HOMEGROWN HERBS A Complete Guide to Growing, Using, and Enjoying More than 100 Herbs Tammi Hartung Photography by Saxon Holt ß Storey Publishing Dedicated to Chris and M’lissa, with love The mission of Storey Publishing is to serve our customers by publishing practical information that encourages personal independence in harmony with the environment. Edited by Carleen Madigan and Anne Halpin White Art direction and book design by Jessica Armstrong Photography by © Saxon Holt except for © CuboImages/Alamy 227 right; © GAP Photos, Ltd./BBC Magazines, Ltd. 215 right; © Bob Gibbons/Alamy 188; © Storey Publishing 56 & 96; Mars Vilaubi 111 Garden plan illustrations by Alison Kolesar Insect illustrations by Brigita Fuhrmann and Kurt Musfeldt Indexed by Christine R. Lindemer, Boston Road Communications © 2011 by Tammi Hartung An earlier version of this book was published under the title Growing 101 Herbs That Heal (Storey Publishing, 2000) All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages or reproduce illustrations in a review with appropriate credits; nor may any part of this book be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means — electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or other — without written permission from the publisher. The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. All recommendations are made without guar- antee on the part of the author or Storey Publishing. The author and publisher disclaim any liability in connection with the use of this information. Storey books are available for special premium and promotional uses and for customized editions. For further information, please call 1-800-793-9396. Storey Publishing 210 MASS MoCA Way North Adams, MA 01247 www.storey.com Printed in China by Toppan Leefung Printers Ltd. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Hartung, Tammi, 1961– Homegrown herbs / Tammi Hartung ; photography by Saxon Holt. p. cm. Includes index. ISBN 978-1-60342-703-6 (pbk. : alk. paper) ISBN 978-1-60342-705-0 (hardcover : alk. paper) 1. Herbs. 2. Herb gardening. 3. Herbs—Utilization. 4. Herbs—Therapeutic use. 5. Cooking (Herbs) I. Holt, Saxon. II. Title. SB351.H5H3236 2011 635’.7—dc22 2010043055 CONTENTS Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Foreword by Rosemary Gladstar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 CHAPTER ONE An Introduction to Growing and Using Herbal Plants. . . . . 11 CHAPTER TWO Selecting Plants and Designing Your Garden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 CHAPTER THREE Secrets to Great Soil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 CHAPTER FOUR Propagation Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 CHAPTER FIVE Garden Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 CHAPTER SIX Pest and Disease Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95 CHAPTER SEVEN Harvesting from the Garden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113 CHAPTER EIGHT Making Herbal Preparations for Medicine and Personal Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .135 CHAPTER NINE Cooking with Herbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151 CHAPTER TEN Herb Personalities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .173 Resources. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245 Recommended Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246 Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS MY DANCE WITH THE PLANTS b egan a long time ago, My love and deepest thanks to my husband, Chris, over 30 years now. My journey to understand how to my daughter, M’lissa, and my wonderful parents, Alvin grow and use them will be ongoing for all the rest of and Carroll. They nurture and love me in every way the days that I walk on this earth. Many people have and have given me so much support in the writing of played a role in my understanding of and inspiration this book. for working with herbs. Thank you to Rosemary Gladstar, who came into I of er my gratitude and appreciation to my elders, my life as my teacher, who has enriched my life as within my family and my community, and to the one of my most treasured friends. She has done me teachers who have helped me learn about plants. the great honor of writing the foreword for this book. Much love to you, Rosemary. I of er my thanks to Saxon Holt, the photographer. He made the photo shoots easy and fun, for which I am very grateful. He is a joyful man with great talent. I am deeply indebted to Carleen, my editor at Storey, who has been a constant source of guidance, kind and inspiring words, and good editorial advice. Thank you, Carleen. I appreciate you! To the rest of the Storey staf , thank you for being so helpful in every way. This book refl ects all the positive energy I’ve been gifted with by many individuals during the course of my life and my work with plants. I hold every one of you in my heart with honor and respect. You are each a piece of the reason that I embrace this passion for plants and have chosen this lifestyle. 