5 Herbs for Starting a Tea Garden
I remember the first time I realized I could grow my own tea. I was trying to go zero-waste and was knee-deep in teaching myself to make everything from scratch. It was fun, a good challenge, and not nearly as stressful as you might imagine. I was enjoying figuring out how to do things the old-fashioned way and felt empowered learning new skills.
I’d also started a backyard garden in our new home in Chicago and had planted a smattering of the most common herbs. I’d planned to use them in all the usual ways - to flavor soups and stews, to garnish dishes and cocktails, to make pestos, spreads, and butters. But at some point, while buying chamomile and mint tea from the bulk bins at our local co-op, it dawned on me that I could also grow them for tea. .
In no time at all, I was growing herbs for salves and balms and teas. I was drying them, preserving them, and sharing them with neighbors. I was infusing them in oils and vinegars, both for cooking and for cleaning. When drying herbs became second nature, I taught myself to make tea blends to promote calm, sleep, and concentration. As my husband likes to say, “Julia doesn’t have a dial - it’s all or nothing and most of the time it’s all.” For better of worse, he is not entirely incorrect.
I talk a bit about drying and preserving herbs in both of my books, but my favorite way to do it is to tie up herbs in bundles of 4-6 stems and hang them upside down. Once the herbs are dry, usually in 2-3 days, I take down the bundles, remove the dried leaves from the stems, and store them in airtight containers. It’s really that easy!
When it comes to brewing teas, I generally infuse them by pouring boiling water over leaves and flowers and letting them steep for 5-10 minutes. The general rule for infusing herbs is to steep 1 teaspoon of dried herbs (or 2 tablespoon of fresh herbs) per 8 ounces of water. This rule is flexible though, so don’t be surprised if I veer from it in some of my recipes below!
If you’re just starting a tea garden, it can feel a bit overwhelming, especially because there are dozens (if not hundreds) of herbs to choose from. But just like with growing vegetables, it’s always a good idea to focus on what you like to eat or, in this case, drink. There’s no need to grow rosemary if you don’t like how it tastes. Just think what that pot could be used for instead – chamomile, mint, lavender, thyme.
If you need help deciding what to grow, I’ve listed below my five favorite tea herbs, along with recipes for how to prepare them. Once you’ve run down the list, be sure to check out my runners up at the end of this post. Herbs are so easy to grow, I wouldn’t be surprised if you add five more to your collection next year. Enjoy!
CHAMOMILE (Zones 3-9)
Parts Used: flowers
Chamomile may be gentle, but it’s certainly not weak. As an herbal remedy, it’s a common go-to for nervous or digestive issues. The dried flowers make a calming tea that can help ease stress and nervousness, while promoting sleep and digestion. With its mild flavor, chamomile is great for kids and adults alike.
Chamomile is easy to grow from seed and is best cultivated by being sown directly in the garden in early spring. It prefers dry, light, well-draining soil. As a drought tolerant herb, it grows best in less-rich soil. Chamomile is also a hardy self-sower, so be careful where you plant it – it’s not a bad idea to grow it in a large pot or half-whisky barrel that can impose some limits on this rambunctious flower!
Although chamomile prefers full sun, it likes cooler weather and will get leggy and bolt when temperatures start to soar. If you live in a warm climate, be sure to sow early in the spring so the flowers have time to bloom before summer sets in. Harvest chamomile when its flowers are fully open and fragrant, using your fingers like a rake to pull them up and off their stems. This method is far more efficient than picking one flower at a time!
Relaxing Chamomile Latte
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup dried chamomile flowers
1 1/2 cups coconut milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp honey
1. Boil water in a small pot, then remove it from the heat. Place the chamomile flowers in a tea ball, add the ball to the pot, cover it with a lid, and steep the flowers for 5-10 minutes.
2. Gently heat the milk and vanilla in another pot until they simmer. Remove the pot from the heat, allow the milk to cool for two minutes, then whip it into a froth.
3. Strain the chamomile flowers, add the tea to the milk, stir in the honey, mix well, and enjoy!
MINT (Zones 3-9)
Parts Used: Leaves
Mint comes in a slew of different varieties form peppermint to spearmint, catnip, banana mint, chocolate mint, and pineapple mint. As a remedy, it is most often used to help ease digestion and relieve congestion. For tea, mint leaves are especially delicious used fresh, but you can also dry them and store them in an airtight container for up to a year.
Mint is a highly aromatic, perennial herb that will grow happily in moist, well-draining soil and in full sun or partial shade. It grows vigorously (some would say invasively), sending out runners above and below the ground and establishing colonies. It will quickly take over a bed if you let it, so it’s almost always recommended that you grow it in pots. Mint is generally started from nursery transplants or cuttings.
