Off the Urban Grid

Grow an Herbal Tea Garden

What if you could make fresh herbal tea this summer without having to buy tea bags from the store? Well, you can by growing an herbal tea garden this summer. Fortunately, herbs require little space to grow, so you can incorporate variety of herbal combinations in your garden design. Plus, you can also use these same herbs in your meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Step 1

Purchase five pots (one 24’’ and four 12’’ in diameter) and cover the drainage holes in all of them. Then fill the bottom of the pots with about 1’’ of gravel.

Step 2

Use free-draining potting soil to fill the pots. Plant the following herbs in the 24’’ pot: pineapple sage, purple basil, creeping rosemary, lavender, chocolate mint geranium and golden lemon thyme. The pineapple sage should go in the middle of the pot, and the other plants can be spaced evenly near the edge. Also, marigold can be added on either side of the pineapple sage.

Step 3

Plant the following herbs in the four 12’’ pots: curly spearmint, lemon balm, peppermint and pineapple mint.

Step 4

Designate a circular section of your yard for additional plants. Then divide this section into four quadrants (the 24’’ pot can sit in the middle, and the other smaller pots can be placed in the middle of each quadrant).

Plant 12 wild strawberries 8’’ apart in the first quadrant. Use 5 variegated common thyme in the second quadrant and 8 German chamomile plants in the third quadrant (both of these herbs should be planted 18’’ apart).

Step 5

For the last quadrant, plant 8 sweet woodruff (12’’ apart). Then water your herb garden so the soil is saturated.

Rocks can be used to make the division of the quadrants more visually appealing, and it will not take long before you can enjoy freshly brewed hot or cold tea.

Tags: herb garden, herbal tea garden, homemade tea, how to grow an herb garden