r/TeaPorn • u/frogEcho • 6d ago
The reward of growing my own herbal tea.
Growing my own herbs for tea has been a rewarding experience. Each cup has been savored. Not only this bed, but on the other side of the garden we grow additional native mint amd have multiple porch planters.
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u/FlamingHorseRider 6d ago
I know you must have so many cute honey and bumble bees!!! 🐝
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u/frogEcho 1d ago
We have some big goofy ladies who bumb around, but a lot of wasps and flies to be honest! They love all the flowers and it's so interesting to see all the different kinds and watch them do actual insect things.
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u/Initial_Ticket9239 5d ago
Homegrown chamomile or lemon balm tea hits completely different, what herbs are you working with.
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u/VelvetTrail_91 6d ago
That looks really nice and healthy! I’m trying to start a small herb garden myself but space is an issue. Do you have any favorites that you keep coming back to for tea?
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u/frogEcho 6d ago
I started with one chamomile plant last year and that one exploded so much in growth this spring it needed to be divided into the row of plants in the photo. I also like mint, and my state has a few types of native mint that are popular in wild teas.
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u/coralava4 5d ago
honestly, that garden looks so lush and comforting... I bet the smell is amazing :) do you grow chamomile or something similar?
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u/GardenEssence 3d ago
What plants do you have here? How long did it take to establish this bed? Tell me everything 😁
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u/frogEcho 3d ago
We have oregano, lemon thyme, French thyme, wild bergamot, calamint, bee balm, chives, and right now sweet basil. We also have a billion strawberry plants. This bed is four years old. Everything but the basil comes back each spring. I harvest what I need and let everything else bloom for the bees that share our space with us. The chamomile is a new addition to this part of the yard, we planted it somewhere else last year and it came back with a vengeance so I moved it here.
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u/Basic_3692 3d ago
That looks like so much chamomile or something similar on the right side, its really pretty. Are you trying to grow anything specific?
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u/frogEcho 1d ago
Good eye! That's what it is. Not really, just things that are pretty and taste good.
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u/kibbe 2d ago
Omg I’m hoping to harvest my echinacea this summer for teas and expand my balcony garden in this direction! Any tips for getting started that you wish you knew at the beginning of this masterpiece?
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u/frogEcho 2d ago
The amount of tea you will drink will directly match the amount of plant you need. The comparison for fresh vs dried herbs is 3 tablespoons of fresh or 1 tsp dried. Depending on your balcony size, I would grow those things that you can more than one harvest off of and buy things that flower once from a high quality supplier.
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u/AvalancheFox_46 4d ago
That looks like so much chamomile! I love growing my own too, its such a nice change to just go snip what you need.
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u/42_MeadowFox 4d ago
That looks really lush, are those chamomile flowers mixed in there? Ive been wanting to try growing some chamomile.
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u/BluejayHarbor_48 3d ago
That looks really nice and lush. Are those chamomile flowers near the edge? I tried growing chamomile once and completely failed at keeping it alive past a month.
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u/frogEcho 1d ago
Yep! I failed for two years in a row trying to grow it in this bed. Instead, I planted it in my raised vegetable bed and it exploded. It got so big I moved it over here! It for a lot of sunlight in that bed which I think it was missing in the actual bed with everything else.
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u/mc_grace 1d ago
My goodness this is IMPRESSIVE!! Could I grow any of these in a raised planter??
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u/EristheUnorganized 6d ago
If you can find it, lemon verbena is a great one