Tuesday, May 21, 2013

The Medicinal Herb Garden



I spent most of the weekend barefoot in the garden. The sun was shining, the temperatures were above normal and the birds were singing their lovely songs. It was exactly what my soul needed.

Time was spent sowing seeds...kale, Swiss chard, beets, snow peas and more salad greens. Butternut squash, zucchini and cucumbers were moved from the cold frame to the garden. More strawberries were planted and the garlic was admired.

Then there was a little road trip to this lovely herb market to pick up some herbs for the new medicinal herb garden I have been planning. Yarrow, lavender, St John's wort, comfrey, calendula, chamomile, motherwort, lemon balm, nettles, peppermint, echinacea and bergamot were brought home and planted. Culinary herbs were planted too...basil, parsley, rosemary and sage. Chives, thyme, and dill still have to go in.

For me, this time of year is filled with both excitement, for the act of getting my hands in the dirt and anticipation of the beauty that will come in the form of food, grown on our land, under the care of our hands.

The journey from seed to plate never gets old and the magic of it continues to amaze me and fill me with hope and gratitude.

34 comments:

  1. Beautiful, Kim! Even just sharing in your pics and words is good for the soul :) I look forward to seeing more of your herbal garden. I love herbs.

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  2. Beautiful design Kim! I can't wait to see it in full bloom!

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  3. Oh, I love your herb garden! Many of my herbs didn't make it through the winter...maybe b/c of the bitter cold we had with little snow cover. Do you have plans to try and dry/use some of the medicinal herbs?

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    1. Thanks! Yes, big plans for drying, making tinctures and salves...can't wait!

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  4. Beautiful, beautiful!! I am anxious to get working in my gardens. Recovery from my c-section is taking a little longer than expected due to an infection to my incision, but soon enough I hope to have my barefeet in the soil as well. For now, I am giving out instructions to my hubby and kids :)

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    1. Thanks Carrie. I have been thinking about you, hope you are back in your garden soon.

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  5. I love your herb garden so much! You have logs bordering the beds that surround it? How beautiful & rustic that looks...I'm a little envious! xo

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    1. Thanks Meghann. The logs are part of the four raised beds we just put in, the herb garden is in the center of the four beds. I will get a full garden picture soon :)

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  6. Love the logs! A neighbor of ours has raised beds like this and they're my favorite!

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    1. Thanks Meryl, we love them too. Did a set of raised beds last summer and just did this set this spring. So much nicer to plant and grow in raised beds...love it!

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  7. looks beautiful :) I would love to see more pictures...

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    1. Thanks, I will share some soon, once everything is planted :)

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  8. love this! i guess there will be a lot of infused oils in your future :)

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  9. It looks lovely Kim. I look forward to seeing updates of all your garden beds. Xxoo

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  10. Your medicinal garden is so sweet, Kim! We have a young friend, all of 14, who is an expert on herbs. She has an expansive herb garden and knows just about every use for each of them. She made us some fresh mint and camomile tea the other day - it was delicious. I aspire to learn more in this category!

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    1. That is amazing, love hearing about plant connection and young ones. I studied herbal medicine in school, but it is only in the last few years that I have really done anything with it. This year I am jumping in a little more and will see how it goes.

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  11. What kind of things do you use yarrow for?

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    1. Oh so much Josee. Here's a link from Susan Weed with some great uses...http://www.susunweed.com/herbal_ezine/April08/wisewoman.htm

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  12. lovely to be bare foot in the spring! Good luck with your herb gardens!

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  13. Oooh! How exciting! We haven't even planted anything yet. Hopefully this weekend! :)

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    1. Yes, very exciting. We are just getting started, I won't put tomatoes or anything delicate in the ground until this weekend or maybe even the following weekend.

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  14. i've always had the worst luck with most herbs. i neglect and then over water. it's not pretty. i do okay with basil, thyme and cilantro. so there will many dishes this year with those. happy growing.

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  15. Your garden is going to be so wonderful! I can't wait to see all that it produces!

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    1. I sure hope so, my fingers are crossed :)

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  16. Beautiful! :)

    Tara

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  17. This is incredible! I am so in love with your garden, it's perfect! :)

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