4 | Foreword by Rosemary Gladstar FOR THE PAST 40 YEARS I HAVE SPENT MUCH OF MY TIME IN A GARDEN — watering, tending, weeding, planting, and mostly enjoying. I’ve had the great good fortune to have planted two gardens that became public gardens, sanctuaries for plants that many others came to enjoy. And I’ve had the pleasure of visiting hundreds of other gardens and the lucky people who tended them. One of the most amazing and most prolifi c of gardeners is Tammi Hartung, the astute authoress of this amazing book you hold in your hands. I’ve known Tammi for so many years now, I can’t even recall the fi rst time I met her. But for as long as I’ve known her, she’s been a gardener extraordinaire and a brilliant plantsperson, deeply engrossed in the secret life of plants, and versed in with their inner teachings. Tammi is a master gardener with all plants and toward schoolchildren. Much of her work centers on can coax anything to grow, but fi rst and foremost the healing property of herbs. she loves herbs — those magic healing plants that When Tammi talks about the healing power of were used so aptly by our ancestors for health, heal- plants, her message is of much broader scale than ing, spiritual, and culinary purposes. Though a using them only as medicine for humans. She under- renowned gardener, Tammi is also an accomplished stands and appreciates the plants also as medicines medical herbalist and educator, and is often asked of and for the earth, within the garden and the larger to speak at conferences and events around the coun- landscape that surrounds our garden plots. As try. But there’s nowhere she’s more at home than in Stephen Buhner, herbalist and author, states in the her gardens at Desert Canyon Farm, and nothing foreward to Plant Spirit Healing by Pam Montgomery, that she’d rather talk about than gardening and her beloved herbs. Tammi and her husband, Chris, settled on their farm over a decade ago. Located at the base of a mountain in the high desert of southern Colorado, one would hardly call the land that they settled on a gardener’s haven. With too little water, too much sun, and very cold winters, those fi rst few years were challenging; but with hard work and ingenu- ity, they transformed this high desert property into a gardener’s paradise. Even more than a garden, Desert Canyon Farm became a sanctuary, a pleas- ant refuge for fl ocks of birds, butterfl ies and other benefi cial insects, wild animals, and people who are hungry to learn about the green world. Here, in the When everyone has good food on their table and gardens, Tammi holds a variety of popular commu- herbal remedies for health and well-being in their cupboard, the world will indeed be a more peaceful and nity events, and hosts programs specially geared sustainable place. | 5 “That plant medicines are used throughout ecosys- arise in a garden. And it’s in her gardens — walking tems by insects, birds, reptiles, mammals, and other among the diverse beds of fl owers, herbs, vegetables, plants is something long overlooked by reductionist and wild plants, with hummingbirds darting about, researchers. Overlooked as well is that plants can, bird feeders full of songbirds, and an occasional and will, determine just what particular chemical an rabbit or even a deer strolling at the outskirts of the ill member of an ecosystem needs, and further, they garden — that one sees this healing power and rich will then begin making it for them.” Tammi applies biodiversity at its best. these principles — using the herbs’ own inherent It is here at Desert Canyon Farm that Tammi per- healing properties to help balance and heal the gar- fected her skills and expanded her view of garden- den’s ecosystem — to problem-solve the issues that ing beyond the normal realms of what belongs and what doesn’t belong in a garden. The rules change here. That’s one of the things I fi nd so intriguing This entire book teaches us to “think about this book. Tammi is, without doubt, emi- nently practical, and her advice in growing plants is like a plant” when we garden. always simple and direct. But there’s also an inter- connectedness woven into everything she does, so that what appears as simple is in fact profound, as in this “simple” piece of advice she of ers us: “If you are new to growing herbs, then remember the only rule is that there are no rules.” She then goes on to tell us, “Many of the herbs — especially those clos- est to their wild roots — seem to hate rules, and they are very good at breaking them.” Oh, I love that! Or how about “Set aside technology for a moment and begin to think like the plant you want to grow.” This entire book teaches us to “think like a plant” when we garden. Thinking like a plant isn’t all that dif cult, thanks to Tammi’s wonderfully clear instructions. Her approach is mostly about common sense and awareness. It’s also about reevaluating our current notions about garden weeds, wild animals, and soil, and envisioning our gardens as part of the greater ecosystem. She says, “Everything in a growing environment is interwo- ven: soil, water, temperature, insect populations, and pollinators.” How to welcome, enhance, and encour- age them is part of our goal as gardeners. Few people can take such broad concepts, weave them into simple doable steps, and manifest a gar- den. That’s the brilliance of Tammi’s teachings. She herself is eminently practical: What’s going to make my garden thrive, make the plants stronger, the soil richer, my body healthier, and my community hap- pier? She’s thinking