Grow Your Own Herbs with Common Sense Seeds
As the year slowly turns toward spring, you may be looking for ways to plant a flourishing garden this season. Building a garden can be a creative, energizing, and grounding activity—not to mention one that gives generous gifts of foods, florals and herbs!
Whether you’re an experienced green thumb, or an amateur like me, if you’re on the hunt for some classic crops or new varieties to try, we have good news! Here at the Apothecary, we partner with Common Sense Seeds, a Calgary-based, family-owned company that produces over 175 varieties of open-pollinated, Canadian seeds!
Specializing in hardy, short season tomato varieties and also offering a variety of other veggies, flowers and herbs, these sustainable and hyper-local growers are our go-to for cultivating our own little herbie garden at the store, and we think you’ll love what they have to offer.
Here are just a few herbs out of their wide selection, curated in our specialty 4-pack, “Apothecary Garden Seed Collection.” This specialty 4-pack brings together easy to grow, tried and true traditional herbs. Use these herbs for teas, tinctures, & salves. Or just enjoy the herbs for their beauty!
MUGWORT | Artemisia vulgaris
This semi-shrubby herb, nicknamed “a mug of herbs (wort),” grows up to 3 feet tall and has an excellent woodsy-spicy aroma. Its leaves are eye-catchingly feathery and its traditional uses as a tea have been associated with digestion, calming the nervous system, and menstrual health!
CALENDULA | Calendula officinalis
A true garden classic, Calendula blooms in cheery yellow, orange and cream-coloured flowers. Calendula seeds can be sown directly or started indoors, and are easy to grow, making them a great choice for beginners! Apart from admiring their beauty, the fresh flowers can be added to salads, infused into DIY skincare oils, or dried into a tea!
LEMON BALM | Melissa officinalis
Well known for its antimicrobial and uplifting properties, this vigorous grower carries a delicious lemony scent that makes it a great addition to recipes when fresh, and an energizing tea when dried. Light-dependent germinators, lemon balm seeds can be sown indoors or outdoors when covered with a light layer of soil.
CHAMOMILE | Matricaria recutita
This Bodegold variety of chamomile seeds produces flowers that can be dried to make a sweet, apple-flavoured tea. Apart from its adorable white blossoms, chamomile is known to carry a variety of soothing properties to both the mind and body. Another beginner-friendly grower, bodegold chamomile seeds depend on light to germinate and should be planted by pressing them into the soil and barely covering them.
Beyond these lovely herbs, be sure to check out more seeds grown and gathered by Common Sense Seeds, sold in-store ONLY at the Apothecary!