A Patch of Peace: How I Got Started Growing Herbs and How Our Family Uses Them

Spring is around the corner.. Which means so is the gardening season! We live on .3 acres in Michigan… And we are BLESSED! There is enough space to do what I love: grow herbs! But let’s back up, I didn’t just dive right into these amazing God-given plants. A couple years into getting established in our home, I started with a small garden. One garden box. I thought it would be cool for the kids to learn how to grow plants and see that whole process + we had the extra space in our yard + I have a husband who loves me very much, so away we went with our one garden box (inside this box pictured was my attempt at growing tomatoes from seed.. They all died, but hey, I tried and ended up buying plant starts from a local store that sell them for $1!)

Well, friends, no one tells you how therapeutic gardening can be! So one box the first year, became two boxes the second. 

Then, I decided, forget the sectioned off boxes, let's just till up that whole section of the yard (oh, and get chickens and build a coop of course - but that’s a story for another day). 

Again, kids involved + extra yard space + loving husband = a bigger garden! 

This same year, my neighbor across the street gave me some purple sage at the end of the growing season. I took it, and naturally - googled “what to do with purple sage”. You can use it for turkey, awesome, I don’t love turkey. So I kept scrolling.. More spice recipes, until somehow, I struck gold with a Sage Honey recipe. Roughly all you do: dry the herb & pour honey over it, let it cold infuse for several weeks on your window sill: boom, you have honey to use by itself or in tea when people are sick with respiratory illnesses. I learned sage is a “drying” herb, so it works great for mucus-y conditions. My life was changed from that moment on, as I was made aware of a whole world I had never been exposed to before: herbal remedies! I now use them for my family & my work as a doula.

I love the benefits that herbs can provide us: First of all, they are natural, God-given! Second, they are beautiful! Third, they are so easy to grow. Fourth, they really can work in place of store bought items. Fifth, they just keep giving and giving all season! It’s not a one and done type of plant, it keeps growing after you’ve picked some, and in fact, will produce more as you glean from it! I’m going to share the herbs I grow in my .3 acres, why I grow those ones, and what I do with them. (By the way, I’ve added two more herb garden boxes by my deck and I’m still strategizing how to get more in the front yard for this coming summer.. Don’t tell my husband!)

Before I dive into the specific herbs I love to grow, let me explain real quick how herbs work. I taught an introduction to herbs class at our church to the kids, and this is the simplest way I've come to explain it! Think of your body’s cells as being covered in tiny biological "locks" called receptors, which control everything from your mood to your immune response. Herbs work because they contain specific chemical compounds that act as "keys" with unique 3D shapes. When you consume an herb, these chemical keys circulate through your system until they find a matching receptor; once they click into place, they "turn the lock" to trigger a specific cellular action—like signaling a muscle to relax or a nerve to dampen a pain signal. While pharmaceutical drugs are often a single, powerful key, an herb is more like a keyring, offering a variety of shapes that can gently engage multiple locks at once to restore balance.

Herbs I grow:

Lavender

• Why: A premier nervine, its phytochemicals act as keys that click into receptors in the central nervous system to reduce cortisol, ease anxiety, and promote deep, restorative sleep. 

• What: I dry it and use it in teas, and we throw it in rice bags for a calming effect. 

Rosemary

• Why: Its piney scent is an instant wake-up call for the senses, and its needle-like evergreen foliage adds structural beauty to the garden year-round. Known as the "herb of remembrance," it acts as a circulatory stimulant that helps improve focus, memory, and mental clarity. It also is great on food!

• What: As amazing as all those benefits are, I actually use it for my hair! I take 2-3 springs of rosemary, and boil it in water and then use it on my hair to promote good hair growth. You can also make an oil infusion with it to massage and leave in. 

Calendula

• Why: These bright, cheerful "pot marigolds" are incredibly prolific bloomers.

  A powerhouse for skin health, it possesses anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties that support tissue repair and soothe irritation.

• What: This is by far a top contender for my favorite herb. I use it in all my skin salves. I make an oil infusion and add that oil to so many wonderful salves. AND IT WORKS! I have no store bought lotions in our home anymore, this is all I use. It works on my son’s eczema, on any dry skin or diaper rash. This is a must have! It’s also a fan favorite of the kids to pick as you pop the tops off!

  **I make a FANTASIC nipple cream out of deer tallow and calendula. It's a game changer in the nursing world and I give one to every client.

Echinacea

• Why: The bold, pink-purple "coneflowers" are striking to look at and serve as

  a favorite landing pad for butterflies and bees. A premier immune-system modulator, it helps the body’s defenses recognize and react to pathogens more efficiently during the onset of a cold.

• What: This is another top contender for my favorite herb (no I won’t say this about every herb!). I dry the flower head, and make a echinacea tincture for us to take when we are sick to help boost our immune systems when we are sick. It definitely has a kick to it, but hey, anything to help during sick season! I “hid” it in water with manuka honey for my kids so they will take it.

