Tag Archives: herb garden

Wellness Simplified! Herbalism From The Ground Up

We’re so excited to be able to carry one of our neighbor’s books! Krista and Skyler Rahm of Forrest Green Farm in Louisa County, Virginia, have just published Wellness Simplified! Herbalism From the Ground Up. Krista and Skyler designed this straightforward guide to help you connect with nature and learn to grow and use herbs in your everyday life. 

For context, I’m one of SESE’s writers and social media managers, and I had the pleasure of perusing a copy over the last week. Digging into herbalism can be tough and intimidating. I’ve dabbled in herbalism for several years and have read my fair share of herb books. Krista and Skyler have done and an incredible job of pulling together usable information in an easy-to-understand format for Wellness Simplified!. 

Gardening Basics

If you’ve read this blog often, you’ll know I believe that a productive garden starts with the soil. Krista and Skyler share my sentiments stating, “success in your garden relies on a healthy soil diet!” They’ve followed this up with crucial information about soil amendments, nutrients, and composting without sounding like a science textbook.

This first section provides several other essential gardening basics that we’re big fans of here on the SESE blog. Krista and Skyler cover the fundamentals of seed starting, transplanting, beneficial insects, companion planting, pest management, and even vermicomposting!

Herbal Preparations

From there, they delve right into harvesting and preserving herbs and recipes for herbal preparations. When you’re new to herbalism, understanding when to use different herbal preparations and even what they are can be challenging. I found this section especially helpful. 

The internet is full of herbal recipes. Bloggers will provide you with recipes for tinctures, elixirs, glycerites, and infusions, but unless you’ve taken an herbalism course, how do you know what those are, let alone how to use them appropriately. While a course may be great for those who can make the financial and time commitment, having a go-to guide on hand makes herbalism more accessible.

Krista and Skyler also provide an informative section on formulating, guiding you to go further than following others’ recipes on your herbalism journey. They’ve included a list of things to consider, like family history, dieting and eating habits, emotional feelings, and more, plus a step-by-step guide to creating a formula.

Wellness Simplified! Hibiscus Plant Profile (Photo from Forrest Green Farm)

Plant Profiles

Many herbal books offer “plant profiles,” a quick overview and historical use of herbs with no practical information. History is fun and sometimes contains valuable lessons, but it isn’t what I’m looking for in a modern herbal. Knowing that folks used fennel to ward off evil spirits in the past is great, but I want to know what I can use it for today.

The profiles in Wellness Simplified! offer the information you need to incorporate each herb into your practice. Learn how to identify, grow, harvest, and use 127 herbs from the humble lemon balm to the tropical moringa. The index in the back of the book will even help you locate plants by the problem they can treat. For example, search the index for dandruff and be taken to the page for Oregon grape!

Wellness Simplified! will be a great reference on my shelf for years to come. It’s packed with clear-cut, step-by-step information that you need to grow and use herbs. Grab the book here on the SESE shop, and check out Forrest Green Farm

Getting Started with Herbalism

Herbalism can seem like a beautiful way to connect with nature and work on your wellness, but it can also be daunting and mysterious. How do people become herbalists? Where do you go to learn to grow and use herbs? Getting started with herbalism can feel overwhelming, but there are plenty of free ways you can get started with herbalism this summer. 

Here are some of my favorite herbal resources for growing herbs, preserving herbs, crafting herbal teas and tinctures, and everything in between.

A reminder that we’re not medical professionals, and none of this information is meant to diagnose or treat a medical condition.

Read, read, read.

There are so many cheap or free resources to help you get started learning about herbalism. I highly recommend reading as much as you can before investing in a class. Blogs, articles, and books are a great way to find information about growing and using herbs. Here are some of our articles on herbalism and our favorite books and other resources.

SESE Blogs
Blogs
Books
Free Materials

You may also want to check in with your local library! They probably already have or can get local field guides and books on herbalism, foraging, and wildcrafting through interlibrary loans. herb garden (herbalism)

Start an herb garden.

The best way to learn about plants is to grow them. Check out our article, Beginners Medicine Garden. Start your medicinal herb garden with helpful herbs like lemon balm, garlic, chamomile, calendula, and echinacea. Growing these and other plants will allow you to experiment with them as you learn and grow. 

Take a class.

Classes are great for several reasons. They often go more in-depth about actually putting your herbs to use. They also allow you to connect with teachers and other budding herbalists. Additionally, they can offer a sense of accountability on your learning journey. You can’t just keep putting off reading that chapter if you’re working through a scheduled class. 

A quick note about herbalism courses: be aware that there is no federal or state-recognized herbal certification in the United States. Having certificates from different schools or courses can aid you on your herbal journey, but you don’t need to be a certified or master herbalist to practice herbalism. Nor does one of these certificates qualify you to give medical advice.

Free options
  • Handcrafted Herbalism Mini-Course from The Chestnut School of Herbal Medicine
  • Micheal Moore’s Online Lectures
Other classes, workshops, and apprenticeships
  • Online Herbal Immersion Program from The Chestnut School of Herbal Medicine (check their others too)
  • The Indigi Golden Herbal Academy 12 Month Herbal Apprenticeship for Indigenous and Indigenous Reclaiming BBIPOC Folx
  • Introductory Herbal Course from The Herbal Academy

Be careful about social media.

Social media can be a wonderful place to learn more about herbalism and get inspired by others’ gardens, recipes, and projects. However, it can also have some negative impacts. 

First, know that not everyone is careful about the information they share. Always double-check that plants and recipes are safe with a trusted before using them on yourselves or others.

