Also known as pot marigold, calendula is one of those spectacular flowers that deserves a place in every backyard garden. It’s a truly multi-purpose plant and easy to grow. We carry two varieties Resina Calendula and Pacific Beauty Calendula.

1. Calendula makes an awesome healing salve for minor skin problems.
   To make salve you’ll need to begin by making infused oil. Start with dried calendula flowers, place them in a glass jar, and cover them with an oil of your choice like coconut or olive oil. Avoid fresh flowers as they can cause the oil to go rancid. Cover the jar with a lid and leave it on a sunny windowsill for 2 weeks, stirring occasionally. Alternatively, you can heat your oil and flowers in a double boiler to speed up the process but be careful not to fry the flowers! After they’ve infused, strain the oil and add it to a double boiler. Then, add grated beeswax and stir until its completely melted. How much beeswax you add will depend on how thick you want to make your salve. About 2 Tbs of beeswax to every 1/2 cup of oil will make a fairly firm salve. Pour into a container or tins and allow to cool and set up.
2. It’s edible!
   Calendula’s other nickname is “poor man’s saffron” because its flowers can be used in place of the more expensive spice. It can be used fresh or dried. Add it to salads, stews, and soups.
3. It can be used as a natural dye.
   Calendula flowers can be used to dye clothing, food, and Easter Eggs. It creates a beautiful brilliant yellow. To make dye, add fresh or dried calendula flowers to a pot and cover with water. Let soak overnight. Mash the flowers a bit and bring them to a boil. Simmer for 1 hour. Strain out the flowers and your dye is ready! To dye fabric or yarn you should mordent it before adding it to the dye.
4. Livestock can eat calendula too.
   Feeding calendula to your chickens is thought to help brighten their egg yolks.
5. Calendula flowers are great for adding to relaxing herbal baths.
   It has anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, and anti-fungal properties. It’s wonderfully soothing for mosquito bites, dry skin, or rashes.
6. It’s an excellent cut flower.
   Though it’s typically grown as a medicinal herb, calendula flowers are long-lasting and make a great addition to bouquets.
7. It might deter mosquitoes.
   Some folks find that calendula makes good bug repellent. Grow it around your porch or patio.
8. Calendula is a great choice for herbal teas.
   As I mentioned above it has anti-innflammatory, anti-microbial, and anti-fungal properties. It has been used to help soothe sore throats and coughs as well as treat headaches, cramps, and fever.
9. It’s a great companion plant.
   Calendula should be planted with asparagus, tomatoes, and cucumbers. It’s believed to help repel harmful nematodes and asparagus beetles.
10. It attracts pollinators.
    Calendula’s showy yellow blossoms are good for more than looking beautiful. The fall blooms help attract pollinators like bees and butterflies.

Do you grow calendula? What are your favorite things about this awesome herb?

Healthy, productive plants start with healthy soil. One way to look at soil health is through the soil food web. It’s similar to a food chain but it’s non-linear. For example, earthworms consume decaying plant material but plants also consume the nutrients in worm castings. In a food web, there’s back and forth. Plus, many organisms don’t rely on a single food source. A food web is made up of plants, animals, and all the organisms in the soil from visible insects and fungus to microscopic bacteria. A healthy soil food web is key to a healthy garden and ecosystem.

The soil food web can be looked at in trophic levels.

First Trophic Level

The first tropic level is made up of the primary producers that photosynthesize, using the sun’s energy to fix carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. These producers include plants, shrubs, trees, lichens, moss, photosynthetic bacteria, and algae.

Second Trophic Level

This level is made up of decomposers, mutualists, pathogens, parasites, and root feeders. These include nematodes, fungi, and bacteria.

Third Trophic Level

The third level is made up of shredders, predators, and grazers. Shredders include anthropods like earthworms, leaf-eating insects, and millipedes that break plant material down into smaller pieces. Third level predators include nematodes and some protozoa which feed on fungus and bacteria. Grazers are also composed of different types of protozoa.

Fourth Trophic Level

The fourth trophic level includes predatory anthropods and nematodes that eat other soil organisms. These include beneficial garden insects like predatory wasps and beetles.

Fifth & Higher Trophic Levels

These levels are made up of higher-level predators; birds and animals that consume other organisms.

Increasing Complexity

A complex and diverse food web is a healthy one. Here are some steps you can take to increase your soil food web’s complexity.

If you garden on a large plot, breaking it up can increase the number of anthropods present in your soil food web. This can be done through the use of permanent vegetative pathways (clover is great for this) or hedgerows within your garden.

Tilling is detrimental to protozoa and fungus and can create an unbalanced web. Using reduced or no-till methods can increase the diversity of helpful bacteria, fungus, and protozoa present in the soil.

Keeping soil covered can also increase fungal, bacteria, and insect life. This can be achieved through the use of cover crops and mulches.

Studies have shown that fields with 4-year crop rotations have more beneficial fungi and bacteria than those with 2-year rotations.

Pesticide use significantly decreases the number and diversity of a wide variety of soil organisms. Having healthy soil and therefore healthy plants can help prevent the need for pesticides in the first place.

Carbon Sequestration

A healthy soil food web is important to climate change mitigation. Plants take in atmospheric carbon in the form of carbon dioxide and add carbon to the soil. In a healthy ecosystem, it’s used in the soil by fungus and bacteria where it can remain for hundreds of years!

