✦ Culinary & Medicinal Herbs to Grow ✦
...in the Northern Garden (zones 3-6)
✦ Culinary & Medicinal Herbs to Grow ✦
The following lists are herbs I grow on the regular and have the most uses for in our household. For the beginner, I wouldn’t recommend trying to grow ALL of these, and I’ve starred* those that are relatively easy to start, grow and use. Some of the herbs that are not starred aren’t necessarily difficult, but they may be slow to germinate, or harder to locate seeds for, or require digging the roots in order to process the medicine. Below each herb, their benefits are briefly discussed. Many of these will be gone over in more depth as this Substack writing continues.
I share this now so when you order seeds or think about planning your garden, you can incorporate this info! This isn’t an exhaustive list, as I was complying I realized Fireweed wasn’t on here, nor Cleavers or Roses…it’s a good start, with room for more.
The culinary herbs also have medicinal benefits and many medicinals can be used in food. This is an arbitrary distinction, but one most seed companies go by.
Culinary Herbs:
Basil*
· Who doesn’t love Basil! Great for cooking, easy to dry with a dehydrator, provides lots of flavor. Can be grown in a pot or the garden. I like to do transplants, but you could seed directly as well, it just takes longer to get those wonderful leaves. Annual.
Chives*
· Chives are a perennial, so starting from seed can be slow. It may be easiest to purchase these as a transplant, or get a chunk from a friend/neighbor. After a few years, Chives can be easily divided for more plants. One of the first herbs up in the Spring, their onion flavor adds a zip to your dishes. Their blooms attract bees and other beneficials to the garden. Make an infused vinegar with the flowers and bedazzle your cupboard! Just watch any grass getting in there, that can be problematic. Perennial.
Cilantro*
· Best if direct seeded, as transplants tend to bolt. They take a bit to germinate, I don’t know how many times I’ve reseeded Cilantro over itself because it didn’t seem to come up in time! Can take up to 10 days to germinate. Seeds are known as Coriander, which you can use in Indian dishes. Might reseed. Annual.
Dill*
· Can be direct seeded or TP’d (transplanted) carefully in good time (i.e. don’t let it get pot-bound). Great for making dilly beans and pickles. Nice and tall, makes a pretty back-of-the-border plant. Will reseed if allowed to. Annual.
Lemongrass
· Slower to grow, but not impossible to start from seed. Start seed early. Looks like grass so be sure to label it in the garden. Grows well in a pot and makes a nice center in a large pot with other herbs grown with it. Smells divine and can be used in Thai cooking. Annual.
Marjoram
· Love this herb with eggs in the summer. Adds a nice flavor to Italian dishes and is so soft and fragrant. Annual.
Oregano*
· I’ve had great luck with Oregano overwintering (be sure to mulch though!). Great for cold & flu season, excellent for adding to marinara sauces. Beautiful blooms too, bees LOVE it. Perennial usually.
Parsley (Italian or Curly leaf)*
· Super slow to start from seed, but doable. Purchase starts if not using indoor lights. This is a taproot plant so when you transplant it, be gentle (taproots don’t like to be disturbed). A great herb to dry for winter use. Annual for leaves. Biennial (sometimes it’ll overwinter and you can save the seeds the next year!).
Sage*
· Another medicinal/culinary herb with striking with silver foliage and fragrance. Also, a beautiful bloom in Autumn. I like to dry this for making homemade sausage with wild game later in the year. Annual/sometimes Perennial.
Thyme*
· Never had this properly overwinter in Alaska, but have had it return at least two seasons here in Idaho. Thyme honey is a favorite of mine to make for times of illness. Easy to dry, although it does take time to garble all the little leaves off the stems. Annual or Perennial depending on location.
Medicinal Herbs:
All-Heal*
· A sweet little native here in these parts, likes to grow on moist creek banks. I like this one fresh in tea, lots of benefits to explore! Short in stature, use in the front border. Perennial.
Anise Hyssop*
· Pair this with Bee Balm for a striking flower-power combo. A sweet and slightly licorice flavor, this is a pollinator plant with gorgeous blooms. Tender Perennial, has reseeded well in my experience once established.
Arnica
· Use the flowers to make a pain-relieving oil. Native in many mountain regions. Yellow spring bloomer, short to medium height depending on variety. Perennial.
Bee Balm
· In the mint family. Will spread if given the space. Harder to start from seed, but not impossible. My favorite speices is Monarda dydima. Grows 3-4’ great for part-shade areas, likes moist feet. Excellent in tea. Perennial.
Blue Vervain
· This little purple flowered, tall foliaged plant is one that I’ve just fallen in love with, she’s magical. Seems to prefer part sun/shade, as she tends to wilt in the heat of the day; but she bounces back after sundown and/or a watering. Transplant recommended. Perennial.
Borage*
· This one is an plant that doesn’t like to be crowded. Direct seeding recommended. The star shaped, periwinkle blue blooms are edible and taste like cucumber, as are the baby leaves. Great pollinator plant, that gets to about 2-3’ tall. Annual.
Calendula*
· One of my faves for skin. An excellent healer. Also use internally for soothing the digestive tract. This is a very happy herb that brings joy to the garden and the apothecary. I prefer the orange blooms for medicine, the vibrant hue is healing simply through its color! The fancy varieties are not ones I’ve utilized but can add fun flair to the garden. Transplant or direct seed. Can reseed (sometimes too much). Annual, although can return from base as perennial.
California Poppy*
· This California native is very useful as a nervine with some pain-relieving qualities. Easy to start from seed, can also be direct sown. Sage green foliage and bright orange flowers are an attractive addition to the garden. Can reseed. Annual.
