Grow Your Own Herbal Tea Garden This Winter

Feeling a bit blue about the coming winter? You can brighten up your any indoor space with a simple herbal tea garden. Growing your own herbs is surprisingly easy, as long as you have sunlight and a bit of space – enough for a container garden – even a windowsill will do.

Your Chance to Get Creative

This is the perfect opportunity to get creative! Paint an old shipping pallet, or pick up inexpensive paint cans to house your herbs – both pictured.

If you’re thinking of putting your garden indoors, choose a south-facing window to maximize exposure to the sun. Six+ hours of sunlight is best for most edible plants, but some herbs (such as mint) can thrive on as little as four.

What To Grow

There are many varieties of herbs that are both delicious in tea and look beautiful in an outdoor garden or indoor planter. Mint, lemon balm, and chamomile are all good indoor options, while outdoors bee balm, lavender, and rose all have colorful flowers. Herbs also have medicinal qualities, so you can enjoy your tea guilt free!

If you don’t have a green thumb, mint may be a great herb to start with because it is hardy and comes in a number of interesting varieties. In fact, mint is so good at growing that it’s best to put it in a container garden (like a pot, window box or milk crate) instead of in an open garden. If left unchecked mint will spread like a weed, quickly taking over all of the available growing space!

Once the herbs have started to grow they can be harvested and either hung up to dry or steeped right away in hot water. After 4-6 minutes, remove the herbs and enjoy your freshly brewed cup of tea!

Interested in learning more in 2018?
Register for the 2018 Urban Farming Course, an intensive hands-on weekend program with GCG’s team of Horticultural Specialists, designed to give you the skills you need to grow food at home and in the community. Participants leave with an in-depth knowledge of course topics. Space is limited, register early to ensure your seat!