Wanna grow your own herbal tea? It's actually pretty easy! Here's how...
ROMAN CHAMOMILE
Supplies
Medium planter
Potting mix (chamomile grows best in soil with a pH level between 5.6 and 7.5)
Roman chamomile seeds
Air-tight jar
Instructions
# Fill the planter with potting mix. Tap the planter a few times to settle the dirt and remove any air pockets.
# Pour enough water over the potting mix to dampen it slightly.
# Sprinkle seeds all over the surface.
# Chamomile seeds grow best in direct sunlight, so no need to cover them with soil! Put your planter in an area that gets a lot of sunlight and water when the soil feels dry.
To Harvest
# Pluck flowers once they’ve bloomed, or cut a few stems about 2 in / 3 cm from the base.
# Lay flowers out for several days to dry, or hang the stems upside down for several days.
# Once dry, the flowers should be shriveled up into tiny balls. Pluck them from their stems if you haven’t already, then store them in an air-tight jar so you can enjoy fresh chamomile whenever you like!
PEPPERMINT
Supplies
Large planter (peppermint needs a lot of space to move around)
Potting mix (peppermint grows best in soil with a pH level between 6 and 7.5)
Peppermint seeds
Air-tight jar
Instructions
# Fill the planter with potting mix. Tap the planter a few times to settle the dirt and remove any air pockets.
# Pour enough water over the potting mix to dampen it slightly.
# Sprinkle seeds all over the surface.
# Cover seeds with 1 in / 3 cm of potting mix.
# Place your peppermint plant in an area that gets a lot of sunlight and water when the soil feels dry.
To Harvest
# Cut stems 1 in / 3 cm from their base.
# Hang bushel upside down for several days until dry. Since peppermint is rather moist, to speed up the process you can also lay out the leaves on a baking sheet and bake them at about 150° F / 65° C for a few minutes at a time. Just make sure not to burn them!
# Once dry, cut the leaves and stems into tiny pieces, then store them in an air-tight jar so you can enjoy fresh peppermint tea whenever you like!
LEMON BALM
Supplies
Medium planter
Potting mix (lemon balm grows best in soil with a pH level between 6.5 and 9)
Lemon balm seeds
Air-tight jar
Instructions
# Fill the planter with potting mix. Tap the planter a few times to settle the dirt and remove any air pockets.
# Pour enough water over the potting mix to dampen it slightly.
# Poke your finger into the soil to create several holes, keeping them a few inches apart from each other. The holes should be about 2 in / 5 cm deep.
# Sprinkle a few seeds into each hole.
# Place your lemon balm plant in an area that gets a lot of sunlight and water when the soil feels dry.
To Harvest
# Cut off small bunches of leaves.
# Hang bushel upside down for several days until dry. Since lemon balm is rather moist, to speed up the process you can also lay out the leaves on a baking sheet and bake them at about 150° F / 65° C for a few minutes at a time. Just make sure not to burn them!
# Once dry, cut the leaves into tiny pieces, then store them in an air-tight jar so you can enjoy fresh lemon balm tea whenever you like!
LAVENDER
Supplies
Large planter (lavender needs a lot of room to grow, so a pot that is at least 12 in / 30 cm wide is ideal)
Rocks (enough to cover the bottom of your planter)
Potting mix (lavender grows best in soil with a pH level between 5.6 and 9)
Lavender seeds
Air-tight jar
Instructions
# Fill the bottom of your planter with medium-sized rocks. Lavender needs well drained soil, so the rocks will help with the drainage.
# Fill the rest of your planter with potting mix. Tap the planter a few times to settle the dirt and remove any air pockets.
# Sprinkle seeds over the surface, then cover with about 1 in / 3 cm of potting mix.
# Pour enough water over the potting mix to dampen it slightly.
# Place your lavender plant in an area that gets a lot of sunlight and water when the soil feels dry.
To Harvest
# Cut stems 1 in / 3 cm from their base.
# Hang bushel upside down for several days until dry.
# Once dry, pull off the lavender bulbs. They will come off rather easily if you simply rub your fingers over them. Then, store them in an air-tight jar so you can enjoy fresh lavender tea whenever you like!