Honey Lemon Mint Pick Me Up Tea
3 cups water
handful of fresh or dried mint leaves
half a lemon
honey, to taste
1. Boil water in a small pot, then remove it from the heat. Place the mint leaves in a tea ball, add the ball to the pot, cover it with a lid, and steep for 5-10 minutes.
2. Squeeze the juice of the lemon half into the tea.
3. Stir in the honey and enjoy!
LEMON BALM (Zones 4-9)
Parts Used: Leaves
As a member of the mint family, lemon balm has a citrusy, slightly minty taste that makes for a delicious cup of tea. Medicinally, it has been used for heart disease (and heartache), depression and anxiety, nervous disorders, and a host of viral and bacterial infections. A tea made of lemon balm and chamomile is an excellent remedy for nervous distress and stomach aches. Also known as bee balm, lemon balm is excellent at attracting pollinators to the garden. Pots and beds where lemon balm grows tend to buzz with activity!
Lemon balm is a fast-growing perennial in zones 4-9 and can be grown as an annual in colder regions. It prefers moist, well-draining soil and a bit of shade, although it can tolerate full sun as well. You can sow seeds directly in the soil in the fall or start seeds indoors in the spring. Lemon balm transplants are also commonly sold at nurseries in the spring. If you buy it this way, just be sure it was grown organically as you wouldn’t want to consume leaves from a plant that has been sprayed.
Chamomile Lemon Balm Calm Down Tea
1/2 tsp lemon balm dried
1/2 tsp chamomile flowers dried
1 cup of water
1. Boil water in a small pot, then remove it from heat. Combine the herbs in a tea ball, add them to the pot, cover with a lid, and steep for 5-10 minutes.
2. Stir in honey, to taste, and enjoy!
THYME (Zones 5-9)
Parts Used: Leaves
Thyme is beloved by gardeners and bees alike, although it’s often overlooked by contemporary herbalists. That said, Rosemary Gladstar touts it as one her favorite cold and cough remedies. A powerful disinfectant, thyme can be used both externally (as a wash) and internally to help fight off infections. Thyme is commonly used to help ward off colds and treat sore throats and oral infections. As a tea, it can be used to treat coughs and chest complaints. It also happens to be one of the cutest plants I’ve ever grown – the purple blossoms are the sweetest and can be tossed in ice cube trays and lollipops to add a little splash of joy to your life!
Thyme is a hardy perennial that thrives in most climates, though it prefers well-drained soil and full sun. Seeds can be sown directly in the garden in late spring or indoors in seed modules for an earlier start. It’s also very easy to find as a young plant at most nurseries in the spring. There are many varieties of thyme. For medicinal and tea purposes, choose Thymus vulgarus and/or lemon thyme (T. citriodorus).
Thyme Tea for Decongestion
1 cup water
2-3 tsp fresh or dried thyme
lemon slice
honey
1. Boil water in a small pot, then remove it from heat. Combine the herbs in a tea ball, add them to the pot, cover with a lid, and steep for 5-10 minutes.
2. Add fresh lemon and honey, to taste, and enjoy!
LEMON VERBENA (Zones 8-11)
Parts Used: Leaves
Lemon verbena is like a ray of sunshine in the garden. Also known as lemon bee brush, it’s recognized by its pointed leaves, rough texture, and unmistakable lemon scent. If you live in a zone where it is hardy, lemon verbena can grow into a 6 foot tall shrub, releasing its citrusy aroma as you walk by it in the garden. Lemon verbena is also a perennial shrub used for culinary and medicinal purposes. Medicinally, it’s used as a digestive tonic and a calming, sleep aid for tension-related insomnia. The essential oil from lemon verbena is used in aromatherapy to sharpen concentration.
Lemon verbena prefers warm weather and should be planted in the spring after the last frost. It prefers rich, well-draining soil and full sun – the more, the merrier! It also needs regular watering to prevent plant stress, leaf drop, and insect pest infestation. Although you could technically start it from seed, it’s much more common to start lemon verbena as a transplant. It can be trained to grow up a wall, fence, or trellis, so be sure to install supports at the time of planting. Harvest leaves once the plant reaches ten inches tall and has multiple leaves on each stem. When lemon verbena flowers, the intensely citrusy leaves are at their most flavorful.
Lemon Verbena Mint Tea
1 cup water
1 sprig lemon verbena
1 sprig fresh mint
lemon slice
honey
1. Boil water in a small pot, then remove from heat. Combine the herbs in a tea ball, add them to the pot, cover with a lid, and steep for 5-10 minutes.
2. Add fresh lemon and honey, to taste, and enjoy!
If you want to explore other herbs for making tea, I also love fennel, echinacea, rosemary, raspberry leaf, nettle, lavender, borage, hibiscus, holy basil, anise hyssop, rose hips, and lemon grass.