Also, be aware of the human tendency to compare ourselves to others. There are some absolutely stunning herbal Instagram accounts, but know that aesthetics aren’t the most important thing about herbalism. Your garden doesn’t have to be a perfect, weed-free spiral, your teas and tinctures don’t need to be in the cutest mugs and containers, and you don’t have to have a space in your home solely dedicated to your herbal practice. It’s fine to be inspired, but it’s also important to remember that none of these things make you an herbalist.

Support other herbalists.

It would be great if we all had the time and energy to grow and craft all the herbal remedies we needed. Unfortunately, for most people, that’s not possible. Whether you can’t produce that ingredient you want because of your zone or don’t have time to make your own tincture, it’s okay to purchase herbal remedies. Just make sure you do so responsibly.

Support small, local herbalists. Look for people who care about their communities and the land. You may even find local farms that grow some herbs you’re looking for at a farmer’s market. Avoid big corporations that are looking to capitalize on your desire for wellness. 

We encourage you to get started with herbalism. While it cannot replace modern medicine, it can be an important part of your wellness routine. It’s also a great way to connect with the land and is a lot easier than you might think. Did we miss any of your favorite resources? Let us know on Facebook or Instagram!

Create a Kitchen Herb Garden

Kitchen herb gardens pack a lot of flavor and value into a small space. Growing herbs is a great way to make your meals more flavorful and save money. Herbs can be planted right into vegetable gardens and make great companion plants. However, you’re more likely to include fresh herbs in your meals if you can step out your door and clip a few while dinner is on the stove. 

Planning Your Kitchen Herb Garden

Herbs are good candidates for various planting styles, allowing you plenty of flexibility for designing a garden that works for you. As I mentioned above, selecting an easily accessible site for your herb garden is my biggest recommendation. Being able to grab a few quickly will encourage you to use them more.

Permaculture enthusiasts may be familiar with planning your property in zones to maximize efficiency. In this layout, zone 1 is the closest to your home and typically includes herb gardens.

You should also consider sunlight when choosing a location for your kitchen herb garden. While a few herbs will tolerate some shade, most herbs thrive in full sun. If you have a partially shaded spot, you’d like to try herbs in consider parsley, mint, or lemon balm.

Here are a few ways to incorporate a kitchen herb garden into your landscape.

Herb Spiral

Using soil and stones, bricks, or another similar material, you build a spiral-shaped bed with the center being the highest. These spiral beds are both beautiful and efficient. The key idea is that the design allows water to flow down from the top of the spiral. Herbs that love it hot and dry like rosemary, lavender, and thyme can thrive at the top, while herbs that need more moisture, such as lemon balm, cilantro, and parsley, are planted near the bottom.

The rocks or bricks of the soil also help retain heat. It also creates little micro-climates, with some spots being more sheltered or shaded than others. 

Knot Gardens

Knot gardens are formal herb gardens that were first established in England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Herbs like rosemary, lavender, marjoram, thyme, and lemon balm are planted in intricate patterns to create beautiful designs. You can use whatever herbs you choose; remember that some like lavender will retain their shape more readily than those like mint, which will tend to spread. Try to create your own design or gather inspiration from the internet.

Raised Beds

Raised beds are often good for herbs because they tend to heat up quickly in the spring and drain well. Additionally, they can be set up on any soil type and are typically easier to keep weed-free. If you’re considering building raised beds, we’ve discussed the pros and cons in more detail in a previous post. 

Container Gardens

If you don’t have a lot of space, you can grow herbs in various containers. Even some window boxes will afford you a small herb garden. Herbs generally do pretty well in pots as long as they have proper drainage and receive full sun. Various pots or containers can be used, including ceramic, terracotta, or even upcycled plastic containers.

Soil

Most culinary and medicinal herbs will do best in well-drained, rich soil. Broad forking your garden and adding a couple of inches of finished compost each year can significantly improve your soil health and herb garden yields. 

You should also consider having your soil tested. Most herbs will thrive in neutral to slightly acidic soil. Amending your soil so that the pH is between 6.0 and 7.5 is ideal. 

If you’re growing in containers, it’s generally best to use a potting mix. These mixes are designed to hold moisture and avoid compaction in container conditions. Without any additions, ordinary garden soil doesn’t provide optimal conditions for plant growth in containers.

Selecting Varieties for Your Kitchen Herb Garden

There are many herbs to choose from, whether you want to make soothing herbal teas or make your favorite dishes a little more fresh and flavorful. If you’re struggling to make decisions, the best advice is to start with herbs you already use or know you will use and add a couple more experimental varieties each year. Here are just of few of the many culinary and medicinal herbs you may want to include in your kitchen herb garden.

Culinary Herbs

  • Basil
  • Thyme
  • Oregano
  • Chives
  • Sage
  • Parsley
  • Cilantro
  • Rosemary
  • Dill
  • Lemon Balm
  • Borage

Medicinal Herbs

Note that many of the previously mentioned culinary herbs also have medicinal uses and vice versa.

  • Astragalus
  • Feverfew
  • St. Johnswort
  • Chamomile
  • Echinacea
  • Calendula
  • Catnip
  • Horehound
  • Valerian

Starting Herbs from Seed

Like flowers and vegetable crops, the requirements for starting herbs from seed vary from species to species. Some herbs like borage require light while germinating and should be pressed lightly into the soil. In contrast, others like echinacea have to go through a cold stratification to germinate properly. Be sure to carefully read each variety’s requirements for best results starting herbs from seed.

If you have other friends or neighbors that garden, you can also barter for starts of perennial herbs. Some like lemon balm and chives are easy to divide and transplant, saving you the work of starting them from seed.