Backyard Pharmacy: Growing Medicinal Plants in Your Own Yard
Genres: Medical
Book Preface
We grow an array of robust vegetables on our farm that take up plenty of space, like the pumpkins that send out thick runner stems, or the alien-looking kohlrabi, with their heavy globes snugged into the ground.
By comparison, the section we have allocated for medicinal plants seems like a little fairy garden. The delicate fronds and cute-as-a-button flowers of chamomile wave just above the dark green, lush leaves of lemon balm, giving me plenty of ideas about how to combine the two.
The fact is that our farm could become a large-scale production enterprise (it won’t) and I’d still consider this small growing space as one of the most important on the land. Perhaps it’s because I harvest from this section every day, chopping a bit of oregano and basil for a dish, or grabbing a few raspberry leaves to make into a bedtime tea. Our medicinal garden has become like a friend who’s always happy to see me.
People tend to grow especially fond of nurturing medicinal plants, fussing over their watering needs and soil acidity. That’s not surprising, because consider the return: A backyard spot filled with wellness and culinary wonders, many of them coming back year after year, growing more sturdy and robust. Creating a garden spaceâ€â€even if “garden†means a windowbox of herbs in your kitchenâ€â€is distinctly soul quenching, and much less intimidating than you might think. Let’s get started with some herb basics.
PERENNIAL VS. ANNUAL
Plants are either perennial or annual, with the latter meaning that they have only one life cycle per growing season, and which you need to replant the following year. This includes herbs like basil, dill, and cilantro.
Many medicinal plants are perennial, which means they can stay green all winter, especially if you bring them inside, or they go dormant after a few frosts and then come back to life in the spring. That’s good news for your garden, since it means one planting of an herb can last for years. Just be sure to trim the herbs back in the fall, before the first frost, so all of the plant’s energy can go into the roots and prepare for dormancy.
There’s also a biennial, which is a plant that requires two years to complete a life cycle. This is rare in herbs, though, and I know of only two: parsley and caraway.
PLANNING
A traditional medicinal garden is often arranged according to some type of logical theme. For example, you might put culinary herbs in one section and medicinal flowers in another, or group the plants based on whether they’re annual or perennial so you can till up the annual bed at the end of the season.
However you group them, just be sure to keep harvesting in mind. When I first started growing medicinals, I created a partial labyrinth that was very pretty, but had some narrow pathways in certain spots. The idea was soundâ€â€a curving wall of herbs is amazingâ€â€but by making the walkways too small, I struggled whenever trying to harvest specific plants.
Another consideration might be proximity to your house or apartment building. Most likely, you’ll be harvesting from the garden plot at least a few times per week, if not every day, so putting it close to an entrance is usually best.
GROWING CONDITIONS
SUN/SHADE Many herbs and other medicinals prefer full sun, although they can tolerate shade, and there are some, like mint, that do better in shady conditions. In general, though, map out a space that gets at least six hours of sun per day.
Keep in mind that the full sun of the Midwest is certainly not like the full sun of the Pacific Northwest or the full sun of the Southwest. Most likely, you already know if your garden space could double as an oven in the summer, but if you’re not sure about how much it could affect your plants, you can consider tweaking your setup to create some artificial shade options.
For example, many farmers create a “caterpillar tunnel,†which means a series of simple hoops that are placed over plants, with a removable covering over that. You can drape shade cloth over the hoops on the days that are particularly hot to give the plants a break. If you only have a small section of your garden that seems to be suffering with the sun, you can even set up some large sun umbrellas in the space during the hottest parts of the day.
Most helpful, though, would be to place as many plants as possible in containers that can be moved to different parts your growing space. Even larger plants can be moved if you place the pots on wheeled carts before filling them with soil. Creating this kind of mobile garden can be very helpful for dealing with sun issues.
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Contents
Introduction
1. The Basics of Gardening
Perennial vs. Annual
Planning
Growing Conditions
Raised Beds & Containers
Seed Sourcing
Transplants
Indoor Growing
Maintaining Growth
2. Using Your Harvest
Harvesting Basics
Preparing Remedies
Culinary and Internal Uses
Topical Preparations
Research, Research, Research
Enjoy the Adventure
3. Kitchen Garden Herbs
Basil
Bay leaf/Bay laurel
Cayenne
Cilantro/Coriander
Fennel
Mints
Oregano
Rosemary
Sage
Thyme
4. Herbal Garden Remedies
Arnica
Calendula
Catnip
Chamomile
Comfrey
Echinacea
Garlic
Lemon balm
Mullein
Valerian
Yarrow
5. Fruits and Shrubs
Blueberry
Blackberry
Elderberry
Evening Primrose
Raspberry
6. Wild Yard Friends
Burdock
Chickweed
Cleavers
Dandelion
Ground ivy
Lambs quarters
Nettles
Plantain
Red clover
Yellow dock
Miscellaneous Garden Supplies
Beyond the Backyard
Adventure: Round One
Resources
Index
Photo credits
Meet Elizabeth Millard
| Download Ebook | Read Now | File Type | Upload Date |
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Read Now | Epub | May 30, 2020 |
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