Water Quality

A soil food web also impacts water quality. Healthy soil food webs help create and maintain organic matter which helps to hold moisture and prevent erosion.

Getting good sleep is key to a happy life. For some folks, adding a cup of herbal tea to their evening routine can help them have a restful night. Try adding these herbs to your garden this spring to craft your own bedtime teas. Visit DiscoverMagazine to find out how cbd helps you sleep.

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Chamomile

Chamomile has a long history of being used as a sleep aid. The cheery white and yellow flowers contain a compound called apigenin which is believed to promote relaxation and sleep. Chamomile has a distinct apple-like flavor and fragrance.

To make chamomile tea you’ll want to collect the flowers. It’s best to harvest them in the morning just after the dew has dried. Pinch off the stem just below the flowers.

Use your chamomile fresh or dry it for later. Dry the flowers in a dehydrator on low or spread them on a screen somewhere warm and dry. To make tea with dried flowers bring your water to a boil and then steep 2-3 teaspoons for 10 minutes. Use 4 teaspoons if the flowers are fresh.

Skullcap

This Native American herb has been used for centuries to promote sleep, calm the nerves, and treating anxiety and depression. It’s thought that skullcap’s sedative properties come from its ability to stimulate gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), a neurotransmitter that helps calm nerves.

Skullcap is most effective when harvested in flower. Harvest the aerial parts of the plant, leaves, stem, and flowers. Dry in a dehydrator on a low setting or on a screen in a warm dry place.

To make skullcap tea, pour boiling water over 1 tablespoon of dry skullcap and let steep for 10 minutes. Start with one cup a day and increase of needed.

*Pregnant women and those suffering from liver disease should avoid taking skullcap.

Catnip

This member of the mint family isn’t just for felines! Catnip flowers and leaves contain the compound nepetalactone which has a mild sedative effect. It has been used to treat insomnia, anxiety, and headaches.

Like skullcap, it’s best to harvest catnip in flower. Clip the leaves and flowers and dry in a dehydrator on low or on a screen in a warm dry place.

Pour 1 cup of boiling water over 2 teaspoons of dried catnip and let steep for 10 minutes. Some people enjoy catnip tea best with a touch of lemon and honey.

Lavender

Lavender may be best known for its relaxing smell but it’s also a wonderful herbal tea. It’s commonly used to treat anxiety, stress headaches, depression, and insomnia. Some studies have shown that it boosts the production of dopamine, a hormone that helps you feel good.

To harvest, clip the lavender stems right after they begin to flower. Cut them about 2 inches above the woody base of the plant. Gather small bundles and hang upside down to dry.

You can make tea from fresh or dried lavender. Strip the buds from the stem by running your fingers down it. Boil about 1 cup of water and pour over 2 teaspoons of fresh lavender or 1/2 teaspoon of dry lavender.

Valerian

Some studies have shown valerian to be an effective tranquilizer and calmative. It has been used for centuries to help ease headaches, anxiety, and insomnia. Scientists think it works by increasing the levels of a chemical known as gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in your body which helps you to relax.

Valerian has tall sprays of small white flowers but it’s actually the roots you want for tea. To keep this perennial growing for years to come you should wait at least 1 year before harvesting. Then, divide the large plants in fall taking half of the roots. Wash the roots thoroughly and chop them into 1/2 to 1-inch pieces. Dry in a dehydrator or on a screen somewhere warm and dry.

To make tea, steep 1 teaspoon of dried roots in about 1 cup of hot water for 10-15 minutes. It’s recommended to drink your tear about 1 hour before bedtime for best results.

*Valerian can interfere with other prescriptions. Consult your doctor.

St. John’s Wort

St. John’s Wort is believed to help with insomnia and depression. Scientists think it works by elevating the levels of the chemical serotonin in the brain. Serotonin helps balance your emotions and boost your mood.

Harvest the flowers and buds of St. John’s Wort when it’s in bloom. Dry them on low in a dehydrator or on a screen in a warm, dry place.

Tea can be made from fresh or dried St. John’s Wort. Steep 3 teaspoons of fresh flowers in about 1 cup of hot water for 4 minutes or steep 2 teaspoons of dried flowers in water for about 10 minutes.

Lemon Balm

A member of the mint family, lemon balm is thought to promote sleep by increasing the levels of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in your body, helping you relax. It has been used historically to relieve anxiety and insomnia.

Lemon balm is a hardy perennial that can be harvested for fresh use throughout the growing season. Cut and use the stems, leaves, and/or flowers. Dry lemon balm for later us by cutting stems off about 2/3 of the way down and tying them in bundles. Hang the bundles upside down in a warm, dry place. You can also lay them flat in a dehydrator to speed up the process.

To make tea, steep about 2 teaspoons of dried lemon balm or a loose handful of fresh lemon balm in about 1 cup of hot water for 10 minutes.

**We’re not doctors. Consult a physician before treating any ailment. Always start with a small dose of unfamiliar herbs to make sure you’re not allergic.**

You can find growing information for these herbs under the individual plant listings, just click the link on the plant’s name.

Try growing a few of these herbs this summer and making your own bedtime teas. Many of these herbs are great when blended. Let us know what your favorite tea mix includes!