of the whole interconnected Gardens should be beautiful, as well as practical. They can weave of life as she weeds and hoes, and considers nourish our bodies while also lifting our spirits with their rich which herbs to plant next to one another, who and colors and intoxicating fragrances! what to chase out of the garden, and who to invite 6 | FOREWORD BY ROSEMARY GLADSTAR in. It’s a philosophy that begins with the best choice pick up my hoe (that special kind she tells me about of seed, where best to plant them, what to feed the in the pages of her book that makes my job of hoeing soil, what method of watering is best, which insects so much easier), order my seeds, and start turning to encourage, how to attract benefi cial pollinators, the soil, knowing that I have the knowledge needed and what’s really the best way to manage the deer to begin the sacred act of creating a garden, a sanc- “problem” and those carrot-loving rabbits. tuary for all living beings. Even for me, an experi- Tammi’s ideas are refreshing, and they work. Even enced gardener, there’s so much in these pages that though I’ve gardened for a long time, I still fi nd this stimulate me and encourage me to try new ideas book to be rich with earthly wisdom and enthrall- and methods. ing ideas that continuously encourage me to review How wonderful to see gardening becoming popu- my gardening methods. Isn’t that the best book of lar again as people reinvest in their food sources as all, one that teaches us quietly, doesn’t scream too a direct route to better health, and as they yearn, out loudly, and encourages us to review our methods of dire need born in their souls, to reconnect to the and belief systems? Who says that deer, after all, are earth again. Nothing connects us more than dig- always a threat to a garden? And perhaps there are ging in the rich, moist soil teeming with microbial solutions to our deer problems other than deer fenc- activity, planting those seeds, and watching them ing and/or shooting them? There are other solutions grow. It is life manifest! People have been doing gar- of ered herein. . . . dening for millennia, knowing it not only produces Tammi gardens, too, because she’s dedicated to the best food possible but that it also fosters a deep medicinal plant conservation and knows that one of sense of belonging. the best ways to help conserve wild plant popula- And what better accomplishment to not only tions is by growing high-quality organic herbs for have a garden and grow your own food, but also be market. Poor logging practices, urban sprawl, poor able to make your own medicine from your garden harvesting techniques, and the rapidly growing plants. Tammi, an accomplished herbalist as well as herbal market have caused a dearth of some of our a gardener, has been making herbal medicine and most popular and ef ective native herbal medicines, teaching herb classes for many years. I don’t think some of them found growing nowhere else in the she could write a book about growing herbs without world other than North America. In 1994, a group of including a wonderful array of her favorite herbal herbalists and plant lovers came together to form a recipes and remedies for home health care. Growing small grassroots organization, United Plant Savers plants and making one’s own kitchen remedies has (UpS), that is dedicated solely to the preservation been such a long tradition of human beings. Our and cultivation of native medicine plants. From the ancestors all over the planet have been doing the beginning, Tammi was active in the organization same things for eons — caretaking, planting, grow- and served as a dedicated advisory board mem- ing, making food and medicine. ber for many years. Her gardens are a refl ection of In the simple act of sharing the bounty from her her conservation work with medicinal plants, and garden (both through her harvest and through her Desert Canyon Farm is a designated UpS Botanical teachings), Tammi is ensuring that this ancient tra- Sanctuary, providing a safe haven for many of the dition survives. plants that are at risk in the wild. We grow herbs to As she writes in the preface of her fi rst book, “This use them and we also grow them to protect them is my work, play, rest and spirituality.” Dig deeply. from extinction. Delve into these pages. You’ll fi nd not only practi- * * * cal advice and endless tips on growing herbs, but a This book is meant to make us think like a plant wise, deep, friendly voice, poetic and kind, guiding and like a gardener of plants. It also gives readers you on. every skill they need to create a successful, boun- tiful garden. From soil to seed to harvest, there is nothing missing here. If I were just a novice, I could FOREWORD BY ROSEMARY GLADSTAR | 7 Preface THIS BOOK REFLECTS A CONTINUATION OF MY LIFE STORY. It of ers a peek into the lifestyle my husband, Chris, and I follow, as well as the work we do here at Desert Canyon Farm. Both our lifestyle and our work are interwoven with plants and people. The farm is our home and sits at the base of the mountains in the high desert of southern Colorado. Chris and I decided in 1996, after many years of working for others, that it was time to stop managing arboretums, working at herbal manufacturing facilities, and propagating