Hedgerow Farm has a rather simple, herb garden. We began with the hardy types, which don’t die easily. Rosemary, lavender, mint, lemon balm, yarrow, tansy, chives, oregano, thyme and parsley.

Herbs are plants with stories, and you will enjoy growing them just to pass on the myths and legends from the ancient world. In the words of Penelope Hobhouse, “growing herbs, with their poetic and historical associations, has a connotation of ‘usefulness’ that serves a moral purpose.”

Homesteading with Herbs:
Herbs grow happily in containers, in raised beds, or planted among your foundational plantings. Some herbs do wander around the garden, or across your lawn so take note of the habits of mint, lemon balm, tansy especially.
If you are looking for a few herbs for beauty, scent, cooking, tea (tisane is the word for an herbal tea), consider rosemary, lemon balm, and lavender. Tuck a sprig or two of rosemary or lavender, into a notecard or letter.
If you would only grow one herb and you live in a temperate climate, grow rosemary, a noble herb of fidelity, love, friendship, and remembrance.

Jekka’s Complete Herb Book is a great book for reading, for knowing and for growing herbs. Besides the history, and usefulness of the herbs, she gives information about growing and harvesting from the plants. A section at the back of the book suggests practical and beautifully simple herb garden designs. She is highly regarded in Britain and beyond, has operated an herb farm and nursery for decades, and visit her website for more.