Medicinal Herbs
Healing plants for the home garden.
Grow your own garden pharmacy
People have grown herbs for teas, salves, and remedies for thousands of years. Most are easy to grow in San Diego, need little water, and bring bees and butterflies to your garden. Grown in living soil, they are more fragrant and flavorful too.
Most herbs want full sun and well-drained soil. Many are more fragrant in lean soil.
Rosemary, lavender, and oregano are drought tolerant. Mint, ginger, and chamomile like steady moisture.
Pick in the morning after the dew dries, when the oils are strongest.
Hang small bundles in a shady, airy spot, then store in glass jars away from light.
Peppermint
Mentha × piperita
A classic tea herb. Peppermint is traditionally used to soothe the stomach and ease digestion, and its cooling menthol is used in balms and steams.
Grow tip: It spreads fast by runners. Grow it in a pot or a sunken container and keep the soil moist.
Spearmint
Mentha spicata
Milder and sweeter than peppermint. Traditionally used in teas for an upset stomach, and a favorite in iced tea, salads, and mint sauce.
Grow tip: Keep it away from peppermint so they don’t cross. Pinch off flowers to keep leaves coming.
Rosemary
Salvia rosmarinus
Long associated with memory and circulation, and traditionally used in teas, infused oils, and hair rinses. A kitchen essential, and bees love its blue flowers.
Grow tip: Very drought tolerant once established and perfect for San Diego. Good drainage matters more than water.
Oregano
Origanum vulgare
Rich in aromatic oils. Traditionally used in teas and steams for coughs and colds, and as a natural preservative in cooking.
Grow tip: Greek oregano has the best flavor. Lean, dry soil makes it more fragrant. Cut back after flowering.
Calendula
Calendula officinalis
Bright petals traditionally infused into oils and salves for skin, cuts, and rashes. The petals are edible and add color to salads.
Grow tip: A cool-season flower in San Diego. Pick flowers often for more blooms; it reseeds itself.
Chamomile
Matricaria chamomilla
The classic calming tea. Chamomile flowers are traditionally used to help with sleep, stress, and digestion.
Grow tip: Sow seed on the soil surface, since it needs light to sprout. Harvest flowers when the petals start to fold back.
Lavender
Lavandula spp.
Its scent is traditionally used for relaxation and sleep, in sachets, oils, and baths. A magnet for bees and butterflies.
Grow tip: Spanish and French lavender thrive here. Give it sharp drainage, water sparingly, and trim after bloom without cutting into old wood.
Ginger
Zingiber officinale
A warming root traditionally used in tea for nausea, digestion, and colds. Fresh homegrown ginger is milder and juicier than store-bought.
Grow tip: Plant plump pieces with visible buds in rich, moist soil or a wide pot. Harvest 8–10 months later when the leaves yellow.
Elderberry
Sambucus spp.
Ripe berries are traditionally cooked into syrup for colds and immune support, and the flowers are used for tea. Birds love it too.
Grow tip: Our native blue elderberry is drought tolerant and grows into a large shrub (10–20 ft). Only use fully ripe, cooked berries.
Planting dates are a general guide for San Diego County. Your microclimate may shift them a few weeks either way.
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