Hi, and I hope you’re enjoying your Saturday!
From the (admittedly) few years I’ve invested in gardening so far, I've been able to better discern which crops attract the most bees (chives,
raspberries, corn, pumpkin, bee balm, salvia are some of the faves), which crops grow best in the rather harsh climate where I live, and which are the
most productive/profitable to grow.
I’ve decided that one of the most profitable, bee-friendly, beneficial, and useful crops I can grow is herbs. Fresh herbs are costly at the store
and often don’t come in the needed amount for any given recipe. By growing one’s one herb garden, the option to pick out a small amount of fresh
flavors for cooking and baking is always there. Most herbs will overwinter, and grow back year after year. They often attract bees and repel pests.
Most herbs are not finicky and will grow in well drained soil and an adequate amount of light. The scent of an herb garden is wonderful!
If you have limited growing space, herbs can thrive in pots or even inside your home.
But there’s even more benefits to growing one’s own garden--herbs provide medicine and health as well. I wrote a recent thread about two herbs
which promote respiratory health--anise hyssop and horehound--and to piggyback off that thread, I’d like to explore how to grow one’s own herbal
tea garden.
I’ll post the info I’ve found so far, but would welcome any advice/tips/etc any of our members have to share. I’m new at this, and therefore
lack any words of wisdom, even if I have the amateur’s enthusiasm. Please feel free to chime in with any experience you’ve had growing herbs for
tea!
I have a number of tea-making plants already growing on my property, and bought a bunch of seeds this year to expand. (Growing Zone 5b)
So far I’m cultivating:
Raspberry berries/ leaves
Blueberry berries/leaves
Strawberry berries/leaves
Peach leaf/bark
German Thyme
Lemon Thyme
Lemon Balm
Bee Balm
Spearmint
Chocolate Mint
Lavender
Roses
Echinacea
And I hope to add these new varieties:
Chocolate daisies (edible)
Anise hyssop
Horehound
Blue Borage
Bronze Fennel
Moldavian Dragonhead Balm
Butterfly Pea Flower
German Chamomile
(I think that’s it)
My goal is to harvest the tea leaves/berries/flowers, dehydrate each separately and store in jars where I can mix and match my own tea recipes/blends.
(Also to dehydrate herbs for cooking).
Maybe even to work toward a small local business of tea/scones.
Here is an awesome link for information regarding growing, harvesting, and blending herbal teas:
joybileefarm.com...
Thanks for reading, friends! Looking forward to hearing from some current or hopeful herb gardeners!
edit on 20-2-2021 by zosimov because: (no reason given)