Chamomile, German*
· Someday I’ll have so much Chamomile growing that I’ll lay on it like a carpet! Easy to start from seed, can be direct sown as well. Sweet fragrance, many applications as a spirit and tummy soother, Chamomile is one of my must-grows. Reseeding Annual.
Elecampane
· The roots are what really hold the magic of Elecampane. You harvest the second year in Autumn. Great for infusing in honey for clearing mucus during a cough. The 3’ Plant has a fun, sunflower/daisy like bloom. Back/middle of the border. Perennial.
Lady’s Mantle*
· I’ll admit, I have yet to really use this Plant internally. Alchemilla vulgaris is what you’d want to get, although you can also use A. mollis. It’s the growing of her and seeing how the dew or water droplets form on her leaves that gets me. Super soft and chartreuse colored, she lends herself well as a border plant. Once started, easy to grow and care for. Perennial.
Lavender
· Lavender is easy to grow in Idaho. And while it was sort of easy to grow in SE Alaska, it did not like to overwinter very well. I’m still getting used to it here, but it has overwintered very nicely. Munstead is the hardiest variety I’ve encountered and many local gardeners concur. However, Hidcote is a fresher, brighter scent than Munstead. Try both!
Lemon Balm*
· Another favorite for tea! Easy to start from seed. Also helpful for calming the nerves and relieving gas and tummy distress. Mulch this one to overwinter. 1-1.5’ tall. Tender Perennial.
Motherwort
· Soft as can be when shooting up in Spring, to prickly and tall come her mid-summer blooms. Up to 6’ so definitely back of the border. Use the leaves/flowers to make a tincture for easing the mind, it’s quite bitter so I don’t use this one in tea. Seems more viable, as in reseeding, here in Idaho versus Alaska, where it was kept under control easily. Perennial.
Mugwort
· Wonderful for making smoke/smudge wands. Harder to start from seed, but not impossible, recommend starting indoors, or purchase a start. A great digestive and herb for parasite cleanses. The energy of this herb is very soothing to me and I enjoy her tall, up to 5’ silver foliage as well. Perennial.
Mullein
· A ‘weed’ in many regions, Mullein flowers can be infused in oil for earaches, and the thick, fuzzy leaves used fresh or dried for helping aid healing in mastitis. Biennial. (Blooms the second year.)
Milky Oats*
· An excellent nervine and nourishing herb, you can use the seed heads fresh for a milky oat tincture that is incredibly calming to the nervous system; or you can harvest and dry for a nutritive tea come Winter. I’ve always transplanted in order to get the milky oat parts, but tried this as a cover crop recently and you could direct seed this one for foliage. Annual.
Plantain*
· Yes, I actually ‘grow’ this weed. It’s my go-to for bug bites and the young leaves are edible too. When I realized it didn’t grow in my yard, I surreptitiously harvested some seeds from the schoolyard and planted them the following Spring! Perennial.
Saint John’s Wort
· This one grew quite tidily for me in Alaska, but where it’s warmer, it may tend more attention and trimming. I love harvesting the flowers/buds to make a pain-relieving infused oil. It has ties to the Summer Solstice and makes a lovely tincture to take during the Winter months. Grows to about 3’. Full Sun/Part Shade. Perennial.
Skullcap
· A member of the Mint family, Skullcap is quite strong tasting, so I usually use it as a tincture. This is a preparation that really grounds me back to earth and calms an energetic mind. Transplants work best. Does seem to spread more aggressively here in Idaho than in Alaska. Part Sun/Shade seems to make it happy. Perennial.
Spilanthes
· Also known as the Toothache Plant! These small little orange and yellow button flowers give a strong tingle when chewed. This is a fun one to try, I don’t grow it every year, but thought I’d mention. Have only transplanted, not sure if direct seeding would work in colder regions. Annual.
Tulsi/Holy Basil*
· Oooh, Tulsi or Holy Basil is one that once I grew it, I fell in absolute Love, and have grown it every year since. Makes a lovely tasting (okay, it reminds me of Juicy Fruit gum, but in a really good way!) tea with fresh or dried leaves. Also makes a super soothing body oil. You could probably direct seed this early, but I’ve done transplants. Easy to start indoors. Likes sun. Keep the flowers snipped (can add to tea) to keep leaves growing. Annual.
Valerian
· Valerian is a tall, spring blooming Plant. The roots are where the medicine is. Can be helpful for insomnia and rattled nerves. Although, do note, that for some Valerian can have the opposite effect. This is true for me, it doesn’t make me sleepy, but also it doesn’t rev me up either. I’ve only grown in part sun/shade but I think she’d tolerate full sun as well, as long as she’s well-watered; will limp in high heat. When washing the roots, use a gentle spray as the medicine is close to the surface. Bees love Valerian. Cut back blooms if you don’t want a bunch more. Perennial.
Viola*
· These sweet blooms are edible and fun to have as an addition to salads. Also known as Johnny Jump Up’s & Heartsease, Violas are soothing to the skin and I include this in my Baby Balm. She’s also cooling and anti-inflammatory so a nice addition to a tummy tea. These can be direct seeded or transplanted. They tend to reseed VERY well and “jump-up” where you least expect. Will overwinter when conditions are right. Mostly an Annual.
***All photographs are taken by me in my personal Gardens and/or from the Wild.***
Love this Emily!! Do you have a resource for purchasing seeds? Who do you recommend?
Thank you for sharing Emily! It’s so thorough and I think I can extrapolate some of this for zone 8!