plants for other people, and to do something on our own. That fi rst spring, we planted 34 dif erent medicinal plants in our fi eld, and the following fall we put up a greenhouse. We started an herb school with a few public workshops and a two-year herbal apprenticeship program. We were in business. Much has changed through the years, as this is my own life, how to choose ways to enrich your life- the nature of farming. Our strategy is to remain style by allowing herbs to play an important role. diversifi ed in our products, but to keep the focus on A few years ago we made the decision to close herbs, heirloom and ethnic food plants, and open- our herb school and my private practice, and to pollinated seed crops, all grown with earth-friendly, stop doing consulting work. This allows us the time, organic methods. Our business and our personal beyond the growing of plants, to focus on hosting life revolve around the plants. Our fi eld produc- groups of schoolchildren at the farm, as well as tion has moved away from medicinal herbs and we time for me to write about all the things related to now produce perennial fl ower and grass seed crops an earth-friendly lifestyle. Seldom does a day pass instead. That fi rst greenhouse has grown to seven. when the farm isn’t as busy as a beehive. They hold our fi eld starts and provide us with our When we arrived, no one knew what to think of primary income-producing wholesale potted herbs, us, those crazy herb growers up on the hill. One heirloom vegetables, and the miniature plants used gentleman, who works in the prison industry here, in fairy gardens. reminded us as he was introducing himself that a Today’s society is fast-paced, and all about accom- neighbor of ours was “busted for having pot in his plishing more than is reasonable in each day’s time. barn.” Chris smiled and said, “Well, the only thing Our society has become consumed with “stuf ,” and you’ll fi nd in our barn is catnip.” Since that wary we often can be so intent on accumulating more neighbor’s introduction, much has changed, and that we forget to enjoy the very things and events the community has become very much a part of we want to be the building blocks of our lifestyle. the farm. Spring brings our annual series of public This book is about acknowledging what is impor- open-farm dates and workshops, plus a huge farm tant and nurturing in your life. It will of er you guid- plant sale. Neighbors constantly drop in for visits ance, skills, and inspiration to grow and use herbs and to seek a bit of plant advice for their gardens. in every aspect of your lifestyle. It is about honoring We have become very much a part of our commu- what is simple, beautiful, and empowering. I want to nity, and it feels great! share here in these pages, from the many lessons of 8 | Chris and I maintain our tradition of fi nding time to sit on the porch and enjoy the chiminea (a Southwestern outdoor fi replace) in the evening or take in a soak at the local hot springs. Chris is a jazz musician and a dedicated bike rider and lap swimmer, while I do my needlework, bake sour- dough breads, and take my morning walks along the Arkansas River. Our daughter, M’lissa, has long since fl own the nest, but she visits often, and helps out occasionally with farm projects while studying for her master’s degree in archaeology. For us, our work af ords us this lifestyle, which we feel is nurturing and important and allows us to live in a beautiful geographic location. We’re not likely ever to get close to a high income bracket, and it is doubtful that retirement will be part of our future. Those are the trade-of s. We have every- thing we need and much of what we want in a place where the pace of life is a bit gentler. Life is rich in abundance. I hope this book will help you to embrace your relationship with the place you call home and the plants that live in that space. Design and plant gar- dens that are practical and bring beauty into your home. Take advantage of the gifts plants of er you, and trust in your intuition and creativity. Use herbs to prepare delicious meals, support your good health and well-being, and make your home a comfortable, sacred place. As you bring herbs into every part of your life, of er your gratitude to the plants and the gifts they of er you. Take care of your gardens in a way that is earth-friendly and supports our great planet. Teach your children what you know and what such a way that I am a good and humble voice for you are still learning, for they are the caretakers of the plants. I hope that the gifts and lessons that the future. Chris and I have learned through the years will The fi elds at Desert Canyon Farm are more beau- of er helpful insights as you grow your gardens tiful than ever, the gardens have grown to gorgeous and use the herbs to enrich your lifestyle. That pas- maturity, and our ponds are alive with the earth’s sion is what I’m all about, and my wish is that it will creatures. Chris and I often refl ect on the fact that inspire you. we have come a long way from when we arrived in Cañon City as just a couple of “crazy herb farmers,” With green thoughts, and we are in a place of gratitude. I hope my passion for herbs and an earth-friendly philosophy will infuse the pages of this book in PREFACE | 9