Growing Herbs With Children

Planting a garden with children provides an empowering opportunity, one replete with rewards. With their hands in the soil, budding gardeners gain an active role in personal and planetary well being, all while enjoying the rich sounds, smells, and textures around them. Gently placing seeds in the ground and watching them grow fosters an understanding of an important three R's — reconnection with the earth, responsibility of nurturing other living things, and reverence for the miracle of creation and the role that plants have in our very survivial.

When the garden finally blooms, children learn first-hand the endless applications of herbs in the home. Many culinary plants such as basil, parsley, and chives grow quite easily, and young cooks will delight in adding home-grown sesonings to their first kitchen creations. Other herbs like chamomile, calendula, and mint make tasty teas and simple home remedies. The herbs that follow provide the ingredients for a positive first gardening experience. Add others to the mix as your child's interest and confidence grow.

Chamomile seeds, given their tiny size, need only a light covering of soil. But by early summer you'll have plants that are two feet tall with heaven scented, white-petaled flowers. The more you pick these flowers, the more new blooms will emerge. Children can pluck them one by one, or run their fingers through them like a rake. Either way, they'll enjoy the aromatic meditation of harvesting.

Chamomile flowers are a welcome addition to any tea party. Pour one cup of boiling water over one teaspoon dried herb (double the amount of herb if using fresh). Steep five minutes and strain. Calming and relaxing, the tea also relieves indigestion, gas, and diarrhea, and soothes sores and sunburn when used as a cooled wash. At night, a small pillow stuffed with the dried flowers makes a wonderful bedtime companion for restless sleepers. Chamomile is an annual, but it seeds so plentifully that you'll see it return to the garden year after year.

Calendula, with its large, unusual curlicue seeds, is a delight to plant, and it sprouts quickly. Its bright yellow and orange blossoms add continuous cheer to any garden — especially one designed by kids. In cases of a scraped knee or bee sting, calendula's fresh flower petals will relieve pain and stop the bleeding when applied directly to the spot.

Even young children can help make their first home salve using this healing staple. People and pets alike will benefit from the herb's legendary soothing properties for cuts, chapped skin, rashes, eczema, boils and bites. Fill a jar with the dried flowers and cover in olive oil. Set the jar in a sunny window or other warm place for two weeks. Then strain the mixture through a white cotton cloth, and add one ounce of beeswax per cup of oil. Stir well to create a uniform consistency; the mixture will thicken when cool.

Lemon balm, a member of the mint family, has the characteristic penchant for speedy growth and a tendency to spread. The best way to start a patch is from the plant — either a small nursery-bought one or a transplanted clump. Tall and sprawling, the herb boasts bright green leaves and a delightful lemony scent and taste. Children can harvest the leaves throughout the hotter months and dry the extras to remind them of their summer garden year-round. Make a sun tea by placing a big handful of dried leaves in a ½ gallon jar filled with cold water. Set the jar outside on a sunny day, and in a few hours, your tea will be ready. Besides being a delicious refreshment, lemon balm tea will reduce fever, relieve headaches, and give an uplifting boost for "the blues".

Catnip, another tall mint with soft, green leaves and sturdy square stems, has a calming effect like chamomile's but with the digestive relief of mint. To temper its bitter taste, add honey when making the tea. It's a given that this plant will attract all the neighborhood cats — but that might be its biggest appeal to children. Be sure to make small pillows stuffed with the dried leaves for all your feline companions.

Herbalist and educator Kathryn Higgins is the creator of Motherlove Herbal Company in Laporte, CO, (www.motherlove.com). She is also the mother of three girls.

Printed in The Herb Quarterly, Summer 2000.