How to Plant Herbs for Medicine

If you commonly use herbs for medicinal purposes and purchase them from the store, you may want to consider planting your own medicinal herb garden. Planting, growing and harvesting the herbs is easy and can be done in nearly any climate. Here's how to grow six of the most common medicinal herbs.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Chamomile
• Echinacea
• Feverfew
• Garlic
• St. John's wort
• Valerian

1. Choose a site with full sun and rich, well drained soil to plant chamomile. Plant seeds in the spring or fall; keep the plants about 18 inches apart. Chamomile is known for its sedative, spasmolytic, anti-inflammatory and wound-healing properties.

2. Sow echinacea seeds directly into the ground outside once the soil reaches a temperature of 55 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit in the spring. Lightly cover them with 1/8" of soil once they begin to grow. They prefer part shade to full sun in neutral well drained soil. Echinacea is commonly used for prevention and treatment of colds as well as wound healing.

3. Plant feverfew seeds in a sunny area of your garden during the spring. It will grow in nearly any kind of soil. Since it's a short-lived perennial, you should plant in succession to maintain a supply of new plants. Common uses for this herb include migraine prophylactic and antiarthritic.

4. Plant separated unpeeled garlic cloves directly in the ground top side up four to eight inches apart in the early in the fall. It grows best in fertile, well-drained beds. If you live in a cold, wet climate, plant the garlic cloves four inches down from the soil level. Garlic is used for lipid lowering, anthithrombotic, fibrinolytic and antihypertensive purposes.

5. Start St. John's wort seeds indoors after the last frost. Transplant them into a moist sandy bed located in sun to partial shade. St. John's wort is used for antidepressant and antiviral purposes.

6. Get valerian starter plants rather than planting seeds, as they can be difficult to germinate. It requires fertile, weed-free soil and needs to be fertilized regularly with nitrogen-rich fertilizer. Space them a foot apart. Cut flower stalks as soon as they appear to direct more energy to the root. Valerian is used as a sleep aid and antispasmodic.