiratory support
Monarda- anti-microbial, cooling
Motherwort- strengthening and tonifying the heart and circulatory system, digestive, women’s health
Mugwort- digestive, women’s health, dream-inducing herb
Nettle- tonic to whole body, nutrient rich (chlorophyll, vitamins, minerals, micronutrients, protein), liver and kidney health
Peppermint- digestive, cooling, winter illness, muscular system, respiratory,
Red Clover- women’s health, mineral-rich, winter illness, immune support
Skullcap- nervous system tonic, sedative, pain relief
Sorrel- digestive, mineral-rich, food medicine, vitamin C rich
Spearmint- digestive, women’s children’s health, respiratory system, pain relief
St Joan’s Wort- anti-depressant, immune support, muscles, skin
Turmeric- anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, anti-microbial, wound-healing
Wormwood- anti-parasite, women’s health, spiritual herb (contains neuro-toxins; use with supervision)
Yarrow- anti-microbial, women and children’s health, winter illness, throat skin, first aid herb, clots blood
Trees
Hawthorne- Leaf, flower and berry- cardiovascular and nervous system support, tonic, lower blood pressure and cholesterol
Linden- Leaf and flower- calming, nervous system tonic, heart health
Ginkgo- Leaf and nut- increase circulation, anti-oxidant-rich, nervous system support
My Favorite Weeds
Chickweed
Lamb’s Quarter
Purslane
Red Clover
Oxalis (aka “Wood Sorrel”)
Mallow
Plantain
Dandelion
Pig Weed (Wild Amaranth)
Resources
Books:
Herbal Healing by Gladstar, Rosemary
The Herbal Medicine-Maker's Handbook: A Home Manual by Green, James
The Organic Medicinal Herb Farmer by Carpenter, Melanie and Jeff
The Medicinal Herb Growers: A Guide for Cultivating Plants that Heal by Cech, Richo
Making Plant Medicine by Cech, Richo
Growing 101 Plants that Heal by Hartung, Tammi
Homegrown Herbs: A complete guide to Growing, Using and Enjoying more than 100 Herbs by Hartung, Tammi
Astrological Gardening by Riotte, Louise
