Starting a Healing Garden From Seed Part 2

We are about 10 weeks away from the last frost here in Southern Indiana, so last week I bought four packets of herb seeds to start my Healing Garden inside.  This year I will be growing Basil, Lavender, Mint and Rosemary.  All of these herbs can be used in cooking and they each have healing properties. Basil is an excellent anti-depressant and anti-bacterial, Rosemary improves memory, Peppermint is beneficial to the gut, easing nausea; and, Lavender has pain relieving properties.  At the end of the growing season, I like to either dry the herbs or infuse a high quality oil with them and make salves.

I have been saving the Oui Yogurt glass jars just for the seed starting project.  They are just big enough to start seeds and don't take up too much space in my kitchen.  Not to mention that they are glass, making them a hardy container for the potting soil, seeds, and water.  In order to give the soil some drainage, you can drill small holes into the bottom of the jars. I folded up a small paper towel and put it at the bottom of each jar to absorb the moisture and send it back up to the soil.

After placing the paper towel in the bottom of the jar, I filled each jar with soil, making a small hole to fill with seeds.  I then covered the seeds with more soil and watered each herb jar with water.  In order to know which herb is in each jar, I taped the herb's name from the seed packet onto each jar.  

Around mid May, the herbs will be ready to transplant into bigger pots and set out in full sun outside.  I can't wait to have my own fresh, organic herbs without any pesticides being used on them.  When they are ready to go, I will blog some recipes for oils that can be used in cooking and only take a few minutes to prepare. There is nothing like going outside and cutting off some of your own herbs to prepare a meal.

Which herbs are you growing in your garden this season?