what medicinal herbs should I grow in my apartment?
I live in a NW facing apartment near downtown Houston. My basil, strawberries, parsley, green onions, thyme, and lettuce have done pretty well. Of course my peace lily is thriving.
Anyway, just wondering what y'all suggest for either indoor or outdoor herbs this time of year. I want to grow something medicinal.
I could get some lights too...
What are your thoughts ? ?
🌱
Comments
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Sounds like you are on on the right track. Sage, rosemary, oregano and thyme, combined with garlic and turmeric is about the best cold remedy there is. Aloe is always good to have around. Of course, I play music all night and eat at some pretty sketchy food trucks ) when I'm down that way... so, maybe some wormwood, too. Tulsi basil is very medicinal.
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Don't forget peppermint!!! Great for GI issues, anxiety/stress!
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Pepper plants made good house plants. I'd choose one like Long Slim Red Cayenne or Super Chilli. Good for food or medicine making. You can put cayenne in Fire Cider, Onion/Garlic Honey, Poultices & Fomentations and Salves. Use as food medicine to keep your circulatory system working.
I don't think I have welcomed you to TGN's forum yet. So Welcome @Shay @ TGN
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I have usually planted more culinary herbs, but, I am constantly being reminded that most of what we use as culinary herbs also have medicinal properties. (oregano, chive, basil, rosemary, cilantro, sage, dill).
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I have seen grow light stands made for the kitchen. You can place it on the counter for access to your herbs and with a light you won't have limitations. They don't hold much, maybe 3-4 plants. If I had to chose I think that I would personally grow dill because I love it's taste and scent, rosemary for it's deliciousness and it's antibacterial and antiviral properties, chamomile for tea and sage. They may even have larger ones. It depends on how much counterspace you have.
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Hi @Shay @ TGN are you looking for all-purpose medicinal herbs or for something specific? For general overall health, stingy nettles are in a lot of formulas, it is really easy to grow in a container.
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That is a very nice selection of plants. Which plants I grow depend more on what I use. I agree with @judsoncarroll4 about the wormwood. It's very bitter, but perfect for the occasional bad choice of food (and it's a beautiful plant). I like Mexican food, so I also have epazote and cayenne. Jalapeños, too, but they're not usually considered medicinal.
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I like to keep a horehound plant growing on my windowsill. It's great for calming a cough.
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I like to grow mint and it has a decent amount of medicinal properties.
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Wow y'all are awesome! Thank you so so so much 😀
@judsoncarroll4 @ltwickey @torey @Grounded @karenjanicki @Lisa K @Tave @KimMullen @Cornelius
Yes Aloe is a must - I actually forgot to mention, I have a little baby aloe. My grandparents and dad have plenty I can grab too.
My purple cayenne is stuck in beginner mode, I need to grab my lights from Chicago...
And from your suggestions, I'm gonna invest in:
- wormwood
- peppermint
- sage
- dill
- rosemary
- chamomile
- stingy nettles
- epazote
- horehound
- other mint varieties
Seriously thanks so much!
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do you have any recommendations on wormwood seeds? I tried growing some in Montana from an etsy store and they didn't want to see daylight lol
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awwww yes peppermint will be the next seed I take from my seed vault and plant ASAP
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how much light would pepper plants need all year to thrive? My purple cayenne are still tiny tiny....
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OMG thank you for telling me about rosemary. Definitely need that for my memory :)
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Dill and chamomile sound so yummy right now. I have two indoor light systems waiting for me in Chicago.. stay tuned 😁
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Wormwood for the win, yes. Super curious about epazote. Cayenne is a staple in my pantry - if only I could get my baby purple cayenne to grow lol
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Interesting, never heard of horehound... Do you have any links or recommendation on where I can find some???
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Mint is a must. I love tasting all the different varieties. When I lived in Montana, I had like 3 kinds in addition to the wild ones on the property. I hope to see the same thing in the city one day 🤞
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Wormood roots easily from cuttings. If you do seeds, this is probably the cheapest source and has good advice on growing: https://www.seedsnow.com/pages/organic-wormwood-grow-guide
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Nice! That will be a pretty cool indoor garden :).
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Epazote is an herb that takes some getting used to. When I moved to South America, the seeds I took with me did not sprout. I was so disappointed. One of my students gave me paico and said it sounded similar to what I was looking for. It was a smell I knew well. Sure enough, paico and epazote are the same. This site has a good explanation of what epazote is and how to use it.
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Thank you all for the suggestions. I am going to start my indoor garden as soon as possible. I will have to study your suggestions a little more to decide what is best for me. My best south facing window is close to a forced air register. Will that make a great difference in the plants that I should choose?
DDP
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Here's a good article for growing rosemary indoors-it's a fav and a bit tricky. Enjoy!
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Hi, Lisa K - I wanted to grow these nettles, but have been told impossible to contain once in - though good for a compost pile, I understand - will the container be enough to contain? thanks!
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Hi @Elizabeth Voss they are in a big container that is up on blocks (I did this so it was easier to cleanout) so they only way they can get loose is by seeds so from now on I will cut the seeds on the edge of the pot as soon as possible.
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