Starting a Healing Garden From Seed Part 1

Today was one of the first nice days here in Southern Indiana. It's time to start thinking about Spring and planning a garden. I will be starting my own Healing Herb Garden seeds this weekend, so I thought it would be useful to share a few tips with you; and, hopefully, you will have some tips of your own.

By far the best things that I have come upon this month are the Oui yogurts! Not only are they delicious, like eating cheesecake, but the jars are glass and perfect for starting your own seedlings indoors. I plan on using these little guys to plant basil, rosemary and peppermint. Not only are these herbs excellent in recipes, but they also have many homeopathic uses. Rosemary is good for memory and lungs, peppermint is great for nausea and sore throats, and basil fights infections and is an antidepressant. To get my healing garden started, I will simply fill each jar with soil, add seeds, cover and water. When the last frost has arrived, usually by late March or mid April, I'll replant the herbs in pots and place them outside.

The picture below also features my Dandelion Salve. Dandelion is not just a weed, it's also an herb. A free herb! It grows rapidly in most back yards, so my favorite pastime in the Spring is to get out in my yard when the dandelions are overtaking it and pick as many as I can. Not only do I get fresh, warm air, but picking dandelions provides for a fun time for me, my family and the dogs. When I have picked enough dandelions, I dry them and put them in some high quality olive oil to make a dandelion infusion. After a few weeks, when the oil is fully infused, I strain the herb out of the oil, and reserve the oil for use in creams and salves. Dandelion is wonderful for cuts, scrapes, and dry skin. So, when I come inside during the summer and have chapped and cut up hands from pulling leaves, I can apply the Dandelion Salve and my hands are back to normal in no time. But the dandelion's benefits don't end there. I bet you didn't know that creams and salves made with dandelion oil are also excellent muscle pain relievers! This herb truly has a whole lot of uses and it's offered to us by Mother Nature for the taking.