Sage

• Why: Highly astringent and antimicrobial, it is famously used to dry up excess secretions and soothe "hot" conditions like a sore throat or night sweats.

  What: I again dry sage, and make a tincture out of it for the sick season. We use it when we have coughs/runny noses or to give the immune system a good boost! I also cold infuse it in honey - that is a favorite among the kids! Whenever they are sick, they are always asking for a spoonful of sage honey. Also makes a good addition to tea if you are struggling with a congestion sickness.

Yarrow

• Why: Often called "the master of the blood," it helps regulate circulation and is traditionally used to reduce fevers by promoting a healthy sweat. It helps with blood coagulation as well.

• What: I infuse this in oil, and add it to a skin salve that I use specifically for small cuts. You can also just grab it straight from the plant and rub it into a cut that is bleeding to help slow the bleeding - that’s actually what soldiers used to do on the battlefield!  

Thyme

• Why: Rich in thymol, it is a potent respiratory ally with strong antibacterial properties that help clear congestion and deep-seated coughs.

• What: I mostly use this for cooking purposes, but I aim to expand its repertoire in our home this next year for more natural remedy purposes!

Lemon Balm

• Why: A simple rub of the leaves releases a bright, sherbet-like citrus scent that is arguably the most "happy" fragrance in the plant kingdom. A gentle nervine that lifts the spirits, eases "nervous tummy" issues, and helps calm a racing mind without making you feel drowsy.

• What: I dry this and use it for tea, I’m hoping to grow a lot more of this in the year to come. My son and I made a chamomile, lemon balm and lavender tea: it is our FAVORITE! I also add the fresh leaves into cold drinks during the summer months, it’s so refreshing!

Mint

• Why: Primarily used as a digestive aid, its menthol content works as an antispasmodic to relax the muscles of the digestive tract and relieve bloating. 

• What: I dry this and use it for tea. It’s great for belly aches in kiddos and adults, plus it’s so yummy and great in the evening to wind down and relax with a cup of mint tea. 

Chamomile

• Why: The tiny, daisy-like flowers are the definition of "charming," and their apple-like fragrance is deeply nostalgic and grounding. A classic sedative and anti-inflammatory, it gently "turns the lock" on the nervous system to signal it's time to rest and decompress.

• What: I dry this and use it for tea. Like mentioned above, it’s a calming herb, so we use it in teas, and skin salves. 

Comfrey

• Why: It contains a special compound called allantoin that acts as a high-speed key for cell proliferation, signaling your body to rapidly grow new connective tissue, heal bruises, and mend strained ligaments.

• What: I dry this and use it in a first-aid salve for small cuts. It does such a fantastic job of healing cuts that you don’t want to use it on deep cuts, as it will heal the skin over a wound that is still potentially healing!

Herbs I harvest from my yard that I didn’t plant…

Plantain

• Why: Its broad, ribbed leaves are incredibly resilient. Known as the "green bandage," its phytochemicals act as a drawing agent to pull out toxins, soothe stings, and knit skin tissue back together.

• What: I dry this herb and make an oil infusion with it, and put it in my first aid skin salve, plus my normal skin salve. 

Dandelions

• Why: Their cheerful, yellow faces are the first sign of spring life. Every part is a powerhouse; the roots act as a bitter key for the liver to improve detoxification, while the leaves serve as a potent, potassium-rich diuretic to flush the kidneys.

• What: My mom made a dandelion jam (so good) with this last year, we made a magnesium lotion with a dandelion oil infusion and used it in my normal skin salve. So many uses as you can see! You can also just add the fresh leaves to a salad.

Mullein

• Why: This plant is everywhere. Literally everywhere. If I pointed it out to you, you would understand what I mean - you’d see it everywhere! It’s a premier respiratory tonic, its mucilage content creates a soothing "coat" for the lungs, helping to expel deep congestion and calm a dry, barking cough. 

• What: I dry the leaves and flowers and use them in a tincture for winter - it’s my first line of defense when a child has a cough. I also use it with garlic for an ear infection remedy with the kids. 

I hope you have been inspired by what I love to grow in my yard and realize you can do the same. You don’t need a lot of space, I grow all this on .3 acres. If you don’t have extra money or access to a rototiller - pot them! Walmart has cheap pots - truthfully, many of my herbs first started in pots in our backyard. I know how busy life can get, so start small and go from there. Figure out the needs your family has and before running to the store, see if nature provides a help/solution… from our family's experience, you can find some beautiful and wonderful plants to help. You can always buy the herbs already dried online too - through Mountain Rose Herbs or Amazon.

For those of you who have already been in this world, what are your favorite herbs to grow or harvest from the “wild”?! I’m always looking to add to my ever expanding collection!