Medicinal Herb Planting Calendar

January 15, 2025

Growing your own medicine from seed is an opportunity to enter into deep relationship with our many plant allies. Whether annual or perennial, medicinal herbs create beauty, pollinator habitat, and sacred spaces within a garden while also empowering us to holistically support our health and wellness with the use of these healing plants.

Herbs Echinacea

Many medicinal herbs require specific seed treatment to aid in germination. Stratification exposes the seed to a prolonged period of cold temperatures in order to break dormancy. The easiest way to mimic this cycle is to dampen sand so it forms a flat patty, place it in a small reclosable plastic bag, and then add your seeds to the surface of the patty. Refrigerate for two weeks before sowing. Herbs that benefit from this practice include: echinacea, marshmallow, skullcap, St. John’s wort, and blue vervain. Scarification, or the process of breaking down the seed’s coating, is another tactic that can be useful for germination. Astragalus benefits from scarification, which can be done by rubbing the seeds with sandpaper. To learn more about medicinal herb growing specifics (e.g., seed starting temperatures, whether or not to cover the seeds with soil, sun requirements, soil preferences, etc.), FEDCO and Strictly Medicinal Seeds provide a wealth of information both online and in their catalogs.

Below is a list of medicinal herbs that grow well in Maine with dates for indoor seed starting and transplanting out of seedlings as well as information for direct seeding outdoors. Approximate dates are based on USDA Plant Hardiness zone 5B and may need to be adjusted to your zone. Medicinal herbs, particularly perennials, can be quirky. Germination may be sparse, spotty, and/or staggered, and many are slow-growing. Be patient! Don’t overwater! Keep good records of what worked or did not, and try again. By growing medicinal herbs, you’re ensuring many years of a multiplying bounty of garden-grown medicine.

Herbs Echinacea dried

When working with medicinal herbs, it is important to reference the botanical name in addition to the common name in order to avoid confusion. Here are the botanical names for the herbs included in the calendar below: anise hyssop (Agastache foeniculum), astragalus (Astragalus membranaceus), catnip (Nepeta cataria), clary sage (Salvia sclarea), echinacea (Echinacea purpurea), elecampane (Inula helenium), feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium), lemon balm (Melissa officinalis), marshmallow (Althea officinalis), motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca), skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora), St. John’s wort (Hypericum perforlatum), stinging nettle (Urtica dioica), wood betony (Stachys officinalis), blue vervain (Verbena hastata), calendula (Calendula officinalis), chamomile (Matricaria recutita), tulsi (Ocimum tenuiflorum), and yarrow (Achillea millefolium).

February 22Start indoors: astragalus, catnip (2/22 to 3/22), clary sage+ (2/22 to 3/22), echinacea, elecampane, feverfew (2/22 to 3/15), lemon balm (2/22 to 3/15), marshmallow (2/22 to 3/15), motherwort (2/22 to 3/15), skullcap, St. John’s wort (2/22 to 3/15), stinging nettle (2/22-3/15), wood betony, yarrow (2/22 to 3/15)
March 1Start indoors: anise hyssop (3/1 to 3/15), blue vervain
April 7Start indoors: calendula* (4/7 to 5/15), chamomile* (4/7 to 5/15), tulsi* (4/7 to 5/15)
May 1Transplant out: catnip, echinacea, elecampane, feverfew, lemon balm, marshmallow, motherwort, skullcap, St. John’s wort, stinging nettle, wood betony, blue vervain, yarrow
May 15Seed outdoors: calendula (5/15 to 6/1), chamomile (5/15 to 6/1)   Transplant out: anise hyssop, astragalus, clary sage, calendula (5/15-6/15), chamomile (5/15-6/15), tulsi (5/15-6/15)

Key

Perennial — All herbs listed, unless marked, are traditionally grown as perennials, meaning that, once established, they will return each year.

+ Biennial — Plants that complete their life cycle in two years.

* Self-sowing annual — Plants complete their life cycle in one growing season and produce viable seed that can germinate the following year, allowing the plant to establish for another growing cycle.

This planting guide was compiled by Abby Lydon of Dharma Farm in Washington, Maine.

This article originally appeared in the winter 2024-2025 issue of The Maine Organic Farmer & Gardener.

Search news:
Categories
Scroll to Top

Keep in touch with MOFGA!

Sign up for our weekly bulletin to receive event announcements, seasonal tips, and more.
Sign up to receive our weekly newsletter of happenings at MOFGA.