how to sow & grow herbs & flowers for natural health & beauty
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Herbs and flowers are easy to grow, and most can be sown in small spaces, on pots on a sunny windowsill, balcony, patio or garden. It's best to grow herbs from seed, or purchase plants from a local garden centre, or reputable online supplier, as potted herbs purchased in supermarkets often won't survive when planted. From planting position, sowing by lunar cycles & planetary rulers, companion planting - There's lots of hints & tips here to help you get started.
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planting position & care
Although herbs are easy to grow, and generally don't need a lot of maintenance, it's better to give them a strong start with good soil and appropriate planting position. Here's a few helpful tips to consider to help your plants looking & feeling their best.
- When planting herbs in pots or window boxes, use a soil based compost. A soil based compost (not peat) helps to retain moisture, and it's important to remember that pots, containers and window boxes dry out quickly, and will require regular watering.
- If growing herbs in pots and containers, feed them weekly in the months from March - September to help keep them healthy.
- When watering herbs, avoid watering during the hottest part of the day. Watering in the morning or early evening when temperatures have cooled. Plants located in positions of full sun as well as those in pots, containers, and plants will benefit from frequent morning watering during hot spells, to help them keep hydrated in dry weather.
- Some herbs thrive in full sun while others prefer partial shade. Considering your planting location will contribute to the long term health of your plants. As a general guide,
- Sunny positions are best for: basil, chives, lavender, oregano, rosemary, sage, tarragon, thyme,
- Partial shade is best for: angelica, chervil, mustard, parsley, rocket, sorrel
sowing by lunar cycles
For most of us, gardening by lunar cycles is something new. However, in the past the phases of the moon were considered very important to agriculture and were published in almanacs to guide farmers and gardeners in sowing, pruning & harvesting at optimum times.
The lunar cycle is divided into 4 phases. Sowing and planting by these phases is based on the belief that the gravitational pull of the moon on the the earth's water affects plant growth. The following recommendations are from Gardener's World - Gardening by the Moon in Allotments:
The lunar cycle is divided into 4 phases. Sowing and planting by these phases is based on the belief that the gravitational pull of the moon on the the earth's water affects plant growth. The following recommendations are from Gardener's World - Gardening by the Moon in Allotments:
- New Moon to First Quarter (phase 1): sow leafy crops
- First Quarter to Full Moon (phase 2): sow fruit crops
- Full Moon to Last Quarter (phase 3): sow root crops and perennials
- Last Quarter to New Moon (phase 4): no sowing (as earth's water is receding from the surface)
sowing by planetary rulers
According to ancient and traditional astrology, the days of the week, hours of the day, and plants, flowers and trees have an affinity with a particular planet. With this philosophy, choosing to sow a plant on the the day (and/or during the planetary hour) ruled by a suitable planet will increase the nutritional and therapeutic properties of the plant. (Harvesting plants and making herbal preparations on the planetary ruler day/ hour will also increase the nutritional and therapeutic properties of your recipe or remedy.)
- Sunday (Planetary Ruler: Sun) - plants that grow in sunny places, whose flowers turn towards the sun, or are yellow or orange (i.e.: angelica, bay, calendula, caraway, chamomile, dandelion, eyebright, juniper, rosemary, rowan, St Johns Wort, walnut, witch hazel)
- Monday (Planetary Ruler: Moon) - plants that are white, light-coloured, prefer shade, moist environments, grow near water or have high water content (i.e.: chickweed, eucalyptus, jasmine, lemon, lemon balm, mallows, mugwort, poppy, wild rose)
- Tuesday (Planetary Ruler: Mars) - plants that prickle, have thorns (i.e.: carrot, celandine, coriander, chilli pepper, garlic, horseradish, juniper, plantain, mustard, nettle, onion)
- Wednesday (Planetary Ruler: Mercury) - plants with fuzzy, hairy, finely-divided leaves, or fast growing winding, creeping growth (i.e.: apple, bergamot, blackberry, caraway, clover, dill, fennel, lavender, lemongrass, lemon verbena, marjoram, parsley, peppermint, spearmint, strawberry, thyme)
- Thursday (Planetary Ruler: Jupiter) - plants that are large, bold, expansive and often edible (i.e.: agrimony, basil, borage, chervil, chicory, hyssop, linden, mace, meadowsweet, sage)
- Friday (Planetary Ruler: Venus) - plants that are soft, please the senses with lovely fragrance and attractive flowers or berries (i.e.: apple, apricot, cornflower, daisy, elder, feverfew, geranium, lady's mantle, oregano, rose, thyme, vervain, violet)
- Saturday (Planetary Ruler: Saturn) - plants that are slow growing, deep rooted, thrive in shades, have knotty, knobbly wood, may smell foul or be poisonous (i.e.: angelica, burdock, cannabis, comfrey, cumin, cypress, mullein)
- Leaves: Moon
- Seed/Bark: Mercury
- Flowers: Venus
- Wood: Mars
- Fruit: Jupiter
- Roots: Saturn
- If you're unable to sow on the specific day of the week which is ruled by the appropriate planet, you can work on a different day but during a planetary hour that is ruled by that planet, or by the secondary association for leaves, flowers, seeds etc.)
