As is the common practice around here (North Idaho), we started planting in the garden after Mother’s Day, to avoid the possibility of a frost killing our plants.
This year we decided to focus on plants we use to make our herbal oils. One oil that we regularly make from our garden flowers is Calendula. I wanted to go over the top with Calendula starts this year and shoot for a more sizeable yield! I have continued to find more and more uses for Calendula, and I continue to receive feedback from friends and customers on the beneficial effects our Calendula oil has on various conditions, .
Calendula starts are quite hardy but there are two things that one must pay close attention to: They require ample watering in order to thrive and they often become a target for aphids and other parasites, who apparently love feasting on their leaves! So one has to keep a close watch!
Another thing I am doing this year is experimenting with planting yarrow in the garden. I have been making my oil with wildcrafted yarrow mainly harvested from our property. But, again, as I am discovering how useful this oil is, I am curious to see how this plant will go if I grow it from starts in the garden. So in my first planting outing in the garden my mission was simple: calendula & yarrow starts!
If God wills it, later this summer thanks to these starts, we will have our new batch of calendula oil, and hopefully, yarrow oil. This will equip us to make this year’s herbal salves.
May we have a blessed planting season this year and a blessed harvest! Happy planting!