Raising Medicinal Herbs From Seed
By Mary Pat Palmer, Registered Herbalist
The Philo School of Herbal Energetics
I tried and tried to grow some of the beloved plants from my native California when I lived back East for all those 35 years . I planted Camellias that never reappeared after winter. I brought my Rosemary inside and watched it die over the winter. Can you even imagine this! We are so blessed by our California coastal climate. We live where we can take a cutting of Rosemary in January, plunk it in the ground, and have a new plant in the spring. Our Camellias grow to enormous trees.
There is nothing like the satisfaction of starting from seeds. I use the Speedling System, and get this from Peaceful Valley Farm & Garden Supply in Grass Valle
y. Contact them at www.GrowOrganic.com. Speedling makes a 128 cell Styrofoam seed starter tray that leaves the bottoms of the cells open to the air. I use organic potting soil that I amend with Power Flower Fertilizer from my local nursery. I have fashioned a dome for the Speedling tray, which helps to keep the seeds and later seedlings from drying out. Since I haven’t yet built a greenhouse, the trays take over my kitchen beginning in February or March, going outdoors on warm days.
Most of the seeds I’ll use this year were saved from plants grown last year. Seed saving is a major topic in itself. At this point, all I’ll say is that saving seeds is very gratifying and important. You want to make sure that your parent plants have enough genetic diversity to ensure healthy seeds. Also, collecting drying and storing them correctly is important.
With small seeds, I fill the cells about ¾ full and then cover the seeds lightly and water thoroughly. Larger seeds get planted more deeply. Then I’ll cover the kitchen table with plastic, put 1x2 pieces on the table, put the Speedling tray on top, cover with the plastic dome, and baby them. They get watched for drying out, damping off and days they can go outside in gentle sun.
Choices of medicinal seeds to plant change from year to year in order to augment what I am missing in my garden or to replace what has died. I order from Horizon Herbs in Williams, OR, and think they are a great source. Also the books by Horizon Herb’s Richo Cech, Making Plant Medicine and The Medicinal Herb Grower, Vol. I are wonderful. Contact Horizon Herbs online at www.horizonherbs.com. This year I have ordered Flax, Azure Anchusa (in the Borage family – with large purple flowers the size of quarters that are yummy – drought tolerant & likes poor soil!), Cumin, Fenugreek, Spilanthes (so cool with it’s yellow eye – the toothache plant), Krishna Tulsi (the only Tulsi I’ve been able to grow), and Gotu Kola. These are all annuals, so seeds must be ordered every year or saved. Perennials I ordered are Gumweed (our own Grindelia, I want more!), Hyssop (want more), Baical Scullcap (full sun, dry soils; for contagious diseases and many say cancer as well – no luck growing them last year but I’ll try again), and Woad (for a blue dye & also antiviral). This is about a $40 investment, and again is to augment the herbs already growing in the garden.
After the seedlings get their second leaves, I’ll transplant them to small pots and put them out on warm days. When they are strong enough (vague, but true – maybe 2 inches tall) and the ground is warm enough I’ll move them to the raised beds. Drought tolerant plants, by far the bulk of the plants, go into areas/raised beds that get 1 hour drip irrigation once a week. However, one whole area, about 300 square feet, gets 2 hours once a week. Higher maintenance herbs and plants go here, as well as the “Eastern & Water Hungry” ones.
The low maintenance plants include all those Mediterranean herbs, Lavender, Thyme, Rosemary, Oregano, the Artemesias, etc. and receive the 1 hr/wk drip irrigation. This is most of my garden space. Please don’t underestimate the healing power of these herbs! That, like seed saving is another article to write!
A 21 sq ft shade-clothed bed holds “East Coast & Water Hungry” herbs such as the Eupatoriums (Joe Pye Weed, Boneset) and Verbena hostata (Blue Vervain) , our own Aralia californica (California Ginseng), as well as our own Scrofularia nodosa (Figwort). The Eupatoriums et al are there by virtue of being Northeastern and needing more water. Some of our natives prefer the coast and hence more water. The plants mentioned are grown under shade cloth, to maximize their water retention and protect them from our hot summer sun. In addition, this bed is gopher proofed. To do that, I dug down 3 feet, lined the bed with hardware cloth, and then refilled it, amending the dirt with my own compost. I’m a lazy composter – I layer fresh green weeds (lots of those!) with straw and manure. Then I leave it for a year.
The shade cloth bed is small. The rest of the 300 sq foot, 2 hr/wk drip, contains many other species. These include the Echinacea purpurea, Hyssop (Hysoppus officianalis), Verbena officinalis, Hydrasis Canadensis (Goldenrod), Monarda fistula (Bee Balm), and many more. I have, overall, about 200 species within my fence, which encloses 2/3 of an acre. . The rest of the gardens, which surround the house, receive 1 hr/wk drip irrigation. In addition, there are orchards and many flowers and shrubs grown simply for their beauty and interest, also on 1 hr/wk drip irrigation.
People often ask me to recommend a simple medicine garden. I suggest the Mediterranean herbs first and foremost. Vitex Chasteberry, actually a tree, is also very happy in our area. The mints grow profusely, as we know, particularly Lemon Balm (Melissa officianalis). The roots of Marshmallow (Althaea officianalis) and Elecampane (Inula helena) are rewarding in quantity as well as wonderful medicine. Marshmallow soothes the system and can be used in place of the endangered Slippery Elm. Elecampane is a truly magic herb acting on the respiratory system and assisting digestion. I’ve also had luck with Wild Mexican Yam (Dioscorea machrostachya) , although I grow it in a wine barrel to keep it from the gophers. This also works with Astragalus (Astragalus officianalis) and many other lovely roots, as do, of course, wire cages and beds lined with hardware cloth as with the Shade Cloth bed.
I’m very happy to have visitors come for a cup of tea and garden walk. Many of the medicinal plants are labeled. I offer a 7 month Certificate Apprenticeship called The Heart of Herbology that is quite plant based but includes organ systems (e.g. Respiratory, Digestive, etc) as a base for learning the healing properties of the plants. The apprenticeship also includes Plant Spirit Journeys which hopefully give a context to understand the herbs from the heart as well as clinically. My library is extensive and research methods are taught. The apprenticeship is from March through September, the third weekend of each month.
Contact me at www.herbalenergetics.com or give me a call at 707-895-3007. And Green Blessings!