- You'll find daily information from Lunariam on the planetary day ruler and a table of planetary hours here
companion planting
If sowing seeds or planting herbs in an outdoor bed, consider companion planting them alongside your vegetables. Companion planting is a wonderful way to work with nature to achieve optimum production. Here are a list of herbs that can be planted alongside your vegetables to deter garden pests. (courtesy of The Gardener's Calendar Companion Planting Guide at www.the-gardeners-calendar.co.uk/...Planting/companiontables.asp )
- Basil: Attracts: butterflies. Repels: asparagus beetle, mosquitoes, flies.
- Borage: Attracts: predatory insects & honeybees. Repels: many pests (too many to name). Possibly the best companion plant.
- Calendula/Marigolds: Attracts: Slugs (so plant them along any border where you have a slug problem, hoverflies (hoverfly larvae eat aphids) Repel: nematodes, beet leaf hoppers, and other pests. (Marigolds are a favourite in the herbal cupboard, being a good all-around healer, and are especially good for making into infused oils, and ointments.)
- Caraway: Attracts: parasitic wasps and flies.
- Chamomile: Attracts: hoverflies and wasps.
- Chervil: Repels: aphids.
- Chives: Repels: cabbage worms, carrot fly, aphids.
- Coriander: Attracts: machined fly. Repels: aphids.
- Dill: Attracts: hoverflies, wasps, tomato horn worms, honeybees. Repels: aphids, spider mites, squash bugs, cabbage loopers.
- Fennel: Attracts: ladybirds, syrphid fly, tachined fly. Repels: aphids
- Garlic: Repels: aphids, cabbage looper, ants, rabbits, cabbage maggot.
- Hyssop: Attracts: honeybees, butterflies. Repels: cabbage moth larvae, cabbage butterfly.
- Lovage: Attracts: ichneumonid wasps, ground beetles (good)
- Nasturtium: Attracts: predatory insects. Repels: aphids, cabbage looper, squash bugs, white fly, cucumber beetles.
- Oregano: Repels: aphids.
- Peppermint: Repels: cabbage fly, ants, cabbage looper. (Peppermint is a wonderful herbal tea.On its own, it is refreshing and also helps to settle upset stomach. Combined with elderflower & yarrow, it is a good tea to take or bath in when you have a cold.)
- Rosemary: Repels: bean beetle
- Sage: Attracts: honeybee, cabbage butterfly. Repels: cabbage flies, carrot fly, black flea beetle, cabbage looper and maggot.
- Spearmint: Repels: ants, aphids.
- Tansy: Attracts: honeybees. Repels: japanese beetles, striped cucumber beetles, squash bugs, ants. (Tansy is best grown in containers, as it can be quite invasive.)
- Yarrow: Attracts: predatory wasps, ladybirds, hoverflies, damselbugs.
Important considerations & cautions:
Although botanicals (herbs, spices, plants) are considered safe for most people when used in cooking or in small amounts, inappropriate use of some of these botanicals could be dangerous. The content on this site shares our own personal use of botanical ingredients, is for information only, and should not be taken as medical advice. Prior to using any botanicals in recipes or remedies, you should always do your own research, and consult with a medical professional, your GP, or a qualified herbalist.