Growing herbs

Calayvie said:

I have a chocolate mint in a pot on my kitchen windowsill, as well as a lemon balm plant (aka Melissa). Both are lovely in tea and lemon balm is an excellent herbal for upset tummies and colds and flu as well as an antidepressant and very calming! [emoji3]

I would love to grow more herbs but I've just started developing my green thumb so I'm not very confident! Plus I can't take up much more room on the windowsill as the cats sit up there!
I'm worried my 3yo would destroy plants in the backyard if I planted any. I had to move my cactus in a pot because he'd hit it with sticks!
I should plant some out in the front yard though.

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yes, I can imagine a kid digging into the plant and killing it. lol. Many memories of my nieces and nephews doing just this and honestly, I can even remember doing it myself when I was about 4 or 5 yoa to my mothers gorgeous ivy plant. I picked all the leaves off it--and she had it wrapped around the stairway spindles and going all the way up the stairs and then across again--from what I can tell by pictures where it was still intact--beautiful. Then, I got ahold of it, when we were "playing house" and I was cooking! lol. All that was left was mostly the stems, sadly.

A lot of weeds are herbs as well. Like Cleavers, last spring it was all through the front yard so I harvested heaps, dried at lot, juiced most of it and took a week long lymph cleanse! Its a nutritious green as well! Cleavers, aka Velcro plant, is a great lymphatic cleanser and is quite nice as a fresh tea, so refreshing!
There are heaps of weeds that are actually herbals and are nutritious and have amazing benefits!
They're easy to grow too! [emoji6]
(My thumb is pretty ungreen but I'm slowly learning!)

Its great to read so many people grow herbs. I love using herbs in cooking too. I really should get a proper herb garden started!

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oh yes, and don't forget the wonderful dandelion weed too! Edible - and used often in salads as well as making dandelion tea/wine! (but, I'm not happy with the taste tbh).

Awh it's so nice to know so many others are into growing their own herbs/plants.

Thank you for the tip on peppermint! I wasn't aware it was so invasion, but I'd love to grow my own. Also chocolate mint sounds amazing. I didn't know there was such a thing. I do have a cat, but he's getting older and doesn't venture out at more so I'm not too concerned, but I'll keep my eye out.

So far all my plants sprouted. The sunflowers and cilantro are coming up the best. Not much tarragon came up I'm going to wait a little longer otherwise I'll have to try again.

I'm pretty excited though! I'd like to make some blends and give them to friends as a cute little gift.

I've grown many of the same ones you guys have mentioned. Rosemary, basil, cilantro, oregano, parsley, different kinds of mints. I've never actually used them to make a hot tea.

I've had a hard time getting lavender to grow, but I think 3 plants are hanging on that I planted just this year.

One of my faves, which I didn't see anyone mention (I may have missed it) is pineapple sage. It grows into a rather large bush with fuchsia colored flowers that humming birds love, and the leaves really do smell like pineapple if you crush them. I like to put them in my iced tea, along with lemon and strawberry.

Disa said:

One of my faves, which I didn't see anyone mention (I may have missed it) is pineapple sage. It grows into a rather large bush with fuchsia colored flowers that humming birds love, and the leaves really do smell like pineapple if you crush them. I like to put them in my iced tea, along with lemon and strawberry.

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oooh, I don't think I ever heard of a pineapple sage plant. It sounds beautiful AND delicious! I also love the smell of pineapple. I've got to investigate this plant so that when we do begin to plant herbs and all again--I can consider this one too. thanks for sharing!

celticnoodle said:

oooh, I don't think I ever heard of a pineapple sage plant. It sounds beautiful AND delicious! I also love the smell of pineapple. I've got to investigate this plant so that when we do begin to plant herbs and all again--I can consider this one too. thanks for sharing!

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No problem! I found mine just at the Home Depot No place special.

Home Depot! Got some of them close by. I may just check it out and perhaps even pot it in a pot that I can carry back and forth from one home to the other. Oh, the hubby will love that idea! ha ha. It just sounds so interesting!

So today I transplanted all my sunflowers into the yard. I think there's 9 or 10. I have such high hopes for them!

Also I wanted to share I made rose tea the other day. I cut some roses off the bushes I have and I picked them of their petals. Then I washed and boiled them. I also added a cinnamon stick and some dried cranberries into the water. The tea came out great! It had a light floral taste that was complimented nicely by the sweetness of the berries and the spice of the cinnamon. I read that rose tea is great for menstruation which worked out great for me since it's that time of the month loool.