Seeds & More - Souly Rested

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Scroll down a little to see my full list of what I’m planting in my gardens and containers this year.

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I plant as many flowers as I can, to feed the bees. Find a great variety, with amazing germination rate, here.

This sprout “garden” means I can grow my own food–on my kitchen counter–all year long!

These sprouts are the best variety I’ve found.

We use our dump wagon often, for gardening and farm chores.

This garden hoe makes weeding a breeze. It’s kinda life changing.

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This cart does some major grunt work every spring and fall, moving heavy flower pots, bags of dirt, and even lawn furniture.

What I’m planting this year

If I could only plant one thing?

I think it would be this tomato. It contains high levels of anthocyanin, a naturally occurring antioxidant found in blueberries, which combats disease. And they’re stunningly gorgeous–just looking at them makes me happy.

But, thankfully, I have 3 gardens and get to plant a lot of wonderful food. Here’s my plan for this year:

The main gardens (planting as seedlings)

Purple asparagus (already established)

Millennium asparagus (a new variety this year)

Sweet peppers

Purple broccoli

Black cherry tomatoes

Pear cherry tomatoes

Indigo cherry tomatoes

Cherokee purple tomatoes

Pineapple tomatoes

Brandywine pink tomatoes

Mortgage lifter tomatoes

The main gardens (I’ll direct sow these)

The 16 ingredients in my medicinal drink garden (& their benefits)

Lavender (Lavandula x intermedia) Lavender tea is a soothing and calming drink that gives a nice floral note to a blend that includes other herbs (by itself it tastes kinda soapy if you ask me) and it’s an important ingredient in my DIY Coke recipe. Read about the benefits of lavender tea here and listen to this podcast episode I recorded with a lavender farmer and this episode where the lavender farmer answers all your questions.
Blue hyssop (Agastache rugosa ) Also called “Korean mint,” this gem, is in the mint and basil family. The leaves offer a smooth, sweet licorice taste to your tea blends. Read about the benefits of blue hyssop here.
Ginger… You can plant a piece of plain old ginger from the grocery store and grow lots more, so I plan on trying this. I know it needs warmth, so I’ll plant a big piece of giner in a pot that I can easily bring inside during the winter months. When the root is ready to harvest, I’ll slice it and dehydrate it, dice it into chunks, and use it in my DIY Coke and my Ginger Peach tea blend.
Tulsi basil (Ocimum tenuiflorum) This variety of basil has a very subtle minty flavor, but it’s so subtle that this pairs nicely in almost any and all tea blends, so I am often tossing some tulsi basil in my steeper. And why not? Take a look at the benefits of tulsi basil!
Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) In the mint family, lemon balm makes a delicious tea. And all the benefits of lemon balm will blow you away.
Ginger mint (Mentha x gracilis) This variety of mint is not only delicious in teas but it’s so pretty and aromatic in the garden too, with pinkish stems and golden-streaked, tooth-edged leaves. Read more about the benefits of ginger mint tea here.
Mojito mint (Mentha x villosa ) While it’s named for the alcoholic drink that it’s perfect for, I grow this particular variety of mint for flavoring my non-alcoholic kombucha. Strawberry Mojito Kombucha is one of my all-time favorites. And all varieties of mint pack a big punch of benefits–read here.
Orange mint (Mentha citrata) This wonderfully citrus-y mint is my all-time favorite mint to sip as a warm cup of tea. Just steep the leaves in hot water and mmmmm. If I have some dried cherries on hand, I’ll steep a few of those in with the leaves and wow… so good.
Chocolate mint (Mentha × piperita f. citrata) This mint variety is my favorite for making mint chocolate smoothies or mint chocolate chip ice cream.
A yerba mate plant (Ilex paraguariensis) Tea is made from the dried leaves and stems of the plant that offer numerous benefits. But I’m new to growing this and hope it overwinters inside–here in New England–well.
Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) Lemongrass tea has a refreshingly sweet citrus flavor (it’s pretty popular with herbal tea enthusiasts), made from both the leaves and stalks of the lemongrass plant. Read more about the benefits of lemongrass here.
Echinacea (Echinachea purpurea ) These beautiful flowers are not the only part of this medicinal plant that makes a wonderful addition to tea. The stems and leaves do as well. Read the benefits of echinacea here.
Calendula (Calendula officinalis) I love this particular color of calendula (although the common one you’re used to is pretty too). While I’ll just be using the flowers for teas, the leaves are great for making an extract. Read about the benefits of calendula here.
Turmeric (Curcuma longa ) The spicy, earthy flavor of turmeric pairs nicely with many ginger, green, black, and chai tea blends. Read here the benefits of turmeric in your tea if you also add a little pepper.
Chicory (Cichorium intybus) Chicory makes me happy. I’ve been growing it for 4 years and love the fact that I can (kinda) grow my own coffee. You see I harvest the roots, dehydrate and roast them, then grind them up to steep in hot water as a delicious tea that tastes like coffee (recipe here). Read about the numerous benefits of chicory here.
Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) This plant is another one I’m familiar with. I experimented with growing 2 plants last year and I was so pleased with the big roots that I harvested and roasted to make a medicinal powder that I add to my healthy hot chocolate mix. Read about the benefits of ashwagandha here.